Korach - June 20, 2026 / 5 Tammuz 5786
In this week’s parsha, we tell the story of Korach, yet another instance of rebellion of the Israelites in the wilderness. Yet this rebellion is different in that Korach and those that stood with him are described as “men of renown”, distinguished individuals. Not only that, Korach himself, per the Midrash, was the grandson of Kohath and was a sage honored with carrying the ark! Seemingly he was arguing with Moses and Aaron about the priestly duties and his own position, yet in the Midrash it is also said that he prophetically knew that the prophet Samuel would be amongst his descendants. As we see throughout the Talmud, arguing about Jewish law (halacha) is common and approved of. Would that not be a righteous argument in the Jewish tradition?
As we know from the parsha and ensuing events, Korach was actually guided by his own desire for power and recognition and he miscalculated since his children (who initially followed him in opposing Moses) repented and survived. Even so, shouldn’t a good argument for the wrong reason still count for something?
Actually, even the way in which Korach argued was wrong. We sometimes see this masquerade in the form of the “holier than thou” attitude. There are people throughout the world that like to act pious in order to bring others down. This is a negative trait and should be avoided and it is contrary to Judaism which emphasizes “the ways of pleasantness”. Even so, Jewish people are no more immune to this behavior than any other people.
It is said that this portion of the Torah is juxtaposed with the portion of Tzitzis from last week, because of the argument that Korach made. The Israelites were commanded to tie fringes (tzitzis) to all four cornered garments with a thread at each corner of blue (techeiles) wool as a reminder of the commandments from heaven. The first verse of this parsha says Korach “took” but what did he in fact take? He asked Moses - if a regular four cornered garment requires tzitzis (fringes) with a techeiles (blue) thread, what about a garment made entirely of the blue color? He then had made 250 cloaks of all blue to clothe the 250 men of renown before Moses and Aaron, showing off how “righteous” his side was. After all, he made the whole garment blue! Again though, he miscalculated. The purpose of the mitzvot is to glorify G-d not ourselves. As Moses says (verse 16:28) “through this you shall know that G-d sent me…not from my heart.”
As we strive to introduce more holiness into our own lives, remember the reason why we do this and take care in dealing with how we perceive others. Holiness is from G-d, not a show for others. A fully blue four cornered garment still requires tzitzis!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Josh
As we know from the parsha and ensuing events, Korach was actually guided by his own desire for power and recognition and he miscalculated since his children (who initially followed him in opposing Moses) repented and survived. Even so, shouldn’t a good argument for the wrong reason still count for something?
Actually, even the way in which Korach argued was wrong. We sometimes see this masquerade in the form of the “holier than thou” attitude. There are people throughout the world that like to act pious in order to bring others down. This is a negative trait and should be avoided and it is contrary to Judaism which emphasizes “the ways of pleasantness”. Even so, Jewish people are no more immune to this behavior than any other people.
It is said that this portion of the Torah is juxtaposed with the portion of Tzitzis from last week, because of the argument that Korach made. The Israelites were commanded to tie fringes (tzitzis) to all four cornered garments with a thread at each corner of blue (techeiles) wool as a reminder of the commandments from heaven. The first verse of this parsha says Korach “took” but what did he in fact take? He asked Moses - if a regular four cornered garment requires tzitzis (fringes) with a techeiles (blue) thread, what about a garment made entirely of the blue color? He then had made 250 cloaks of all blue to clothe the 250 men of renown before Moses and Aaron, showing off how “righteous” his side was. After all, he made the whole garment blue! Again though, he miscalculated. The purpose of the mitzvot is to glorify G-d not ourselves. As Moses says (verse 16:28) “through this you shall know that G-d sent me…not from my heart.”
As we strive to introduce more holiness into our own lives, remember the reason why we do this and take care in dealing with how we perceive others. Holiness is from G-d, not a show for others. A fully blue four cornered garment still requires tzitzis!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Josh
