There’s no date stamp, so one can’t say authoritatively when this Parasha takes place. There is nothing explicit that tells us whether it is connected to the generation that left Egypt or to the next generation. But there are indications. The Targum connects the beginning of Korach to the end of last week’s Parasha. Also, we know that the formal indication of the passing of the baton to the new generation comes next week in Chukat. There are 10 Parashiot in Bamidbar, so it makes sense that this is the last of the first five.
Nevertheless, if so, if this is part of the story of the breakdown in the generation that left Egypt, what does this Parasha add? The sentence of 40 years in the desert has already been handed down. The rebellion of Korach is just another disaster. What does it add? There has been doubt about Moshe Rabenu’s leadership before. There are commentators who say that the rebellion of Korach comes because Moshe Rabenu is vulnerable. But what more can be accomplished?
The answer is that this Parasha shows what happens in a time of despair. With nothing to do but wait until the next generation takes over, there are two impulses which arise, both of which are connected to despair. And both of which can be seen in Korach’s rebellion.
The first impulse can be seen in Korach’s argument. We know that there is an approach that sees Korach as selfish and self-serving. That’s certainly there. But what is the actual argument? It’s an argument for a utopian unity, or about bulldozing hierarchies. This isn’t an argument against Moshe Rebenu as the proper leader. It is an argument about whether there needs to be a leader at all.
It is ironic that Korach is known as the example of an improper Machlokes (disagreement) even though his whole point of view was against factions. The Midrash says that Korach not only opposed Moshe; he opposed Shabbat too. When he says “Kulam Kedoshim” -- that everyone is holy -- he means both people and time.
That gives a good hint as to what his real thrust is. What is the time that we call “Kulo Shabbat,” when everything is Shabbat? That is a description of the end of time.
Despair gives rise to impatience about progress. It is no longer satisfied with incremental progress, and it certainly cannot abide set-backs. The Woke world is really about a push for the end of time. They want all to be equal, regardless of differences. They do not acknowledge that there are trade-offs between equality and liberty. They are impatient with those who keep insisting that the world we actually live in does not allow for a harmony between all desired ends.
The second aspect is the dissolution of appetite for real Machlokes. There’s nothing wrong with Machlokes. It is built into Creation. Because there are differences, there are always going to be divergent points of view. Engaging those points of view to discern the truth is the way to wade through Machlokes. The problem come in the persistence of those who are called “Mach’zik b’machlokes,” who refuse to budge.
But Machlokes itself is great. Unfortunately, at a time of despair, it becomes a lost art. That’s not our way. We believe, for example, that one must be able to appreciate the arguments of the other side. This is not just a gesture of good will. If one doesn’t understand the other side’s argument, one doesn’t understand one’s own side. One might understand one’s own points, but one doesn’t truly prefer them. One only prefers one’s own point of view because one happens to know more about it. But that’s not a basis for preferring it, as John Stuart Mill said 200 years ago, unless one has vetted both points of view. That is how the marketplace of ideas is supposed to work; certainly the way a democracy is supposed to work. What is lacking in both impulses is patience. The mnemonic for the 95 verses of Korach is the name “Daniel.” Why that name, why the Daniel of Tanach? Because he was the one who despite dropping hints about the last days still ultimately counseled for patience. Ashrei HaMeChakeh, he says as the book ends, happy is the one who can wait. Those are the words which resist the push to overlook the real world and which urge engagement with the hard but rewarding process of Machlokes.
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