Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
When a person is introduced to us in Tanach, he is generally introduced by his name, son of his father’s name. On some occasions, the genealogy is traced back more than one generation. There is always some message for us to discover in the extended genealogy. Our parshah begins with, “Korach, the son of Kehat, the son of Izhar, the son of Levi … gathered against Moshe and against Aharon, and said to them, ‘It is too much for you! For the entire assembly – all of them – are holy..’ ” Interestingly, Korach’s genealogy is traced back three generations to Levi, then stops and does not go back to Yaakov. Our commentators question both why the Torah extends back the extra generations to Levi, ancestor of the tribe, but stops before naming the Patriarch Yaakov.
Many of us are familiar with Rashi’s explanation for the omission here of the name of Yaakov Avinu. When Yaakov Avinu gathered his sons around him to bless them before his death and identify the central character of each son, he specifically mentioned the rash impetuosity of Shimon and Levi, and their tendency toward violence, already exhibited when they slaughtered Shechem and his city. With prophetic prescience, Yaakov declares, “Into their conspiracy may my soul not enter! With their congregation, do not join.” According to his wishes, his name is omitted as Korach here conspires against the leadership of Moshe and Aharon and foments divisiveness.
Both good and bad characteristics can be traced back to the seeds planted by a parent or an earlier progenitor. These traits do not suddenly spring up from nothing, but are brought to fruition through the future nurturing of later generations. So, for example, the chesed of Avraham Avinu for providing food, water and shade to the wayfarers becomes manifest and rewarded to their descendants Bnei Yisroel through Moshe, Aharon and Miriam in the manna, Miriam’s well and the Clouds of Glory. Rabbi Shmulevitz brings further proof from the words recited if a community needs to perform the ritual of the axed heifer. If the corpse of a murdered individual was found outside a town, the elders of the town would need to go out and declare that although they were not responsible for this murder, they prayed that Hashem would forgive not only them but also those who had been redeemed, alluding to the generation of the exodus. Perhaps the seed for such a heinous act was already planted in that generation, lying dormant until now. Here too, suggests Rabbi Shmulevitz, the seed of the Korach insurrection must have been planted in earlier generations. Yaakov Avinu, however, is removing himself as a possible seed for Korach’s actions. In a similar way, it is incumbent upon us to examine ourselves for latent negative attributes, thoughts and actions that may negatively impact future generations.
The Baalei Tosfos, cited in Peninei Daas cites a related case of traced genealogy in the Torah. In listing the spies sent from each tribe, the spy sent from Menashe is traced back to Yosef, while the spy from Ephraim, the other son of Yosef is not. What do we know about the spies? That ten of the spies brought back an evil report about the Land. But Yehoshua of the Tribe of Ephraim was not among those who spoke negatively, even though he too was a descendant of Yosef. The spy from Menashe reported evil things, just as Yosef had brought negative reports about his brothers to their father.
What was it about the timing of this insurrection that traces it back to Levi but not to Yaakov, asks Rabbi Heiman in Chikrei Lev. Korach was jealous of the other members of his family. He was certainly jealous of Aharon and Moshe, his first cousins. He had been passed over both as the leader of all of Bnei Yisroel and as the High Priest by the sons of his Uncle, Amram ben Kehat. Then he was passed over again as his younger brother Elitzaphan was named chief of the Tribe of Levi. Still, he had hoped that when the nation would enter the land, his tremendous wealth would put him in a position of leadership. He, the son of Izhar, would finally achieve honor and power. Now, however, after the sin of the spies, he and his generation would not be entering Eretz Yisroel, and any dreams of leadership would be dashed. It was time to make his move.
But Korach couldn’t just come out and demand a more powerful role. Therefore, he reverted to subterfuge. The ability to scheme, to create a subterfuge, can be traced back to his great grandfather Levi and the trick he used to weaken Shechem so that he could slay Shechem for abducting and raping his sister Dinah. He and Shimon tricked even Yaakov. They told Shechem and the entire male population to circumcise themselves to make themselves more acceptable as Dinah’s family members. Then, when the men were recuperating, Shimon and Levi attacked them, killed them, and rescued Dinah. Korach now also used the ploy of subterfuge to mask his ulterior motive. “We are all holy. Why do you exalt yourselves over the congregation of Hashem?” In other words, why am I not also a leader?
But we can argue that this kind of trickery actually began with Yaakov Avinu when he went in to Yitzchak and received the blessings Yitzchak intended for Esau. Why was Yaakov nevertheless not included in Korach’s genealogy in spite of Yaakov’s request? Here Rabbi Heiman makes a distinction between the act of Yaakov Avinu and that of Shimon and Levi. Yaakov was acting on the urging of his mother, who herself was enabling the fulfillment of the Divine prophecy she had received during her pregnancy. Yaakov was also counteracting the constant tricks Esau practiced in deceiving their father Yitzchak about his piety. Further, as the Ohr Gedalyahu Schorr points out, Yaakov represents unity, Morasha kehilat Yaakov/Torah is the inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov, and Yachad, shivtei Yisroel/united, the Tribes of Yisroel. Shimon and Levi were acting on their own initiative, without parental or Hashem’s approval. Similarly, Korach was following the divisive pattern of Levi. He is even using the very holy name of Hashem to further divisiveness, adds the Netivot Shalom.
