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Charting A Course (Parshah Korach)

June 20, 2014 by Patrick Beaulier

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I am always challenged by this week’s parsha. Not in comprehension or interest, but because I find myself siding with the bad guys and identifying my own experience in their rebellious rhetoric. Adversary to Moshe Rabbeinu is not a space I’m entirely comfortable occupying, and yet I can’t help but recognize the validity of the opposition.

Parashat Korach tells the story of a renegade band of Levites, disgruntled with the status quo. They question Moses’ leadership and their compelling arguments have persuaded others to join their attempted mutiny. “Now Korach, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, betook himself, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth – descendants of Reuben – to rise up against Moses, together with two hundred fifty Israelites, chieftains of the community, chosen in the assembly, men of repute. They combined against Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the Lord’s congregation?” (Numbers 16:1-3)

Theirs is a valid question. If all of Israel is holy, why is Moses elevated as messenger of God and captain of the people? Why does he alone have the authority to make decisions that effect all? These are questions with modern resonance, particularly where women continue to be excluded from the rabbinate, the study of certain texts, and the opportunity to pray publicly while wearing tallit or tefillin. If all of Israel is holy, why are gender-based roles proscribed and why do they continue to be enforced? Wherever our opinion lands on the spectrum of modern Jewish observance, the analysis is worthwhile and can lead us to a richer understanding of our shared tradition.

Of course, the brazen Korach and his band of insurgents are unsuccessful. Not only do they fail to gain power, they and their families meet a spectacular demise. “… The ground under them burst asunder, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all Korach’s people and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol, with all that belonged to them; the earth closed over them and they vanished from the midst of the congregation. All Israel around them fled at their shrieks, for they said, ‘The earth might swallow us!” (Numbers 16:28 – 34)

A commitment to fairness and equality leads many of us to cheer for the underdog. Especially as Jewish women, it’s often easy to see ourselves as the ones who are excluded, the ones attempting to effect change and challenge those in power. Across every industry, women remain egregiously underrepresented in positions of leadership. We continue to earn less than our male counterparts. We are the primary victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence.

So, I get Korach. I’ve experienced the same frustration with leadership and struggle to create space for all voices. But, I’ve also had my values tested and been compelled to make decisions that weren’t always popular but which I believed were right. I’ve given gratitude to God and asked for guidance. Sometimes, I’ve received it. In these pieces of my story, I am reminded of Moses.

Instead of identifying with Korach, what if we choose to see ourselves in Moses? A leader of his people, humble and deeply connected to God, Moses was not swayed by the pressure of a dissenting tribe, or the monumental responsibility of being a messenger of the divine. His decisions were not always popular. The commandments he relayed were not always simple or easy. Yet, Moses was resolute.

Too often, we compromise our convictions. We worry about how we might be judged, whose feelings we might inadvertently trample, and whether or not the conflict is “worth it.” We fear upsetting the balance of our lives, we fear failure or we fear the responsibilities that come with success. Ultimately, we demonstrate less faith in ourselves than we do in a system or situation we know to be askew.

Yet, we have it within us to chart a course with our own moral compass and stick it out. If not completely bulletproof, we are resilient. We can detail all we’ve endured and marvel at our strength, wisdom, and tenacity. We can lean on whatever relationship we have with God to remind ourselves of what we know in our guts to be true. We can inventory our values and take action to improve our world. If we all viewed ourselves a little more like Moses, and a little less like Korach, imagine what we could accomplish.

Akiva Yael is an enthusiastic participant in all that is holy, including Torah study, powerlifting, and the beauty of our world.

Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud), LGBTQ & Women Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, korach, online conversion, Parshah Korach, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier

Parsha Korach : Revolution Summer (Num.16:1 – 18:32)

June 18, 2012 by Jeremiah

 

Parsha Korach : Revolution Summer (Num.16:1 – 18:32)

For all intents and purposes Korach is the face for any Ancient Hebrew who took issue at some point with Moses’s style of leadership. Moses did not spend his formidable years like most Hebrews nor did he live an average Egyptian life. Moses was not one for public discourse and if you read between the lines may have had a hard time relating to those he was chosen to lead. Representative Democracy is not Hashem’s revolution His revolution is universal justice.

As a modern American I’ve only lived under the yoke of “crazy” liberals and ”a**hole” conservatives who only agree on time limited leadership roles. Competitive leadership is a machine running nonstop and with a presidential election in the United States a few months away that machine is running full force. This got me ah thinkin’ who exactly were Moses and Korach? I know who [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community Member Blogs, Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud) Tagged With: Circle Pit The Bimah, convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, D'var Torah, darshan yeshiva, jeremiah, korach, online conversion, Parsha, parshah, parshat, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier

Steampunk Torah: Shelakh Lekhah, Korach, Chukat

July 7, 2011 by Patrick Beaulier

The Jewish fantasy fiction series by Rivkah Raven and PunkTorah continues with chapters Shelakh Lekhah, Korach and Chukat. Click on the chapter titles to download and join the adventure!

Shelakh Lekhah

“It is time, now, Raven,”  he said.  Mari pushed her chair back from the tea table and gathered herself to rise.  She had already attached the menorah, which looked more like a small brass lantern, to the belt at her waist; she stowed the tiny silver ear-trumpet in the pouch that hung beside it.  She had no idea how these things would help her, but it gave her heart to feel their weight. 

