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» t o r a h p o r t i o n
July 7 • 2016 27
T
he truth is that Korach (after
whom this parshah is named)
has quite a bit going for him.
He is from the tribe of Levi, part of
the tribe with special responsibilities
related to the Tabernacle, and, there-
fore, the relationship between God and
the Jewish people.
Korach is also an intel-
ligent person. Coming
from a good family and in
possession of a good mind,
why did things end so badly
for him, with him and his
family swallowed up by the
Earth?
In a classic comment by
Rashi, we learn that Korach
uses his smarts to create
a scenario that will make
Moses look foolish. Korach presents
Moses with a legal question.
He has a group of people come
before Moses dressed in garments
made completely out of thread the
color techelet. The unique blue which
is techelet is what the Torah com-
mands us to use for the tzitzit (fringes)
on all four cornered garments (today
we are most familiar with tzitzit on the
tallit).
Korach has the group challenge
Moses — "Is a garment that is entirely
of tekhelet subject to the law of
tzitzit or is it exempt?" When Moses
answers that the garments still need to
have tzitzit put on them, Korach has
trapped him.
The group jeers at him, "Is this pos-
sible? A robe of any different colored
material needs only one thread of
techelet to fulfill the law. How can it be
that these garments that are entirely
of techelet need tzitzit of techelet
attached? Korach knows that Moses is
correct about the law, but that doesn't
stop him from creating a scene which
makes Moses appear ridiculous.
As I said, Korach has both pedigree
and intelligence going for him. He
uses these gifts in unfortunate ways.
He uses his lineage as the foundation
to make a play for Moses' job. He uses
his intelligence as a tool to dislodge
Moses.
Rabbi Alan Yuter portrays the dif-
ference between Moses and
Korach this way: Korach uses
religion because he believes
that it is good to be smart;
Moses lives religion because he
believes that it is smart to be
good.
American society seems to go
in cycles of valuing intelligence
and education on the one hand,
and showing suspicion of those
who possess intelligence and
education on the other hand
(one only needs to note the way a
degree from an Ivy League school is
used not as a badge of honor in cer-
tain political discussions today, but
as a means of labeling someone as an
"elite" from an "East Coast school").
Of course, Jewish tradition has a
great appreciation of intelligence and
stalwartly believes in the importance
of education. Still, Rabbi Abraham
Joshua Heschel beautifully expressed
the fact that intelligence isn't at the
top of our list of values when he said,
"When I was young, I admired clever
people. Now that I am old, I admire
kind people."
Korach was clever and thought his
smarts would propel him past Moses
and into leadership of the Jewish
people. He forgot a great many impor-
tant values on his way to leadership
and paid for it with his life. Among
them was the value of kindness, which
we need to display whether at home,
the schoolyard, the office or the public
square.
*
Steven Rubenstein is rabbi of Congregation Beth
Ahm in West Bloomfield.
Rabbi Steven
Rubenstein
Intelligence
Isn't Enough
Parshat Korach: Numbers 16:1-18:32;
I Samuel 11:14-12:22.
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