Timeless Torah

Moses had experienced them all; from malcontents and insurrectionists, to those who had attacked him personally and those who had opposed his claim of a Direct Divine Instruction Line. Yet even amidst a generation of antagonists and adversaries, the rebellion of Korach was unique. It, and it alone, captured the imagination and backing of much of the leadership of that time. So unlike the other revolutions that were instigated by the riffraff and spread chiefly among the masses, this insurgency was fueled by the men of rank.
Perhaps that explains why Korach, more than any other opponent had to disappear from the scene completely. Other complaints were caused primarily from the outside; lack of food, water, fearful giants, etc. Once these issues were addressed the nation could continue on its course. In the story of Korach however, it was the evil trait of pure jealousy that was at the root of the problem. Eradicating the impediment could only occur if Korach and his cohorts, who were both the obstructionists as well as the obstacle, were effectively removed.
In consequence, the earth opened under their feet and tents and swallowed them; man, woman and child. This is in accordance with the statement recorded in Ethics of our Fathers that, “Jealousy, honor and desire drive a man out of this world.” But in this case, the fires of dispute were so great that they doomed even the otherwise innocent babes in the family.
Yet, in the book of Psalms, chapters of immortal poetry are attributed to the Sons of Korach or Assaf, another descendant of Korach. So it seems that Korach’s family was not entirely obliterated, even when the ground swallowed them whole. In fact, the Torah itself tells us in the Book of Deuteronomy that “The sons of Korach did not die.” What are we to make of their survival? How did they extricate themselves from the bowels of the deep?
The Midrash and the Talmud tell us that the sons of Korach did not fall all the way down. The phrase used to describe their rescue from oblivion is that, “A place was fortified for them above Gehinom (Purgatory),” where they were able to survive. And in that precarious position they rethought their father’s erroneous rebellion and admitted the truth to themselves and to others. In the language of the Midrash, “Their voices could be heard proclaiming, ‘Moses is true and his Torah is true.’ ”
It was this act of honesty, this ability to rethink and review one’s prejudices that saved the descendants of Korach from death and oblivion and even brought them immortality. Only after recognizing how wrong their parents had been and stating loudly that Moses was right, were they able to climb out of the pit. This is not easy to do. Even when the facts of the matter fly in one’s face and debunk previously held beliefs, people often don’t concede. But it was their act of moral courage that allowed the progeny of Korach to rise again.
The twentieth century has been to a large extent, the age of Korach. Rebellion against the old and the veneration of the new have been the unfortunate hallmark of this, the bloodiest of all centuries. Nowhere has this been more noticeable than in Jewish life. Socialism, Communism, Secularism, Nationalism, atheism, Progressive Judaism and other assorted theories and movements arose these past one hundred years, vying for the hearts and minds of our people. Yet all of them in turn have proven themselves to be woefully inadequate in creating a meaningful and lasting tradition.
From our perch just above the abyss of Jewish destruction and assimilation, there are individuals returning to religion who shout out loudly that, “Moses is true and his Torah is true.” Amazingly enough, these ‘counter-revolutionaries’ are the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those who were in the vanguard of change. These modern day Assafs have rejected the false shibboleths of their “Korach” fathers. They have displayed a superior moral rectitude and have created the massive Baal Teshuvah movement that has galvanized a worldwide Jewish community that until recently was preparing its own epitaph.
Much of the guidance and inspiration for this phenomenom has come from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Moses of our time. We at Chabad of Coral Springs thank him and our own local Sons of Korach for allowing us the merit of being part of this global campaign of resurrecting Jewish pride and spiritual living.