Parashat Korach
Parashat Korach tells of the revolt led by Korach against the authority of Moshe Rabbenu. Korach accused Moshe of proclaiming himself leader of Benei Yisrael out of a desire for power, and that he appointed his brother, Aharon, as the Kohen Gadol out of sheer nepotism. In addition, Korach felt slighted over the designation of his cousin Elitzafan as head of the tribe of Levi, a distinction that he felt should have been conferred upon him. Korach attracted a modest but significant following and led this mutiny against Moshe. God punished him and his followers by having the ground open and devour them.
The Ramban, in his commentary to the opening verses of this Parasha, raises the simple question of why Korach waited until this point to initiate this campaign. The appointments that he protested occurred much earlier. Why did he not challenge Moshe's authority then? Why suddenly now does he come forward to voice his objection to Moshe's leadership?
The Ramban answers that Korach, a clever and astute politician, waited until Moshe's "approval rating" began to decline. Nobody would have supported Korach had he embarked on his campaign earlier, because Moshe had, after all, done great things for the people. He provided them with Manna and water in the wilderness, and even after the incident of the golden calf, when God planned to destroy Benei Yisrael, Moshe came to their defense, pleading their case before God and securing His forgiveness. Nobody would have tolerated any objection or challenge to Moshe's authority at that point.
But Moshe's popularity began to slide after the tragic incident of the spies, which we read last week. The spies returned from their excursion with a negative report about the Land of Israel, and the people decided not to proceed into the land. God responded by decreeing that no member of that generation would enter the Land of Israel, that they would all die in the wilderness. Moshe did not intervene on the nation's behalf upon hearing of this decree. This time, he accepted the sentence without petitioning God for forgiveness. This caused a degree of frustration among the people towards Moshe's leadership, and Korach understood that this was the time to publicly challenge Moshe. Now that the people began questioning Moshe's leadership, blaming him for the debacle of the spies, Korach attracted a considerable base of support and sympathy among Benei Yisrael.
This progression of events, as the Ramban describes, presents a very powerful lesson, a profound insight into human nature. Benei Yisrael were the ones who initiated the idea to send spies. Moshe told them that there was no need for spies, as God had already promised them that He is bringing them into a special land. But they insisted, and when the spies returned with a negative report, they rebelled against God. The tragedy of the spies was very clearly the fault of the people, not Moshe. They initiated the entire notion of sending spies, and it was they who turned their backs on God. Yet, they cast the blame on Moshe. Rather than accepting responsibility for their actions, than acknowledging their own mistake and failing, they pointed an accusing finger at Moshe Rabbenu and considered him accountable for this disaster.
In modern society, people do not take personal responsibility for their mistakes. Criminal defense lawyers will defend a serial killer by casting the blame for his crimes on a parent or teacher who mistreated him as a child. Therapists tell their patients that they are not to blame; their mistakes are the result of the way their father or mother treated them. CEO's stand up at press conferences after being convicted of embezzlement and announce, "Mistakes were made." They would never confess to having made mistakes themselves; the mistakes were made by some anonymous culprit.
Judaism teaches that one must not make excuses for his mistakes; he must accept the blame and confess his wrongdoing. Viduy (confession) is a central feature of Judaism. We spend the entire day of Yom Kippur confessing, declaring, "Chatati Aviti Pashati" ("I have sinned, I have acted wrongly, I have transgressed"). If people in today's society would recite Viduy, they would say, "My father has sinned, my mother has sinned, my friend has sinned…" They would absolve themselves of guilt by passing it onto somebody else, just as Benei Yisrael passed accountability for the disaster of the spies onto Moshe.
Although we are undoubtedly influenced by our past experiences and by what we see around us, ultimately we have free will to act as we choose. We must therefore take full, personal responsibility for our mistakes, and never try absolving ourselves by casting the blame elsewhere.
