KORACH 5778
OUR PAST AS PROLOGUE
June 14, 2018
Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 5778
Now Korach, the son of Yizhar, the son of Kehat, the son of Levi, betook himself …. to rise up against Moses …and said, "You have gone too far. All the community is holy … why then do you raise yourself above the Lord's congregation? [Numbers 16: 1-3]
Simeon and Levi are a pair. Their weapons are tools of lawlessness. Let no my person be included in their assembly… cursed be their anger [Genesis 49: 5, 6].
The Midrash, noting the Torah in listing the genealogy of Korach, the leader of the mutiny against Moses and Aaron, specifically omits his connection to Jacob (Levi's father). It connects this detail to Jacob's parting words to his son when he specifically rejects Simeon and Levi for slaughtering the residents of Shechem, the city where their sister was defiled. Omitting Jacob's name honored his wish that he not be included among the mutineers.
What is our responsibility to our forbears? Is it incumbent upon us to transmit their values and teachings? To what extent should our grandparents' and great-grandparents' way of life inform our lives? Is it reasonable to expect our descendants to live by our values? The Midrash is clear, Levi, by besmirching his father's name, placed a burden on his descendants. Jacob thus instructed that his name not be associated with his mutinous descendant.
If we fail to live up to the expectations of our forbears, are we to be held responsible for their actual or perceived misdeeds? This was hardly a moot question considering that, throughout the centuries, Jews have been persecuted and pilloried for their alleged role in the crucifixion of Jesus close to two millennia ago.
A sensitive Midrash counters the view that descendants are responsible for their forbears. Noting the references in the Psalms and in later books of the Bible to the inclusion of the "Sons of Korach" among the Levites who served in the Temple, the Rabbis saw this as ample evidence that the Sons of Korach, by rejecting their ancestor's sinful ways and embracing the teachings of the Torah, were happily accepted into the community of their fellow Levites.
The noble and virtuous deeds of the past deserve to be honored and emulated. Time honored values of morality, honesty and uprightness should be, if at all possible, at the center of our lives. It is unreasonable, however, to expect individuals today to be clones of yesterday, much less of yesteryear.
The challenge before us, as for every generation, is to glean from the behavior and heritage of our ancestors a commitment to decency and virtue and to reject any evil ways of our forbears. It is a gift for us as Jews to access the values, gathered in the treasure troves of wisdom, which are the heritage of all of us.
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From Newton, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
SHLACH
SHEHECHIANU MOMENTS
June 7, 2018
24 Sivan 5778
And they (the ten scouts) told him (Moses)… We came to the land… And it flows with milk and honey… Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong and the cities are walled… We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we… [Numbers 13:27, 28, 31]
Ten of the twelve scouts, Moses sent to scope out the Promised Land, acknowledged that it was beautiful and fruitful, but also said the inhabitants were powerful and lived in well-fortified cities. The message was clear: we cannot hope to overcome them.
The panicked Israelites then remonstrated against Moses and God for leading them into the desert where they faced certain death. In Egypt, at the very least, they managed to survive. A frustrated God then decreed the 40 year trek in the desert until that generation perished. Their children and grandchildren would be the ones to conquer and settle the Land.
Yet one wonders what set off God's angry and over-reactive response. Did He not recognize that these newly freed slaves were in a deep crisis? After all, they were faced with the daunting task of invading and conquering a powerful and well-armed indigenous population protected by their well-fortified cities. Was it not evident that the people felt they were being dispatched on a suicide mission?
We all confront crises in our lives. It may be a marital breakdown, a deep family dysfunction, a loss of employment, a business failure or the inevitable health issues. No one goes through life unscathed, and at these critical junctures we can sink into despair, decry our fate and do nothing, or we can begin to explore possible solutions to our dilemma.
Millennia ago in the desert, the Exodus generation fell apart. They could have engaged in devising some strategy to breach the walls and conquer the land. Perhaps if God had noted such a response, God would have been at their side to aid them to bring their plan to fruition. Was it the failure to undertake some action for themselves that frustrated God?
Was it their abject rejection of any hope that angered God? He is there to help those who initiate action on their own behalf. Those who refuse to take some responsibility for themselves should not expect God to be at their side. He expressed anger because in His words, m'na'atzai, they have spurned Me.
In our own lives, it is hardly sufficient merely to pray for God to ameliorate our crises. Doing nothing and sinking into a state of self-pity generally leads to failure and the perpetuation of the crisis. Granted, there are situations where our options are severely limited, but where there is a determination on our part to move forward, we will hopefully sense God at our side. Even if there sadly is a negative outcome, we may feel assured that we did everything possible to succeed.
Our tradition also reminds us that when we are blessed with success and celebrate milestones, it's appropriate to give thanks to God. This faith and gratitude are captured in the familiar blessing, Shehechianu, thanking God that we have reached and been sustained to celebrate this special moment.
On a personal note, as I approach my 90th birthday and a Shabbat of celebration with my children and their families, I am gratefully strengthened by God's presence and will be reciting a heartfelt Shehechianu.
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From Newton, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
