וּבְנֵי־קֹ֖רַח לֹא־מֵֽתוּ
The sons of Korach, however, did not die. (Bamidbar 26:11)
Good morning, we’re back after a short break and ready to drash. This week’s Torah portion is Pinchas, named after the priest who committed an act of violent zealotry near the Mishkan. The parsha also contains census numbers by tribe, the story of the daughters of Zelophehad, the decree that Moshe will not enter the Land, and it ends with lists of offerings for the holidays. Amidst the census data, we get the odd verse above, which has been the subject of much commentary, including my own, way back in 2016.
In that commentary, found here, I looked at Rashi’s explanation that the sons of Korach were saved from the fate of their rebellious father (getting swallowed up whole by the earth) because they had thoughts of repentance, perhaps even at the last minute. Go look at my earlier commentary for more on that, but this year let’s look at this same verse from a different perspective. The following comments also presume basic knowledge of Korach’s rebellion, so if it’s not familiar to you, click here.
Several other rabbinic commentators ask a different question: why were Korach’s children mentioned in the census tally for the tribe of Reuven, when the whole point of Korach’s rebellion was that he was a Levite, related to Moshe and Aharon, and therefore could make the claim that he and his gang had an equal right to leadership? Datan and Aviram, Korach’s co-conspirators in the uprising, were of the tribe of Reuven, so while mentioning them among the Reuvenites, Korach is also mentioned as among those who were swallowed up whole by the earth. (See link above.) Ibn Ezra, a Spanish scholar who lived in the 1100’s, takes the placement of Korach’s name here to imply that Datan and Aviram, from Reuven, were even worse than Korach himself, because their entire families went with them into the earth, while Korach’s sons were spared.
Chizkuni, a French rabbi of the 13th century, agrees with this view, and points out how remarkable it was that the sons of Korach were able to resist, at least somewhat, the influence of their father, given that the children of Datan and Aviram apparently joined the insurrection and were punished accordingly. Or HaChaim, an 18th century Moroccan commentary, goes even farther, suggesting that because Datan and Aviram were mentioned before Korach in these verses, it implies that they, and not Korach, were the real instigators of the rebellion. Or HaChaim (Chaim ibn Attar) further proposes that Korach actually had some good qualities- he raised sons who would resist the riot to some degree- which in turn means that he was probably influenced by Datan and Aviram to be the front man for the coup. Note that Reuven, the eldest of the sons of Yaakov, was not chosen to be the tribe of either political or religious leadership. Perhaps Datan and Aviram were motivated to fix what they considered a historical injustice, but to do so, they’d need a figurehead who could plausibly challenge Moshe and Aharon.
So what do we do with these interpretations of our strange verse? First, in an era when demagogues have unprecedented capacities to create division and strife, note these rabbis going out of their way to praise Korach’s sons, who were able to maintain their moral center when everything was exploding- or perhaps imploding- around them. Second, the rabbis condemn Datan and Aviram not only for what they did, but also for what they apparently influenced others to do. There are those in every generation and every community who seek to create dissent, anger, division, enmity, and chaos for their own selfish or misguided purposes, and their identities and goals aren’t always clear. After all, the Torah portion is called Korach, not “Datan and Aviram.”
Social media companies know that stoking negative emotions like outrage and polarization drives engagement with their platforms- it’s never been easier to whip up a mob. The good news is that every one of us can resist those who attempt to stoke our resentment or rage. After all, if Korach’s sons could repent of their own father’s plot, the rest of us should, in theory, have an easier time turning off the radio, signing off the internet, taking a break from the news, and trying to reclaim our yetzer hatov, our inclination towards good, from everyone who would derail it. Korach, Datan, and Aviram disappeared into the earth, but it’s our task not to get engulfed by negativity, scapegoating, and sinat chinam, causeless hatred. Resisting the demagogues of every generation isn’t easy, but it’s more important than ever.
Rabbi Neal's Weekly Commentary 