PARASHAT KORACH

Saturday 28th June 2025                             2nd Tamuz 5785

PARASHAT KORACH

Numbers 16:1-18:32; 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22;

John 19:1-17

As another week of fighting between Israel and Iran unfolds, we must once again consider the human cost. Anyone paying attention to news reports over the last few years is likely inured to casualty counts. After all, what’s the death of 25 Israelis (the count as of Friday morning) compared to the 55,000 deaths in Gaza since October 8, 2023?

Never mind that the likely overblown numbers are provided the by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry and that they include combatants (i.e. Hamas terrorists) as if they were innocent bystanders. Even the horrific number of Israelis murdered on October 7th dwarfs the current count resulting from the latest Iran war. Somewhere in the recesses of our minds we take comfort in the comparatively smaller casualty count.

This is a terrible mistake. The vastly lower number of current casualties is a direct result of incredible technology (Iron Dome et al.) and relentless preparation: evacuating high value targets and an Israeli population that is running to safety rooms and bomb shelters every time the air raid sirens go off. These too have a high human cost. Make no mistake, the sirens going off at any time of the day or night and forcing a mass evacuation has a lasting impact, particularly on the physically limited elderly and children.

As a child living in Jerusalem during the Yom Kippur War of 1973, I remember them well; there is nothing quite as disorienting as being shocked out of a deep sleep at 3 am by a shrill middle-of-the-night siren and having to run down four flights of stairs to the bomb shelter because your life may be in danger. To this day – some 50 years later – I am still particularly sensitive to sirens in the middle of the night.

The vast majority of Americans (and many other westerners) have never livedthrough a war and have no idea what it means to live in a war zone. There is simply no context for the existential danger or the debilitating ripple effects that accompany it. The 7,000 miles separating Iran from the United States goes a long way to blunt their outrageous chants of “Death to America” (aka the “Great Satan”). Their blood thirsty slogans are still promoted by both their political leaders and religious fanatics.

The rampant antisemitism in the international media that somehow equates the fighting between Israel and her enemies, is contemptible. This false narrative, promoted in many Western governments, portrays Israel as the aggressor. When a neighboring nation continually (since 1979!) calls for your destruction and for you to be “wiped off the map,” you had better pay attention and make sure they never have the capability to do so.

Israel just wants to be left alone; it never asked for a war with Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, or Yemen. Israelis merely yearn for “normal” lives – an existence that does not include the fear that one of their bloodthirsty neighbors is going to climb over the wall and perpetuate atrocities like October 7th. The fact that so many fail to make this simple distinction indicates either low intelligence (Greta Thunberg) or proof that antisemitism is alive and well in 2025.

The founder of the Shabbat Shalom Weekly, my beloved friend Rabbi Kalman Packouz of blessed memory, loved to quote Mark Twain’s 1899 article “Concerning the Jews.” In it, Twain reviews the miraculous survival of the Jewish people, their resilience, and some of their contributions to the betterment of mankind. As a paean to both my friend and Mark Twain I will quote a 2025 version of this sentiment written by an Imam, which was forwarded to me by several readers. It also appears on Aish.com.

Hassen Chalghoumi is the Imam of the Municipal Drancy Mosque in Seine-Saint-Denis, near Paris. He is a moderate who is an outspoken friend of the Jewish people. He wrote the following:

“I, the son of Ishmael, an Imam, a Muslim, a man of peace, hereby offer my sincere testimony about this extraordinary people: I must admit, I believe in religions and in miracles. But there is something about this people – the people of Israel – that truly feels like a living miracle.

“A people whom the Pharaohs tried to erase 3,000 years ago… and failed. A people whom the Babylonians tried to destroy 2,500 years ago… and failed. A people whom the Romans wanted to annihilate 2,000 years ago… and failed. A people the Nazis tried to exterminate 80 years ago… and could not wipe out. A people whom the Arabs fought in five wars to erase from the map… and failed.

“This is a small people in number but possessing a unique strength – a divine blessing. Wherever they place their hand, they succeed: in finance, commerce, science, philosophy, literature… A desert land they turned into a paradise, without oil or gas, but with freedom, democracy, intelligence, and willpower.

“This is a people who gave the world Einstein, Newton, Kafka, Karl Marx,

Nietzsche, Spinoza, Freud… and many others who left a mark on humanity. There are realities that neither reason nor logic can explain. There is only one word for it: Miracle. For two and a half years, this people has been fighting on five fronts. They said Israel would tire, that it was on the verge of collapse… yet once again, it surprises the world by opening a new front against an Iranian enemy feared by many, even among Arab regimes.