Korach

Mari awoke all at once, abruptly, and with her temper in full flare.  She sat up quickly, her fists clenched, and said aloud, “Thatʼs enough.”   She was rested, she had water now and a little bit of food, and she felt energy surging through her veins.  She was thoroughly angry now.  When she had been tired, still in shock from so many changes all at once, she had let herself crumple and fall prey to fear.  Now, she felt it was time to make a change. She stood and stretched, moving her limbs to chase away the stiff, bruised feeling.  She splashed her face with water, took a long drink from the flask at her belt and refilled it at the sink.  Who knows when she would find water again? 

Chukat

Mari awoke to a wet, heavy slap on her cheek.  She tried to raise her head, but it was weighed down; she tried to move her legs, but her body was pressed with a cold weight that held her firmly. It was not uncomfortable, but she panicked.  She wrestled her hands flat under her shoulders, her elbows pointing up, and tried to raise her shoulders, pushing the back of her head up.  It was completely dark, and the air was dank and thick.  She could not remember where she was. 

Filed Under: Community Member Blogs, Jewish Media Reviews Tagged With: chukat, convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, fiction, korach, online conversion, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, raven, rivkah raven, Shelakh Lekhah, steam punk, steampunk

Yuppies Pretending To Be Revolutionaries (Parshat Korah)

June 22, 2011 by Patrick Beaulier

If you like stories about political rebellion and massive death, then Parshah Korach is right up your alley.

In this week’s parshah, Korach decides that Moses needs to be overthrown. In his mind, Moses has too much authority and sits on his high horse, talking to G-d, and looking down on everyone else.

So he challenges Moses authority. He gathers a bunch of guys, and they confront Moses. So Moses calls him out on it! Moses and Korach go to the Tent of Meeting with fire pans of incense and sure enough, G-d sides with Moses. Korach and his dudes get swallowed up by the earth and the rest die in a massive plague.
Basically, you don’t mess with G-d.

A lot of people read this Torah portion as a way of promoting fundamentalism. “See, if you rebel against G-d, you’ll be punished! So burn your Urban Outfitters shirts and step away from the indie rock, because you need to sit all day reading Gemara or G-d will punish you all the days of your life.”

That’s a lie. And they know it.

This story is actually about DISTRUSTING authority.

In the first part of the story, we learn that Korach comes from a powerful family. The Midrash (Jewish legends) about Korach teaches that he was wealthy, too. And if you look at the people he recruited to overthrow Moses, they weren’t anti-establishment. They were princes, men from the assembly, nobility. They were yuppie power brokers!

Korach used these two hundred and fifty men to challenge Moses, not because they wanted equality, but they wanted power for themselves. Worse than that, they managed to trick people into following them under the lie that “everyone in the congregation is holy” (Numbers 16:3).

There are people in this world: politicians, celebrities, people in power, who claim that they are looking out for the common man. But sometimes, these people aren’t really looking out for you. They are just using you.
Why did G-d side with Moses and Aaron and not Korach? Because Moses and Aaron were the real deal. Yes, they were the guys in charge. But their hearts were in the right place. They weren’t out for “number one” like Korach.

So if you’re going to challenge the system, go for it! G-d likes rebellious people. Just make sure that you aren’t being tricked by some yuppie jerk who talks a good game.

This week’s d’var is a repeat, but some goodies are just worth reposting. Originally posted here: http://punktorah.org/?p=1028

Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud) Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, D'var Torah, darshan yeshiva, korach, online conversion, parshat korach, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, this week's torah portion

Parshat Korach

June 9, 2010 by Patrick Beaulier

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SreUTNmsMs4

Parshah Korach

If you like stories about political rebellion and massive death, then Parshah Korach is right up your alley.

In this week’s parshah, Korach decides that Moses needs to be overthrown. In his mind, Moses has too much authority and sits on his high horse, talking to G-d, and looking down on everyone else.

So he challenges Moses’ authority. He gathers a bunch of guys, and they confront Moses. So Moses calls him out on it! Moses and Korach go to the Tent of Meeting with fire pans of incense and sure enough, G-d sides with Moses. Korach and his dudes get swallowed up by the earth and the rest die in a massive plague.

Basically, you don’t mess with G-d.

A lot of people read this Torah portion as a way of promoting fundamentalism. “See, if you rebel against G-d, you’ll be punished! So burn your Urban Outfitters shirts and step away from the indie rock, because you need to sit all day reading Gemara or G-d will punish you all the days of your life.”

That’s a lie. And they know it.

This story is actually about DISTRUSTING authority.

In the first part of the story, we learn that Korach comes from a powerful family. The Midrash (Jewish legends) about Korach teaches that he was wealthy, too. And if you look at the people he recruited to overthrow Moses, they weren’t anti-establishment. They were princes, men from the assembly, nobility. They were yuppie power brokers!

Korach used these two hundred and fifty men to challenge Moses, not because they wanted equality, but they wanted power for themselves. Worse than that, they managed to trick people into following them under the lie that “everyone in the congregation is holy” (Numbers 16:3).

There are people in this world: politicians, celebrities, people in power, who claim that they are looking out for the common man. But sometimes, these people aren’t really looking out for you. They are just using you.

Why did G-d side with Moses and Aaron and not Korach? Because Moses and Aaron were the real deal. Yes, they were the guys in charge. But their hearts were in the right place. They weren’t out for “number one” like Korach.

So if you’re going to challenge the system, go for it! G-d likes rebellious people. Just make sure that you aren’t being tricked by some yuppie jerk who talks a good game.

Filed Under: Jewish Text (Torah/Haftarah/Talmud), Podcasts & Videos Tagged With: bible, Counterculture, darshan yeshiva, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, korach, Parsha, parshah, Parshah Korach, parshat, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, Punk, punktorah, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, rebel, Religion, Torah

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