Date: July 1st 2022

Parshas Korach begins with the tragic event of the rebellion of Korach and his followers against Moshe Rabbeinu. In a broader sense, the incident is difficult to understand. How could a group of people, particularly great people, rebel against Moshe, the greatest of all prophets, especially after experiencing the events in Egypt and Har Sinai? In addition to his leadership through the exodus and his role as the lawgiver at Sinai where he communed with Hashem for 40 days and nights, Moshe was a completely selfless leader and the humblest of all men. Nevertheless, we are told that not only Korach but 250 elders of Israel, themselves all righteous and great men, participated in the rebellion. Through a series of arguments Korach won his followers over so much so that they were willing to join him in open defiance of Moshe to the point that they believed Hashem Himself would side with them.

Korach and his followers challenged the appointment of Aharon and his sons to be the exclusive family of priests instead of the firstborn sons of all tribes. They accused Moshe of nepotism and even went so far as to challenge the divinity of some of the mitzvos, claiming that Moshe invented them.
Moshe challenged them to offer an incense offering in front of the Mishkan opposite Aharon who would offer up his own incense. Whomever Hashem would choose would be the rightful High Priest. Due to the gravity of their sin, when they offered up their incense Hashem sent a fire and all 250 of Korach's followers were consumed by the flames.

After this incident Hashem instructed Moshe to have the copper fire pans used by the 250 elders removed from the fire and beaten out into a cover for the copper altar in the sanctuary. Rashi explains that because the fire pans were used in this service, they were sanctified and could not be discarded or repurposed for a mundane use.

The Ramban asks a questions on Rashi’s interpretation: the halacha is that if a non-Kohen offers a service outside of the temple it does not convey sanctity on the offering. If so, why would the firepans used by Korach and his followers result in the fire pans becoming holy? The Ramban answers that, although it was outside the Mishkan and the elders were not Kohanim, their offering was still commanded to be brought by Moshe and the elders offered them with true sincerity for the sake of Hashem.

The actions of Korach were very wicked and he and his followers were swallowed up by the earth as a result of their sin. The 250 elders were burned alive. How is it possible that individuals engaged in such extremely wrong behavior could impart such holiness that their instruments should have to become part of the very alter in the Mishkan? These vessels were used in one of the great rebellions against Hashem and yet ended up as part of one of the holiest artifacts ever created. Whenever a sacrifice was offered in the Mishkan, it was burned on the alter made from these very pans.

We can learn several lessons from this dichotomy.

Firstly, we see that the very same action can encompass both incredible evil and very true and sublime holiness. Such extreme opposites can coexist in the same action and the presence of one does not negate the other.

Secondly, we see that although the elders are credited with having altruistic and sincere intentions for good and true service of Hashem, they did not get a pass for their good intentions. Even though in their minds they were attempting to fulfill His will, they were not exonerated. They were held to task and paid for their deeds with their lives.

Thirdly, we see that when an individual or group of individuals accomplish something good and have the right intentions, even if they belong to a false belief and are engaging in very wrong things that are antithetical to the values of the Torah, the good that they do is still valuable and holy. In spite of everything else they may be doing that is evil, there may be something accomplished that is sublime and infused with sanctity.

POSSIBLE APPLICATION

There is a valuable application of the concept in this shmuess in nearly all of our dealings with others. We tend to view people’s actions and behaviors as being either good or bad. People do things that we approve of and then we react a certain way, and other times people around us do things that we are critical of and we react accordingly.

We also have a tendency to view our own actions through a similar binary lens. When we do something successfully we congratulate ourselves. When we do something we regret or things don’t turn out the way we intend, we are filled with remorse and self-recrimination that fails to take into account the nuance of our actions and the the value of our good intentions and achievements.

This chazal teaches us that our actions can contain (and often do) both good and bad elements simultaneously. And the value of each does not lessen the value of the other. Korach got the worst punishment possible and also the greatest honor possible from the same action. When we have conflicts with the people around us, spouses, neighbors, children, friends, coworkers, we can take a minute to consider their actions in a holistic sense. What were their intentions? What were they trying to achieve? If we can recognize the positive elements in the actions of people we are in conflict with, the situation becomes much more manageable and much less laden with acrimony. We are also able to treat ourselves with compassion when we consider our own mistakes. The value of our intentions and the relevance of contributing factors are not imaginary or a flimsy consolation. They are very real and must be recognized for a truly accurate understanding of ourselves and others.

Without getting too political, this same insight has much light to shed on ideological disagreements. We see our own side or group as being virtuous and correct and those in other groups with other ideas and lifestyles as being nefarious and wrong. While we may be right, and hopefully we are, in terms of the choices we ultimately make in how we live, that doesn’t mean that other systems or approaches are completely evil. They may have many virtues, they may be right about many issues, and our engagement with them can only be coherent if we are able to recognize the good as well as the bad, not to allow one to detract from the value of the other.


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