Not only Aharon, but Moshe as well worked toward peace. Moshe sent representatives to Dothan and Aviram, Korach’s partners, to try to resolve the issue peacefully, but they refused. Shalom/Peace is such an important quality that it is even one of Hashem’s names, says Rav Moshe Shapiro in Mimaamakim. That importance was highlighted when Boaz [Ruth’s husband] instituted “Shalom Aleichem/Peace unto you” as a standard greeting with its equally standard response, “Aleichem shalom/Unto you may there be peace.” Our point of connection with Hashem is bringing peace and the heavenly glory that follows in its wake to the world.
By using Hashem’s name of Peace in our greetings, we are not cheapening His name. We are rather highlighting fraternity in the world, as we are all connected to this purpose, writes Rabbi Lopiansky. Peace is so important to Hashem that He allows His name to be erased and dissolved into the bitter waters an errant wife must drink in the hope of restoring shalom in their marriage.
Yaakov Avinu kept the ideal of peace and unity uppermost in his mind from the very outset of his journey. When he slept at the “gateway to Heaven” as he fled Esau, he dreamed of a ladder with its feet on the ground and its head reaching into the heavens. Underneath his head, he had placed 12 rocks, knowing through the transmission of family tradition that he would father twelve tribes. His prayer, according to the medrash cited by Rabbi Shapiro, was that the twelve individual stones would unite to form one whole stone. Each, like the individual steps of the ladder, would have its own unique position, but together they would have the joint purpose to bring the glory of heaven down to earth. As long as there is peace, unity and cooperation among Bnei Yisroel, the Godly presence will rest among them as it did at Sinai. Yaakov foresaw that Korach would rise up to create disunity and try to destroy Yaakov’s mission. Therefore he prayed that his name not be associated with him.
It is necessary for each of us to recognize our own value and worth, that we each have our personal mission and purpose in this world that can be filled by no one else. Know that you are part of the community, and you must accomplish your role. Korach separated himself from this idea of community, writes Rabbi Leff. Instead of appreciating his personal role, he lusted for the roles he considered more prestigious, that of High Priest or Tribal Head. He separated himself form the community, shattering the shalom and unity that is required for the full Torah to be observed. Even his name and the names mentioned in his family line allude to this separation. Korach means bald., someone empty of his own talents and therefore jealous of the perceived talents and accomplishments of others. Izhar refers to oil that rises to the top in arrogance. Kehat is acidic. Finally, Levi goes along with others, letting them do the work while he benefits without contributing.
We are meant to be the rungs of the ladder, each atop the other rising upward. A Yid/Jew is like the letter yud, a mere dot. When they fight for supremacy, one above the other, the represent a full stop, as at the end of a posuk/verse. When the two yuds are placed side by side, they represent the name of Hashem.
It is this interdependence that obligates us to greet one another with some form of Shalom, even to a non Jew, continues Rabbi Leff. When we say, “Shalom aleichem,” we are hinting that my wholeness and harmony, my shalom, depends on you to complete me and my mission. The response of, “Aleichem shalom,” accepts the greeter’s declaration and supplements it with the declaration of our own.
In the era of the Shoftim/Judges, each did what was right in his own eyes without considering the other. In this culture, Boaz and his Rabbinic Court found it necessary to institute the greeting of Shalom Aleichem to raise the awareness of our dependence on each other in creating a society that serves Hashem.
This was the point that was most troublesome to Yaakov, suggests Rabbi Shapiro. When Korach declared, “For the entire assembly – all of them – are holy,” Korach was asserting that as he was personally holy, he needed no one else to achieve holiness. Yet to observe all the 613 mitzvoth of the Torah we certainly do need each other.
The name one is given has the power to influence his character, writes the Shvilei Pinchas, citing the Chasam Sofer. He notes that one of the princes of Esau was named Korach. Esau is the antithesis of shalom, and so in the DNA of Korach there was a [recessive] gene of conflict. Interestingly, both Esau and shalom have a numerical value of 376, with the ability to cancel each other out. This further explains why Korach was at such odds with Aharon, the paragon of peace. In spite of Korach’s great lineage, that seed of controversy grew within him.
Korach, the bald, does not understand the lesson of a head of hair, writes the Shvilei Pinchas. Each hair has its own follicle, and none can grow from the follicle reserved for the other. Additionally, Adam was created from the dust of the earth to teach us that although each grain of sand is worthless on its own, when combined together [not only as Man] the grains form the earth upon which we stand and from which all things grow. Bnei Yisroel must be both like the unique stars as well as like the dust of the earth to achieve their purpose.
Like the grains of sand that need each other, let us appreciate each other, learn and depend upon each other in peace, and create the ladder that will rise from earth to heaven to bring Hashem’s presence from heaven to earth.