By Rebbetzin Lauren Levin
It is rare that God intervenes. Openly, at least.
Yet here in Parshat Korach, God’s glory appears twice to restore the national order.
Following the rebellion of Korach, the nation is reeling from the death of Korach who was considered a righteous leader of the time. They wage holy war against Moses and Aharon saying: “why have you killed the people of God”?
The rebellion of Korach was significant but that was ultimately a pocket of people. This was now national rebellion in the name of God. It is at this point that the Divine presence appears: “But as the community gathered against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the Tent of Meeting; the cloud had covered it and the Presence of יהוה appeared“.
Rabeinu Bachya, writing in Spain in the thirteenth century questions the timing of this Divine intervention. He connects it to another episode in Jewish history when God intervened at a seemingly curious juncture. King Jeroboam was largely responsible for sabotaging the golden age of the Solomonic era. He split united Israel into two kingdoms and built golden calves, instating idol worship as an institutional religious practise. Through all this God did not intervene, as ultimately human beings have free will that can be used for the horrific or the sublime. However, God does intervene during a much more minor episode. As Jeroboam stood by the altar, he was approached by the prophet Ido, rebuking him for his treacherous actions. In his fury, he stretched his arm to seize him, but suddenly: ”But the hand he stretched out towards the man shrivelled up so he could not pull it back”. Why would God intervene now rather than when idol worship was being enshrined in the land of Israel? The midrash concludes that God intervenes when his emissaries, the prophets, are under attack.
In this way, the appearance of the Divine Presence when Moses and Aaron are being threatened by the entire nation is the answer to Moses’ question of God earlier in the book of Bamidbar: “Why have You treated Your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour in Your eyes that You place the burden of this entire people upon me?” God will be there to defend him when things become overbearing; the burden will not be on him alone.
There are two other occasions where the glory of God appears in Bamidbar suddenly. One is following the spies, as the nation are about to stone the leadership. The other is when Miriam and Aharon speak about their brother behind his back, and whilst their motivation was pure, God immediately summons the siblings to rebuke them. God will not sit back if His beloved servant Moses is being attacked.
Despite the intervention, Moses never remains passive. Indeed, on each occasion his response shows true leadership in the midst of crisis. As the harmony of his family is threatened, Moses immediately prays on behalf of his sister. In the aftermath of the spies, Moses immediately begins bartering and then beseeching for their salvation. And here, in Parshat Korach, his response to God helping him by bringing a plague is to fall on his face[1] and provide the antidote to the plague by giving Aaron clear instructions of how they can stop the plague.
Rabbi Hayyim ben Solomon Tyrer provides a fascinating interpretation of Gods command to Moses and Aaron to ‘separate from this congregation and I will destroy them’. This was not about physical distance, but about an emotional connection. As long as Moses felt connected to the people, they had a spiritual protection which prevented their destruction. This alludes to the revered relationship between the Rebbe and his followers in Chasidic philosophy, but more importantly it is a testament to Moses’ love of his people. Even when they all turned against him, he still loved them.
The relationship between leaders and people can be complicated. Korach is a fantastical story of a vastly different era in our history, separated by both time and world order. And yet its messages seem timeless. In the biblical narrative there were two redeeming features: Moses’ inherent love of the people and his faith that God would come to his defence. So too today, we hope that our leaders’ actions are driven by that same of love of society and like the Eisenhower mantra, a strong sense that “in God we trust”.
[1] Either in prayer or in grief at the thought, see Taanit 14 and r’Obadia Seforno