The revolt of Korach against the leadership of Moses and Aaron stimulated our rabbis to think about the nature of rebellion and defiance. The opening words of the Torah selection, "And Korach took..." define the nature of Korach's personality. Oddly enough, the verse does not tell us what Korach actually took. Perhaps it teaches us that Korach, by nature, was a taker. He wanted to take authority and power into his own hands. He wanted to usurp the allegiance that the Israelites had to Moses and Aaron. He attempted to undermine the traditional interpretations of the law. He personifies the "taker" - leadership as a cult of personality where the individual seeks to gain the blind adoration of the masses.

In contrast to the portrait of Korach as the "taker", Moses is portrayed in the Torah as a "giver". First and foremost, Moses gives the teachings of Torah to the people. He never teaches to promote himself or his own parochial interests; rather Moses teaches Israel so that the people might become imbued with the inspiration of Torah. Moses views his calling as self-sacrifice. He places the needs of the people above and beyond any self-interest. Never does Moses express any desire to promote his personal needs or goals. The midrash portrays Moses as the young shepherd who risks his life to save the little lost lamb. This characteristic defines Moses throughout his life. Moses is titled "rabbenu" , "our teacher". A teacher gives to his or her students. The genuine teacher is not interested in taking, but rather in giving.

Korach is consumed by his envy of the authority of Moses and Aaron. "You take too much upon you, seing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the L-rd is among them; why do you lift yourselves above the assembly of the L-rd?" Envy is the consuming rage that engulfs Korach and his followers. Yet, throughout his career, Moses never expresses a drop of jealousy or anger towards the leadership of Israel. He is grateful for the new generation of leadership that will emerge under Joshua and Caleb. He is relieved when judges and assistants lighten his heavy burden of judging the people. He is ecstatic when the two young prophets, Eldad and Medad, begin to prophesy in the camp independently of his authority.

Korach perceives holiness to be intrinsic to his being, rather than a goal to be pursued. It is precisely when we see ourselves as having reached spiritual perfection, that our spiritual life must be questioned. Korach feels he is the embodiment of the religious persona, therefore, he can assume religious leadership of the people. The danger of the religious demagogue are all too well know to us. Whether it is a Korach of the Torah , or some self-appointed authority of our own era, we know the dangers of those who see themselves as the essence of holiness and others as the embodiment of sinfulness. For Moses, holiness is a goal to be pursued by Israel as the attempt to live a life of Torah. Holiness is never a garment to be worn as a sign of superiority and
self-aggrandizement.

Throughout the ages, humanity has searched for the embodiment of the religious personality. Perhaps the episode of the rebellion of Korach shares with us some of the answers to this dilemma. A religious personality gives and shares. Most great religious figures could care less about their own personal advancement. Our sages shared this lesson through the imagery of the two seas of Israel - the Sea of Galilee, the Kinneret, and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee gives birth to the Jordan. It gives and lives. The Dead Sea takes in the flow of the Jordan River. It takes and dies. Nothing can live in the Dead Sea. Korach is the first in a long-line of self-promoters. Unfortunately, in our contemporary world and in the days of the Torah, it has been easy for many of us to be seduced by such personalities.

The true religious leader is above envy. He or she is grateful if a student or a colleague achieves greatness and acclaim. Our sages were very well aware of how much they could learn from their students and from one another. If they were mistaken, they would admit their errors and shortcomings. They were overwhelmed with joy when their teachings were adapted for a new time and place or were expanded with new insight. In order for a religious tradition to survive and flourish, it must have new leadership in every generation. Those parties who seek to hold power for themselves and do not share it with others fail to uphold the teaching of Moses.

Holiness in Judaism is ultimately an attribute of G-d. We, as humans, try to imitate this holiness in our lives. We realize it is a long and difficult journey. When an individual feels that he or she cannot continue to grow in the path of holiness, then the truth of our tradition has been abandoned. No one is even capable of observing all the 613 mitzvot as many are bound to the sacrificial system. However, the way of the mitzvot is a pursuit of the holy that allows us to share in a reflection of G-d's holiness.

Korach is the religious demagogue who feels he has the right to stand in judgment of others. Sadly, his type has not vanished from the stage of history. However, let us absorb the wisdom of the Torah so we might comprehend the difference between the spiritual leadership of Moses and the domination of Korach.