“This people, though small in number, possesses the courage of nobles, the wisdom of prophets, the patience of righteous men, and the determination of survivors. How could it be otherwise, when they are the descendants of Abraham, Solomon, David, Moses, Jacob, Joseph… and 1,523 prophets and emissaries from among their offspring?

This is the people who brought monotheism and faith in one God to the world. A people driven by a thirst for life, work, innovation, and continuity – for over 4,000 years. Truly, I can find no other word to describe them than: The Miracle People. If the Arabs had clear vision, they would choose to align with this people, learn from them, collaborate with them… perhaps they would absorb their knowledge, wisdom, and dignity. – Hassan Chalghoumi”

To be sure, there are some shortcomings in his statement of support. Firstly, several of the people he mentions are, in fact, not Jewish (Newton, Nietsche). Secondly, do we really want to take credit for the terribly misguided Karl Marx (personally, I much prefer Groucho) and the misogynistic deviant Sigmund Freud? I think not. There are some other elements of the essay I do not really understand, but as an internationally oppressed minority I think we are desperate for his full-throated validation and to be seen as we see ourselves.

But mere words of encouragement are not enough. The ultimate power of the Jewish people lies in the strength of our eternal bond with one another. Jews all over the world have an obligation to help our brethren in Israel and we must do more to help in any way we can. To begin, we should all increase our prayers for the wellbeing of our fellow Jews everywhere, particularly those in danger.

We should also contribute what we can to worthy causes that support all elements of the war such as Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), Magen David Adom, Hatzalah, etc. There are many worthy organizations raising monies; for equipment, for food and shelter for the many thousands of displaced Israelis due to the rampant destruction, and for other war effort support. You just need to inquire.

Last, but of extreme importance, we must do whatever we can to mend internal conflicts within our people. We must always remember that when we fight with one another the Almighty often brings an outside threat that forces us to unite. Unfortunately, this is also generally accompanied by pain. The secret to getting along is to stop solely thinking about “me” and begin thinking about “we.” This week’s Torah portion is the classic example of internal strife within the Jewish community.

We find in Pirkei Avot – Ethics of Our Fathers – the following maxim:

“Any dispute that is for the sake of heaven will endure. A dispute that is not for the sake of Heaven shall not endure. Which controversy was for the sake of Heaven? [The arguments] between Hillel and Shammai. Which controversy was not for the sake of Heaven? [The arguments] of Korach and his followers” (5:17).

We are taught from an early age that disputes are bad. This is not necessarily true. Differing opinions are extremely useful and help clarify important distinctions. That’s what the sages are teaching us – a dispute for the sake of heaven will endure. The arguments between the schools of Hillel and Shammai were Godly, not personal nor carrying any animosity as the Talmud teaches that they married into each other’s families.

The archetypes of a dispute “not for the sake of heaven” appears in this week’s Torah reading; that of Korach and his followers. The full story Korach and his followers taking on Moses and Aaron appears in Numbers (16:1-35). I recommend that you read it in its entirety to get the full picture of what happened.

Briefly, Korach challenges Moses’ authority to appoint his brother as the high priest and accuses him of nepotism (in fact, Aaron had been appointed by Divine command). Korach manages to gain support from some of Moses’ prior antagonists and some 250 families. Moses is disturbed about being accused, gets rather annoyed (Numbers 35:15), and challenges all the disputants to a showdown the next day with his brother Aaron.

The test consists of bringing the incense offering to the Tabernacle and seeing who’s offering God chooses to accept. Long story short, the following day God appears to the entire assemblage and destroys the 250 conspiratorial families with a heavenly fire and Korach and his family are swallowed alive as the earth opens up beneath them.

Korach and his cohorts were destroyed because they made their dispute about wresting power away from Aaron and taking it for themselves.

Making the fight about themselves instead of what’s in the best interest of the Jewish people is why they were utterly obliterated. This maxim is still true 3,400 years later. Their argument was not for the sake of heaven!

[my comment - as Yeshua believers, if we followed this wise council, I suspect that there would be far more of a spirit of unity in our midst. As I learnt several decades ago, “being right is the booby prize of life, if relationships are damaged”. Is your arguments and disagreements for the sake of heaven? Or, do you only want to settle for being right?]