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Guest Rabbi:
Rabbi Chaim Landau (5766)
Associate Member, Young Israel Council of Rabbis
It seems that in many countries, a coup d'etat is a very bloody affair, filled with corpses, fought over with modern weapons of murder and mayhem. And yet, in Parshat Korach, a coup d'etat is a very bloodless affair, where halachah becomes the fulcrum around which the battle is fought, won and lost.
Let's set the scene. Korach puts together a team with which to confront Moshe Rabbenu. The Torah describes this motley band as "Keri'eh Moed". What does this term mean, and who makes up the crew? The Gemara Sanhedrin 110 defines these people for us. They are an assembly of scholars put together by Korach whose expertise is in the sanctification of the new moon, and when to add an extra month to extend the year into a leap year. Our obvious question here is: Why, of all people, does Korach create an association with which to do battle against Moses?
The Be'er Yosef answers the question by asking another of his own: What exactly is Korach after? He really does not want Moses' position - nobody wants that. In fact, Rashi informs us that, in fact, Korach's complaint lies in the fact that Korach is angry in that Moses has taken upon himself to be king with authoritarian powers, and has therefore used his powers to choose his own brother, Aaron, to be the Kohen Gadol. In short, the complaint is that Moses has abused his powers in electing Aaron as the "second in command" - a choice that smacks of rank nepotism. It's not what you know...it's who you know.
Now, we know that Korach is no fool: in fact, he is described as a "pi-ke-ach," a man of great insight. So how is it possible that Korach can outlandishly suggest that Aaron has not been chosen because of his intrinsic worth but only because he happens to be Moses' brother?
Especially since Rashi, in Parshat Shemini, informs us that during the seven days that Moses officiated in the dedication and service of the Mishkan, no one was able at all to experience and feel the presence of the Shechinah amongst them. The Jewish people felt embarassed, especially after all of their efforts, and complained to Moses: "After all," they confronted him, "didn't we work to build the Mishkan so that G-d's presence could dwell amongst us? And yet, so far, nothing of the kind has happened." And Moses replies that since this really is the case, he would appoint Aaron to fulfill this mission. And he succeeds. So no less than Rashi shows us that Aaron is not an arbitrary decision and that G-d does respond to him.
So then, how does Korach have the gall to suggest otherwise ?
Responds the Be'er Yosef, Korach's argument is as follows: The truth is that whoever Moses would have appointed, G-d would have responded. There was absolutely no reason to have chosen Aaron alone as the sole appointee for this position. Anyone would have been acceptable. Where do we have such an example that someone appointed by man, anyone in fact, would have G-d's stamp of acceptance ? The answer is in the process we call Kiddush Ha-Chodesh. For whenever the Beis Din announces Rosh Chodesh, even if they are completely mistaken, or even if deliberately wrong, G-d sanctions the human-made decision, as well as all the Festivals that fall therefrom. So that even if the decision is made arbitrarily, G-d still accepts and follows the opinion.
That is why Korach assembles the experts in Keri-eh Moed, because by their presence as his assembly, Korach is able to bolster his argument that anyone other than Aaron would have been an acceptable choice sanctioned by G-d as the procedure of Kiddush Ha-Chodesh proves.
Moses' reply, however, is to inform them that, whereas Beis Din's decision as to when Rosh Chodesh is to fall is accepted by G-d, but by declaring the impossible possible is not a situation G-d will approve...declaring night to be day, or vice versa, would be too ridiculous for the Divine to sanction. Similarly, you cannot renounce Aaron. Anyone would not have been acceptable...only a person of intrinsic worth, as represented by Aaron alone, could have been sanctioned and acceptable to G-d.
In the conclusion to this event, the Gemara in Baba Basra tells us about how Raba bar, Bar Chana would be taken to the spot, by an Arab, where the assembly were swallowed up and they would ascend from the depths of the earth to the surface to declare that Moses is true and his Torah is true. And when do they do this? Every 30 days, at the beginning of every Rosh Chodesh for their mistake was to use the argument of Rosh Chodesh against the appointment of Aaron.
There is, however, a caveat to all of this. Asks the Imri Shammai: How can Korach, such a bright individual, land himself in such a mess? Besides being mistaken enough to try to overturn Moses' authority. The Gemara of Berachos 27 tells us the famous story of another coup d'etat - that against Rabban Gamliel who was ruthless against his colleagues by embarassing them in public, especially Rabbi Yehoshua. The Rabbis, in deciding as to who should replace Rabban Gamliel, excluded Rabbi Yehoshua as a possible candidate, because he was a "Ba'al Ma'aseh", involved in the very cause that lead to the unseating of Rabban Gamliel. And therein lay the mistake of Korach. For, if you win, you're a Ba'al Ma'aseh and therefore automatically excluded from being the Kohen Gadol, even if you unseat Aaron. If you lose, you lose; and if you win, you lose!!!!
Shabbat Shalom!
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