Dealing with Disagreements

Parshat Korach
Numbers 16:1 - 18:32


Synopsis
Korach, a Levite, and two members of the tribe of Reuben - Dathan and Abiram - lead a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. They accuse Moses and Aaron of raising themselves about the community of Israelites, all of whom are holy. In return, Moses chides Korach for aspiring to privileges above those reserved for the Levites. He tells Korach that God will choose who is holy by accepting or rejecting an incense offering.

When Moses sends for Dathan and Abiram they refuse to come.

In the morning, each of the rebels, together with Moses and Aaron, offer incense in a fire pan to God before the Tent of Meeting. The presence of GOd appears and threatens to destroy the entire community, but Moses intercedes and the Israelites are told to withdraw from the dwellings of Korach, Dathan, and Abiram. Moses tells the people that the rebels died an unnatural death, that will be a sign that Moses is God's chosen leader. The ground opens and all of Korach's people are swallowed up. A fire destroys the 250 rebels in his party. Their fire pans are declared sacred, collected by Eleazar the priest, and hammered into plating for the altar.

But the people then protest that Moses and Aaron bear responsibility for the deaths of the rebels. As God prepares to annihilate the Israelites, Moses tells Aaron to make expiation for them. Those who Aaron reaches are saved from the plague, but a total of 14,700 perish.

God tells Moses to collect the staffs of the chieftains of each tribe and to leave them in the Tent of Meeting. The staff of the man chosen by God will be made to bloom as a further lesson to the rebels. Overnight, Aaron's staff spouts almond blossoms.

Then God speaks to Aaron telling him that he and his sons are directly responsiblef or the Tabernacle, the Levites are to serve under the priests and are to take care not to touch any of the sacred furnishings on pain of death.

All sacrifices and offerings, first fruits and first-born animals, and the redemption price of the firstborn - gifts to God - are given to the priests for all time. The Levites are given the tithes of the Israelites in return for their service in the Tabernacle, but are to receive no share of the land. One tenth of the tithes and the best part of the gifts are to be given by the Levites to God as their donation.
Synopsis courtesy of Teaching Torah, by Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden

For your Shabbat table:

• What makes a good leader? What qualities do you think a leader should have?
• Why do we need leaders?
• When you are playing with your friends, who usually makes decisions about what and how you play? What happens when not everyone agrees?
• How do you feel when someone tells you to do something you don't want to do? When is it important to go along with the rest of the group, even if you have a different preference or idea of what to do?

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