Bat Mitzvah Drash

Shabbat Shalom.

My portion is about a man named Korach, who, along with many others, tries to rebel against Moses and Aaron. Korach accuses Moses of placing himself above everyone else spiritually, while Korach believes that everyone is holy. Moses responds with a challenge; that the next day, Korach and co. should make a sacrifice by way of incense to g-d, and that Moses and Aaron would do the same. After that, g-d would choose the one who is most. Moses continues by saying that, as sons of Levi, Korach and his followers are selfish for asking for more communal privileges, since they already have more than most of the other Israelites. Moses than accuses Korach of challenging g-d, not simply himself and Aaron.

So the next day came and Korach did what Moses had told him to do, along with 250 of his supporters. The entire community came to watch. When g-d saw this, g-d told Moses and Aaron to “stand back from this community that I may annihilate them in an instant.” But Moses and Aaron reasoned with g-d, begging g-d to not punish the whole community for one man’s actions. G-d listened, and told them to stand away from the homes of Korach and his two main helpers, Datan and Aviram. And Moses proclaimed to the community that if these men and all their family and belongings were destroyed simply from natural causes, g-d hadn’t chosen Moses as the most holy. But if something rare and unheard of happens, if the ground opens up and swallows them whole, the community will know that g-d favors Moses. No sooner had the words left his lips than the ground opens up and does just that. The entire community pretty much freaks out, scared that the earth might swallow them, too. And then, almost like an afterthought, g-d sends a fire to kill the 250 men who offered up the incense alongside Korach.

The rest of the portion is basically the Israelites acting up and g-d annihilating them. G-d also gives a bunch more laws, most having to do with the Kohanim.

This is a very controversial parsha. I can understand why g-d got mad at Korach, but was g-d’s reaction justified? And what’s the moral of this parsha? Not to rebel? Not to question things? How can g-d want us not to question things, to live like sheep that do exactly what they’re told? Well, the truth is, sheep don’t do exactly as they’re told, but the farmer doesn’t kill them for it. So the question is, what did Korach do that was so terrible?

The Mishnah teaches, “Controversy for the sake of heaven will come to fruition, while that which is not for the sake of heaven will not.” When Rosa Parks refused to sit on the back of the bus, she raised a lot of controversy. But she didn’t do so to get a better seat for herself, she did so to get freedom for her people, to make the world a better, more equal place. Korach, on the other hand, challenged Moses so that he could have a more powerful position in the community. So my conclusion is that this portion isn’t saying not to rebel, it’s saying to rebel properly.

And what’s the proper way to rebel? Korach wasn’t violent, nor did he bully or bribe anyone into doing anything. On the outside, Korach’s rebellion can seem perfectly harmless. But at risk of sounding cliché, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Korach’s intentions were off. We’re taught that it’s not enough to simply give tzedaka, we have to give it freely and happily. Well, same goes for rebellion. When we rebel, our intentions must be pure.

Now, this explanation makes sense to me, but there’s still one thing that bugs me. The Rabbi’s reactions to this parsha are extremely harsh. They all excessively blame Korach, and no one sympathizes with him. Sure, Korach’s intentions were wrong, but I don’t think he deserved to die. It’s almost like g-d was making an example of him. But why would g-d do that? Why would g-d want to send the message, if you disobey me, you die? Why would g-d want us to fear g-d? The concept stuck me as very Middle Ages. We recently studied the Renaissance in social studies, and a large part of that was discovering how things changed from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. While discussing the concept of humanism, we brought up the way that the people of the Middle Ages lived in constant fear. Fear of g-d, fear of the church, fear of not getting into heaven. Why would g-d want to instill such a fear in us?

This also stuck me as very non-Jewish. I’ve grown up at Brandeis, where I’ve always been taught to challenge everything. I’ve been taught to always stand up for what I believe in, and to think for myself. As Elphaba finely puts it in the song Defying Gravity from Wicked, “I'm through excepting limits cause someone says there’re so.” To judge Korach so harshly for something that I, as a Jew, have been taught from birth, seems to me almost a little hypocritical, and certainly not acceptable. However, many of the aforementioned rabbi’s wrote their commentaries during the Middle Ages, when the concept of fearing g-d was predominant. I think that’s why Korach is portrayed as he is.

My final conclusion: Korach was wrong to rebel simply to make life better for himself, but g-d shouldn’t have killed him, nor should Korach be remembered in much a bad light. Thank you.

And now, there are some people that I’d really like to thank for guiding me both to this day and throughout my life. To begin with I’d like to thank me teacher, tutor, and friend Bat Shir. You’ve helped me so much throughout this process, I honestly have no idea what I would have done without you. You’ve helped me with the technical things, like learning the trope and my torah portion, and making sure I knew all the prayers. But more then that, you’ve helped me discover the joy of reading torah, and you’re always there for me, whether I need someone to gabbai for me or whether I need someone to tell me to relax. Bat Shir, learning with you has become such a part of my routine that if ever come wandering into the Beit Midrash Thursday after school, you’ll know why. Of all the things I'm going to be sad about once my Bat Mitzvah is over, it’s not getting to study with you every week that I’ll miss the most. Thank you for everything.
Dad, thank you so much for always being there for me, and for putting up with my girlish ways and emotional outbursts. I love you so much. We have so much fun together. Thank you for allowing me to blather on about the latest book I’ve read, and thank you for always encouraging me to be myself.

Mom. Wow. I don’t even know where to start. You’ve done so much for me. I can literally say that I wouldn’t be here without you. I mean, you did give birth to me and all, for which I am very grateful. But you’ve also brought me to this place spiritually and emotionally. You always encourage me to be myself, and know I can always count on you. I can’t truthfully say that we don’t have our downs, but with those downs come tremendous ups. To quote the Beatles, “Through thick and thin you will always be me friend.” Then there’s all the hard work you’ve put into today. You have done soooo much, from meeting with the caterer, to creating the sidur, to working with the DJ. On top of that, you agreed to do an Aliyah…I just don’t know how you do it. You’re so focused and determined, and I want to truly, deeply, for the bottom of my heart, thank you for doing this all for me.

I’d also like to thank Elan and Peter. You guys have been absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for opening up your home to us. The changes you’ve made to this place have been incredible. I still have a hard time believing that you did it all yourselves. Also, thank you for always playing with me and making me laugh.

And thank you to all of my out-of-town relatives, which pretty much includes everyone, for coming all the way here to share this day with me. I’d like to thank my entire family for being wacky, crazy, hilarious, and just plain fun to be with.

I’d also like to thank my teachers. You’ve taught me so much, and have helped me grow as a student and as a person. Thanks.

And lastly, I’d like to thank my friends, in and out of Brandeis, for being there for me when I needed you guys most, as well as every single day of the year. It means so much to me to have your friendships, and I know that with you guys as my friends, I’ll never be alone. Thank you for being there with me to laugh, cry, sing, dance, talk, play, and just have a really good time. Thank you.