15.6.07

Parashat Korach

The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh suggests that Hashem’s consideration to destroy Klal Yisrael by the faults of Korach and his rebellious crowd is not necessarily as dramatically dire a moment as one might initially think. After all, Hashem often warns Moshe of the impending annihilation of his nation, and Moshe – always the successful arbiter – succeeds in dissuading Him out of His plan. So really Hashem’s resolutions are nothing more than an indication to Moshe that this is a good time to pray on the nation’s behalf. Indeed, Moshe and Aharon immediately fall to their faces and make their appeal:

“Keil Elokei HaRuchos LiChol Basar, HaEesh Echad Yechetah, ViAl Kol HaEidah Tiktzof?”

BaMidbar, 16:22

“Keil Elokei HaRuchos, [You are the G-d of all spirits and thereby] Knower of all thoughts. You are nothing like a human king, for when part of a human king’s nation rebels against him, he cannot know who has sinned and who has not; therefore, when he becomes enraged, he punishes all alike. But to You all thoughts are known, and You well know “HaEesh Echad Yechetah” – that only one man (Korach) – has sinned. Why then should You be angry at the rest of the nation?” HaKadosh Baruch Hu replied, “you have spoken well, I do know and I will make known those who have sinned and those who haven’t.”

Rashi, BaMidbar 16:22

As Rashi describes, Hashem at first considers wiping out the entire Am for their association with and support of Korach, as the previous pasuk states VaYakheil Aleihem Korach Es Kol HaEidah, Korach amassed the entire nation. Moshe then reminds Hashem that the people are acting improperly, but not to their own fault; rather, Korach is responsible for both his and the Kahal’s misdeeds.

There is a small incongruity, however, between the Ohr HaChaim’s assessment of our situation and Rashi’s description. Rashi approaches Moshe’s and Aharon’s “tefilla” as an appeal to Halacha. They argue that the people are not themselves rebels but rather victims of a single individual’s – a very charismatic individual at that – rebellion, and so they arrive at a different Din than does Hashem. This is not how we commonly picture tefilla. We normally imagine that Hashem determines the Halacha accurately, and then arrives at a Din, and then our prayers have the power to convert Hashem’s strict judgment into a merciful one.

Normally when Moshe argues on behalf of the nation, he focuses on the effects of a specific punishment. If Hashem were to wipe out the whole nation, what would the Mitzrim say? What would the Cana’anim say? And so on. Our parasha’s appeal is the genuine exception, for Moshe clearly disagrees with the very notion that the Bnei Yisrael are guilty altogether! How then does the Ohr HaChaim understand this “opening,” this opportunity Hashem leaves Moshe to rescue his nation, when the nation should not be in need of a rescue in the first place?!

Rashi lends us all the necessary information to answer these questions. There are a few extra words dropped about his commentary that provide us with some very useful hints. Most obviously, there was no need for Hashem to specify that He both “knows” and “will make known” which individual sinned and which ones did not. Moshe’s appeal lies squarely on the knowledge that Korach alone sinned, why then does Hahsem deem it necessary to inform Moshe that He will make this fact known to everyone else? Shouldn’t Moshe simply care that the Kahal won’t be killed?

There is an even more subtle hint dropped in the use of the term Ko’es, “enraged.” Moshe’s argument focuses on the king’s need to maintain control over his country, but his inability to do so without punishing the sinners. Therefore, whether the king is emotionally unstable or not, he is forced to exert brutal action to ensure control over the masses. Why then does Moshe refer Hashem to the case of the “enraged king” instead of simply “the king who does not read minds?”

Rashi’s employment of the element of Ka’as is certainly not his own idea, for Moshe Rabbeinu himself uses the very same idea in our pasuk, ViAl Kol HaEidah Tiktzof. Moshe doesn’t suggest that Hashem actively seeks to annihilate or even harm the Kahal; rather, Moshe accuses Hashem of getting mad at them, becoming indifferent of them, and leaving them to perish whether they deserve such a fate or not. How so?

Chazal tell us that when Hahsem administers His Midas HaDin, it does not differentiate between Tzadik and Rashah. One might imagine the opposite, that nothing would be more capable of differentiating between the two than pure justice. But perhaps what Chazal mean is that when Hashem lets the Malach HaMaves loose to destroy as a result of His Din, His Malach does not distinguish between the good and bad, and so all are fair game. We can then group the nation into three classes: Resha’im deserving of punishment; Tzadikim deserving of being warned to flee from the site of the impending Onesh; and Beinonim who are not the intended victims of Hashem’s Din yet are equally vulnerable.

This translates well to our parasha. Until the people associated themselves with Korach, there was a strong enough Zechus present to prevent punishment. But once they congregated, their merits vanished and punishment was imminent. Hashem warned Moshe and Aharon (and the few remaining Tzadikim, according to the Ohr HaChaim) to flee the scene for they were deserving of a warning, but Hashem wasted no time dispersing the rest of the crowd for He was mad at them and did not care enough to save them.

In response to Hashem’s disdain, Moshe appeals to the case of the enraged king to illustrate that the only way Man becomes indifferent toward his fellow is through his anger, which is sparked by his lack of knowledge and – in effect – control of a situation. Hashem, therefore, has no right to be indifferent towards His nation, for He has no right to get angry if He knows exactly who sinned and who did not. His knowledge allows Him to control the situation in a professional – and caring – way only He can. And so in response, Hashem acknowledges both that He knows who sinned and also that He should make known who sinned, or in other words that He should warn the rest of Klal Yisrael to avoid the site of Korach’s imminent Onesh.

All along, Hashem never accused Klal Yisrael of having sinned, but they were vulnerable to widespread punishment nonetheless. Moshe’s tefilla, albeit unconventional, does indeed focus on Hashem’s bountiful mercy, not in contrast to the administration of Din, but rather in contrast to His feelings of anger. And while Moshe’s plea is only partly successful – we find the Kahal attacked by widespread plague only a day later – we learn a tremendous deal from this short account about what great havoc our anger can wreak, and what great force our prayers can evoke.