1.
The Biblical Book of Numbers relates the Israelites' path from Egypt to Jerusalem. The journey from the state of consciousness of the House of Slavery, from the ideological straits in which we are sometimes imprisoned, to the supreme freedom embodied in Zion and Jerusalem. The desert is a place prone to crises. The arduous walk through the wilderness undermines confidence and the belief that there is a purpose to the journey and that we will eventually reach a safe haven. Naturally, complaints arise, and these develop into quarrels and a rebellion against the leadership, which endangers the ability of the entire nation to get through the difficult journey.
In this Shabbat, we read about a dispute that threatened to tear the nation apart. The arguments of Korach and the other leaders of the revolt against Moses sounded reasonable: "The people assembled against Moses and Aaron and said to them, 'You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the Lord's congregation?" Why do you set the hierarchy among the people and stand above them – God is with everyone, not just you! Those who incite the revolt are described as "chieftains of the community, chosen in the assembly, men of repute." It is the elites who revolt against Moses.
2.
Korach went from place to place and incited against Moses and Aaron. He knew that the best way to fuel public rage is an ad hominem attack: "Moses was the problem, and Aaron was the troublemaker. They exploit and oppress you and use God's will to hide their personal motivations" (political considerations…). Korach's demands stem from a fragmented view of society, in which every individual has the right to steer the ship in whatever direction it wants, even at the cost of sinking it. They are all holy. In this view, it is not the people that are holy, it is not the collective that has a destiny, but each and every individual, without any commitment to the general direction. When they said, "they are all holy," they were not being generous of spirit, and what they meant was "all of us," that is, only them. From their point of view, the rest was included in "us".
Moses sought to explain his position and invited them to settle the dispute peacefully. He approaches the leaders of the revolt and asks to talk to them. "Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab; but they said, 'We will not come! Is it not enough that you brought us from a land flowing with milk and honey (Egypt!) to have us die in the wilderness.' Do you also seek to lord over us and lead us?" They stressed that his promises to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey where they would receive fields and vineyards had not been fulfilled. In short, "…should you gouge out the eyes of those involved (you want to put out their eyes so that they do not see, but what you did is visible to the eyes), we will not come!"
Only at this point is it noted that Moses was hurt: "Moses was much aggrieved." Our Sages said that Moses' sorrow stemmed from the fact that his opponents did not want to talk to him and hear his answers. Who knows, perhaps they may find that they exaggerated in the demonization of their rival and erred when they denigrated his intentions. It is difficult to achieve inner peace if we are charged by our adversaries with a categorical "you are guilty" without the option to defend ourselves. The danger is that society will disintegrate. In wartime, this is no less than an existential threat.
3.
The crisis ended violently. The earth swallowed up the rebels. According to the biblical story, the rebellion against Moses was heresy against his prophecy, that is, against God, who sent Moses to take the people out of Egypt. Despite their physical freedom, the people who had come out of Egypt remained slaves, and their private considerations overcame the good of the nation and its chances of survival in such a hostile region. As Maimonides points out in his "Guide for the Perplexed": "… it is not in human nature that a person who grew up on work as a slave with mortar and bricks, or similar things, should interrupt his work for a moment, clean his hands, and at once fight with real giants."
Thousands of years have passed since then, and although we still read the story of Korach, we do not refrain from fighting among ourselves, even as we fight a war for our existence. This time, the earth will not open up and swallow us, but we may swallow each other if we do not show responsibility and moderate the hostility between us. Since the dispute with Korach and his community, millions of small and large disagreements have arisen among our people. Every page of the Talmud is full of that. When Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi compiled the Mishnah, he also incorporated dissenting opinions into the legal codex. The secret of our people's intellectual and spiritual development lies in our ability to argue and disagree with each other. "A knife is sharpened only on the side of its counterpart." For the most part, we understood very well that disagreement is not a reason for division and hatred. Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel sometimes disagreed sharply, and yet, the Mishnah notes: "…and although these disqualify these women and those deem them fit, Beit Shammai did not refrain from marrying women from Beit Hillel, nor did Beit Hillel refrain from marrying women from Beit Shammai."
4.
Right now, the public discourse is full of noise aimed at dividing us. Each side blames the other politically and is sure that the truth is with it to the point of desiring to make holes in the ship even at the cost of sinking us all, God forbid. The terrible words hurled at the leadership – especially at the prime minister – which is busy with a military, political, and international campaign for the existence of the nation, are just one side of the disgrace. Let me restate our astonishment at the judicial system; what is the reason for the equanimity of the Attorney General and certain political figures when it comes to the chilling calls to harm the prime minister?
The Coalition, too, must heed the ancient commandment: "Wise men, be careful with your words!" because they have implications when acted upon by those on the margins of the camp. We must unite around the goals of the war: destroying our enemies and bringing the hostages home. Thus, we must strengthen, not weaken, the political, military, and security leadership. What is required is restraint and to overcome the urge to respond with terrible words to those who speak against us. Nothing good came from the clash between the head of the Shin Bet and the Minister of Public Security, and nothing good came from the clash between Likud MKs and the defense minister. These public brawls hurt our fighters and undermine the sense of justice that motivates them to risk their lives in the fight against the enemy. Only arguments and ideas should be addressed, not personal merits. One person's irresponsibility towards us is not a reason for similar action on our part.
5.
This war of genesis, which began with the enemy invading our communities on the morning we completed the annual cycle of Torah reading and started anew, raises fundamental questions of existence. We are living in an era in which we are clarifying our values. This is an event of biblical proportions, and we cannot yet encompass its dimensions. This requires a long-standing perspective.
In this context, the weekly Torah portions that we read every Shabbat accompany us in the process, and illuminate current events in an ancient light. We are an eternal people, and in order to examine the reality of our lives, it is not enough to have a materialistic concept of history; we must add a metaphysical aspect to answer our questions. This is the additional floor of our existence as a people that has wrestled with God and with people throughout history and was able to overcome them, even if sometimes it emerged from the contest limping.
This moment of crisis may indeed lead to systems collapse, but it can also lead to a rebirth. In the bible, the mashber (crisis in modern Hebrew) was a birthstool on which the mother knelt during childbirth. In other words, current events are an opportunity to test in real conditions our commitment to the covenant of fate between us and to be born again. We will continue to debate the covenant of destiny after the war.
