Timeless Torah

After all is said and done, there are basically two things that can be said about our world. Either it's a hotchpotch of events going nowhere. Or else there's a plan.
Judaism embraced the latter option. Our mission: convince the rest of the world. The rest is commentary.  read more »

Even Moses, the first and most powerful Jewish leader of any period in Jewish history, was not immune. No matter how righteous, holy, and dedicated, there will always be someone to complain. The someone in this case was Moses' own cousin, Korach, who along with 250 men of rank led a revolt against the establishment.  read more »

Love is blind. But then, so is hate. Indeed, any emotion allowed to run amok distorts one’s perspective. Korach, the brilliant and wealthy cousin of Moses who led a popular rebellion challenging the accepted leadership, unfortunately proved this only too well. Simply put, ego trumps principle.  read more »

Korach the son of Yitzhar should have been a happy man. First, his ancestry was illustrious. He hailed from the mishpocha of Kehas, the most prominent family from the tribe of Levi. He was first cousin to Moshe and Aharon, the two most important individuals in the Israelite camp. He foresaw with Ruach Hakodesh (divine inspiration) that his descendants would include the famous prophet Samuel, as well as fourteen groups of Levites who would in the future prophesy.  read more »

Even those who believe in evolution to explain the progression and emergence of the world's natural species don't accept this theory in regards to societal development. As any student of history will tell you, it is revolution rather than evolution that has altered the course of humanity. Judaism, more than most movements, has withstood those who would rebel and usurp the accepted tradition. Nonetheless, even we have not been impervious to those who would try. In fact, in certain instances, insurgency, although not welcomed, has been viewed as justifiable.  read more »

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.  read more »

A showdown was brewing as the clock struck high noon at the Sinai sanctuary. Once-and-for-all, G-d had decided to show those doubting cynics that He alone had chosen the High Priest. In truth, the aspersions cast on Brother Aaron were nothing more than a smokescreen to denounce the authority of Moses. But if sudden earthquakes and a spiritual fire that burnt out people’s insides had failed to quell the murmuring masses, G-d could be expected to pull out from His million gallon hat a spectacle that would convince all.  read more »

The rebellion that challenged Moses’ leadership comprised a variety of factions. Korach, prime mover of the uprising, was aggrieved that Moses had not appointed him as high priest. Members of the tribe of Reuben, descendants of Jacob’s eldest, believed they too were entitled to leadership positions. The 250 other rebels, firstborn themselves, were still not reconciled to the fact that after the sin of the golden calf, the role of special service was taken away from them.  read more »