S.A.L.T. - Monday

          Several Midrashim on Parashat Korach make the point that Korach, the anti-protagonist of the parasha, was not nearly as foolish as one may have thought based on a superficial reading of the parasha.  Korach presumably knew that he lacked the credentials to serve as high priest; he was fully aware that Moshe appointed Aharon based on God's order.  Why, then, did he agree to the incense-test, by which the chosen kohen gadol's offering would be accepted whereas the challengers would be consumed by fire?  Seemingly, this reflected a substantial degree of foolishness on Korach's part. And yet, so highly did Chazal regard Korach's intelligence that they asked, "Korach, who was such an intelligent person, what brought him to this nonsense?" (Tanchuma, cited by Rashi, 16:7).  A different version of this Midrash, in Midrash Rabba (18:2), phrases the question somewhat differently: "Korach, who was a great man, among those who carried the ark, what brought him… "

         Leaving aside the Midrash's response (which will, iy"H, be the subject of tomorrow's devar Torah), let us focus our attention on this second version of the Midrash's question.  Of what significance is it that Korach, as a member of the Levite family of Kehat, was among those who carried the ark?  Why does this seemingly irrelevant detail strengthen the Midrash's question as to how Korach could act so foolishly?

         Rav Aharon Lewin, in his "Ha-derash Ve-ha'iyun," answers based on the miraculous manner in which the ark was transported.  The Gemara (Sota 35) comments that the aron "carried its carriers." Meaning, the Levites transporting the aron really were not the ones who carried it; it rather carried itself, and moreover, it carried them along with it.  Rav Lewin writes that many commentators have explained this phenomenon as symbolic of the unique, eternal quality of the Torah, which sets it fundamentally apart from all other systems of law, ritual and belief.  When it comes to all other such systems, it is the human being who carries the law.  He invents the law, amends it as he sees fit, tailors it in accordance with the particular needs and zeitgeist of the time, and, ultimately, revokes it when it becomes no longer relevant.  Torah, however, works differently; it carries the human being.  Rather than changing to accommodate us, the Torah forces us to change to accommodate it.  The Torah has risen above the vicissitudes of ideological and cultural change over the centuries and remains as central to our lives today as it did in ancient times. The divine origin of the Torah renders it eternally binding, pertinent, and meaningful.

         This, Rav Lewin explains, is precisely what troubled the Midrash about Korach.  Having personally experienced the great miracle of the ark, having been directly shown the Torah's eternal relevance, how could he have possibly accused Moshe of concocting these laws, how could he declare the Torah's rules manmade and hence vulnerable to rational arguments and ideological opposition?  Once Korach denies Moshe's authority as the authentic transmitter of God's Torah, then the Torah he taught should become null and void the moment societal changes render it irrelevant.  But Korach knew that "the ark carried its carriers," that the Torah retains its importance regardless of the changes that occur.  Chazal therefore ask, how is it possible that Korach would act so foolishly?

         Tomorrow we will iy"H discuss the Midrash's response.

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