The next time
we read Parshas Korach, the United States will be enmeshed in the last months
of a federal election. Perhaps now, as the race is just revving up, it is
appropriate to look at Parshas Korach and learn about leadership. Assuming no
one reading this will be contending for office, one might wonder at the
significance of this topic to the average person. The answer is that we are the
ones who, in a democracy, are the ones who must assess the candidates for their
actual leadership skills, and one of the critical factors that must be assessed
is their use of pronouns of responsibility. This does not refer to anything
associated with identity, but rather the very subtle way in which people use
language.
“Moshe sent for
Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliav; but they said ‘We will not come! Is it not
enough that you brought us from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us
in the wilderness, that you would also lord it over us? Moreover, not to a land
of milk and honey have you brought us, nor given us an inheritance of fields
and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!’”
(Bamidbar 16:12-14). This response occurs after Moshe has already spoken privately
to his cousin Korach, the initiator of a rebellion of 250 leaders against Moshe
and Aaron. Korach’s first followers were Dathan, Abiram, and a man named On,
who quickly saw that this was not the right path.
Although Korach
had started the rebellion with speaking among the people and gathering a
following, Moshe spoke to him (in pasukim ches – yud aleph 8-11) privately and
on a personal level addressing the question in a more individualized way by
pointing out that Korach and his sons were already elevated in status by the
fact that they were Leviim. When Moshe called for Dathan and Abiram, however,
they responded with hyperbolic public accusations. Every phrase is rife with
inuendo:
“Is it not
enough that you brought us from a land flowing with milk and honey - [and then]
- Moreover, not to a land of milk and honey have you brought us, nor given us
an inheritance of fields and vineyards.” … Note the You and the Us. They aren’t
talking of just the two of themselves, but they are speaking of Bnei Yisrael
and placing the blame squarely on the singular You of Moshe. Dathan and Abiram
speak of the Land of Mitzrayim as a land of milk and honey. This is how they
remember their enslavement? Of course not. This language is carefully chosen to
mirror the promises Moshe has recited. All the more so, it creates a juxtaposition
to their statement of what has not yet occurred – their entry into the Promised
Land.
“to kill us in
the wilderness” … And again the Us implying not just themselves but the people
all around them. It is important to note that the inference here is causal,
that Moshe led them to a place to be put to death. There is no acceptance of any
responsibility on the part of themselves (as part of the nation) for the generation’s
remaining in the wilderness. You brought us to die has a very different tone
than and we are dying.
Bnei Yisrael
were brought to the brink of the Promised Land, and they were not permitted to
enter because of their own lack of trust in Hashem. One of the reasons that this
generation could not enter the Promised Land is precisely the behaviour being
demonstrated here – the inability to take responsibility for their own actions.
“That you would
also lord it over us?” … This entire phrase is a red flag in any political
debate. It is an accusation to which any defensive response buries the opponent
in either difficult to believe humility or the appearance of arrogance. The
line between being a leader and being a ruler is very fine, and in the realm of
outside opinion, that line is very easily crossed. Moshe quite consciously led Bnei
Yisrael and did not rule them, but once this aspersion was cast, it would be hard
for others not to wonder at his actions.
“Will you gouge
out the eyes of these men?” And now the ultimate manipulation. Moshe never
threatened them or anyone else. Moshe called them to come to speak with him,
but their response implies Moshe’s desire to punish the entire group (the 250
men) in a most violent method. Dathan and Abiram are creating an implied threat
in order to make themselves seem greater.
“We will not
come up!’” This is both the first and the last phrase of their response, which
is a classic rhetorical maneuver. Stated alone and it seems a simple refusal;
stated as the bookends of this dramatic response and it is a statement of their
virtue.
The fact that
Dathan and Abiram’s response can be sliced apart to highlight elements of propaganda
says far more about them than even their decision to involve themselves in
Korach’s machlokes. And Moshe’s responding action does the same:
“And Moshe was
very distressed (with anger). And he said to Hashem, ‘Do not accept their
offering. I have not taken a donkey from a single one of them, and I have not
harmed a single one of them.’ Moshe
said to Korach, ‘You and your entire congregation should be before the Lord. You,
they, and Aaron tomorrow…’” (16:15-16).
There are several
profound things about Moshe’s response, not the least which is the fact that he
speaks to Hashem first. Moshe’s immediate action is to pray and to take a
moment of self-reflection. His prayer, “Do not accept their offering,” demonstrates
that Moshe was concerned that perhaps Hashem would not side with him, that
perhaps he had done something wrong. And so, he asks for Hashem’s help specifically.
His self-reflection is his declaration that he has not taken a donkey nor
harmed a single one of them. Moshe somehow seems worried that Hashem will hear
in Dathan and Abiram’s accusation of his bringing the people to die and lording
it over them, an actual accusation of wrongdoing.
Moshe’s next
response is to repeat, with more details, the instructions he gave in 16:5,
which is that they should come in the morning for a test before Hashem. Moshe removed
himself and his ego from the conversation. Moshe is focused on the goal of
serving Hashem properly, not of solidifying his leadership. He doesn’t get into
a petty shouting match with the rebels. He presents an opportunity for them to
prove their point. And, as the parsha goes on to explain, they fail.
Words are
powerful tools that must be wielded wisely. In Parshas Korach, we see a spiritual
method of “think before you respond,” which is turn to Hashem and reflect on your
own actions before you respond. More importantly, we must always be active
listeners and readers who dissect the words we are fed. This is true in every
aspect of our lives – from politics to friendships to family dynamics.
I wish you all
a Shabbas of peace.
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