Korach! The name raises all sorts of emotions within Torah. Here, this week we read of the open rebellion against the leadership of Moses. The outbreak, couched in terms of seeing a disconnect between leadership and people, has been interpreted for centuries in so many ways. No doubt, those of you who go to Torah study this week will be treated to a variety of these comments. Was this jealousy of siblings? Was it a venting of frustration on the Wilderness? Or was this, as we can read, an act against God, for which the punishment was death. One thing we can observe from the texts is that as the portion ends, the rebels are cast aside and killed and the power and authority of the Aaronide Priesthood is firmly established. Indeed, it is not too difficult to believe that the purpose of the story was really to underscore the centrality of the priesthood as the Exile from Babylonia ended.
How can this portion speak to us? We can certainly in this moment in time, reflect on the desire for some to rebel and act out against authority through violence. Rebellion is certainly seen in Korach as a negative. Yet, let me suggest that we may wish to also look at the concept of rebellion in a different way. As we reflect on our lives, ask what have we rebelled against? No, I am not just speaking of typical teen-age rebellion, but what have we, as we evolved, rebelled against that helped shape who we are now?
One of the things I suggest is the rebellion against perceptions of who we should be, or how we should live, fostered on us by others. One of the challenges of maturing is the struggle to “be our authentic self”. This may involve a type of psycho-spiritual rebellion against what parents or society think we should be. Not everyone can do this. This takes some courage for many to seek a life that they define and not a life that is defined by the expectations of others.
So, I invite you to consider how each of us may reinterpret this idea of rebellion. After all, oyu never know.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Richard F Address
Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min, is the Founder and Director of www.jewishsacredaging.com. Rabbi Address served for over three decades on staff of the Union for Reform Judaism; first as a Regional Director and then, beginning in 1997, as Founder and Director of the URJ’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns and served as a specialist and consultant for the North American Reform Movement in the areas of family related programming. Rabbi Address was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972 and began his rabbinic career in Los Angeles congregations. He also served as a part time rabbi for Beth Hillel in Carmel, NJ while regional director and, after his URJ tenure, served as senior rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ from 2011-2014.
Be the first to comment