Korach: Becoming Holy
Original authors - Rabbi Yehudah Levi, edited by the GrowTorah Summer Inchworms 2021-2022
View Accompanying Source Sheet Here
Parshat Korach is named for the rebellious Levi, Korach, who started a dispute over the issue of kedushah (holiness). At the core of his claims was the statement: “The whole community is kadosh.”[1] But ultimately the Torah tells us that, following his demagogic presentation, there was no longer room on earth for Korach; the earth swallowed him up.
It is difficult at first glance to understand what was so wrong about Korach’s claims. After all, we need only go back four verses from here to read Hashem’s commandment, “and you shall be kadosh.”[2] But what does it mean to strive constantly for kedushah? The first time the commandment to “be kadosh” appears in the Torah, the Ramban quotes the Midrash which states that most of the body of Torah law “hangs on” this commandment.[3] He explains that the concept of kedushah expands on the specifications of what foods and relationships are forbidden in the Torah. He teaches that though we may think that as long as what we are consuming is permissible, the amount that we consume does not matter. According to the Ramban, one who abuses the resources of the world with the rationale that these resources are not forbidden is called “naval bereshut haTorah,” a “vile person within the delineations of the Torah.” The Ramban writes that to prevent such over-consumption, the Torah adds the general commandment of kedushah, “…that we should be separated from excess…in these and similar issues.”
The importance of the goal of kedushah in preventing overconsumption is also found in Korach’s persona and punishment. The Torah tells us that the earth swallowed up “all the people of Korach and all their possessions.”[6] Our sages wonder, why were the possessions mentioned here explicitly? They explain that Korach was a very wealthy man and that this wealth caused the arrogance that brought him down.[7] Wealth is an important tool in human hands, enabling us to fulfill our task more effectively. But, as in Korach’s case, it can also act as false assurance, giving leaders like Korach the authority with which to say that they are doing enough. In our modern environment, this might remind us of the phenomenon of greenwashing, where companies deceptively assure themselves and consumers that they are promoting eco-conscious action while continuing to perpetrate environmental crimes.[8]
Kedushah is central, not only to Judaism but to the preservation of the earth as well. Our overconsumption of resources marks a lack of kedushah. Consumption and access to resources varies drastically by country; the average American consumes more than ten times the energy of an average Indian.[9] The global consumption of energy puts demands on the world’s resources, and it also is the chief cause of climate change, through excessive burning of fossil fuels. The variation in consumption between countries speaks to an underlying inequity and the outsized contribution wealthy countries have had to climate change.[10]
Our recognition of this lack of kedushah is critical. Our humility can be our solution, for if we, like Korach, asserted that we were already all kadosh, we would only set ourselves further on the path of destruction. Instead, we can understand kedushah as an ideal that we must continuously strive for. Though there is a lot of striving to do, our commitment to the ideal of kedushah can continue to motivate us to go beyond what is simply permissible, to ensure that our consumption is responsible, as individuals, as a community and as a world.
Suggested Action:
As Korach shows, we each have a responsibility to use what wealth and power we have in order to further strive for kedushah. Seek out products and policies that are really working to benefit the environment, and advocate for changes that push us toward a safer future.
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Notes:
[1] Bamidbar 16:3
[2] Bamidbar 15:40
[3] Ramban’s commentary to Vayikra 19:1: Torat Kohanim Leviticus 19
[4] Bamidbar 16:32
[5] Midrash Tehillim 49:3 and Shemot Raba 31:3
[6] See, for example, this article on greenwashing.
[7] See Our World in Data’s report on energy access and consumption.
[8] For a scholarly perspective on the economic inequalities and climate change, see this article. For a lay perspective, see this article from The Guardian.
