“Power From the People,” Rabbi Elaine Zecher’s Shabbat Awakenings
June 27, 2025 | 1 Tammuz 5785
Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings, a weekly reflection, as we make our way toward Shabbat. You can listen to it as a podcast here.
This week’s portion is named after someone who challenged Moses’ leadership and authority. It wasn’t someone from the outside who tried to curse the Israelites. That was Balak, a king whom we will meet in a few portions who hired the prophet, Bilaam, to damn the Israelites. It is a great story but we aren’t there yet. It is also not Moses’ father-in-law, a Midianite priest named Jethro, who advised Moses with wisdom and insight about leadership. He also has a Torah portion named after him.
This portion is named after a member of Moses’ own family, a cousin descendant of Levi. Their fathers were brothers.
Korah was his name and his frustration with Moses exploded in this Torah portion.
Now Korah, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, took for himself וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח בֶּן־יִצְהָ֥ר בֶּן־קְהָ֖ת בֶּן־לֵוִ֑י
They combined against Moses and Aaron and said to them, וַיִּֽקָּהֲל֞וּ עַל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵהֶם֮
“You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, רַב־לָכֶם֒ כִּ֤י כָ֖ל־הָֽעֵדָה֙ כֻּלָּ֣ם קְדֹשִׁ֔ים
all of them, and GOD is in their midst. וּבְתוֹכָ֖ם יְהֹוָ֑ה
Why then do you raise yourselves above GOD’s congregation?” וּמַדּ֥וּעַ תִּֽתְנַשְּׂא֖וּ עַל־קְהַ֥ל יְהֹוָֽה׃
(Numbers 16: 2-3)
On the surface, it appeared that Korah witnessed with dismay and disappointment that Moses consolidated power by assigning the priesthood to his brother, Aaron.
Korah challenged that authority by recognizing that “the tribes would have been united by a far closer bond if all alike had possessed the right of the priesthood.” (Baruch Spinoza). In his eyes, holiness should not be retained by one lineage.
On the surface, it did not end well for Korah and those who joined in the revolt against Moses. The earth swallowed them.
There is more to the plain meaning of the text here. Korah disputed Moses and as a result paid the ultimate price. But we do not read the text only in one context. We bring our own world view, one that values resistance and challenge.
Korah posed an important question to Moses, “Why do you raise yourself above the people?” Don’t we all have access to divine holiness?
Korah deserves a second look and a different perspective.
When a leader attempts to appropriate power without regard, that is the most dangerous.
Korah is not lost to history even if the earth swallowed him. Those who created the sections of the Torah which designated the name of the portion by how it begins sent us a message about the power of Korah. The voice of dissent matters. Then, and today.
I welcome your reflections and responses, Connect with me with comments and reflections here.
Shabbat Shalom! שבת שלום
Rabbi Elaine Zecher