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The rebels had nothing 200 years ago, in America and to take and offer. That is, the France, the divine rights of rulers great rebellion, the rebellion ended For this reason, among oth- which was to serve as paradigm ers, some modern readers have for assault on legitimate leader- had difficulty with the account in ship, had no platform. No alter- Numbers of the rebellions of Ko- native plan to Moses' (obey God and prepare for the eventual oc- rach and his allies. cupation of Canaan) We start with the as- was ever put forward. sumption that some re- The rebellion lacked bellions are justified, and any justifying idea or are not horrified, as our ideology. The entire con- ancestors were, at the tent of the rebellion was very fact that Moses' personal. The rebels leadership is questioned. wanted to do what In the parsha, Korach, Moses and Aaron were who is a Levite, and doing, but, we may as- Datan and Aviram, lead- sume, thought that ers of the tribe of Reuben, ED CODISH they, rather than Moses and 250 otherwise un- SPECIAL and Aaron, should be named communal lead- TO THE the leaders of the Jews. ers, offer a number of JEWISH NEWS The lack of ideas, a indictments against lack which empties the Moses and Aaron, his rebellion of content, does brother. They are ac- have one advantage. In cused of taking too much the absence of an ideol- power for themselves and ogy, anyone can join in. of not recognizing the Thus, men from many group holiness of the tribes assembled, unit- Jews. Moses is also ac- ed only by their opposi- cused of taking the Is- tion to Moses and raelites from a good land Aaron. We are remind- into a desert, where they ed of the blind support will all die. which used to be ex- There had already tended in America to been complaints about SUSANN CODISH SPECIAL any foreign despot who Moses. Repeatedly, some TO THE presented himself as an- of the people murmur JEWISH NEWS ticommunist. We, too, about the general state of rarely asked what such supply: the lack of food, water, and (after the episode of the a person "took." What did motivate Korach and spies) hope. But these complaints, no matter how heartfelt and in- his allies? Personal aggrandize- sistent, were demands on Moses ment is an obvious incentive. We to do something, to be a better all, whether we deserve it or not, provider. The complaints of Ko- want to be the boss. One midrash rach and his allies question the points out that Korach had been leadership of Moses and offer, by passed over as leader of his fam- ily. The Reubenites were not implication, to replace it. The Torah might be offering in- among the princes of their tribe. sight into when rebellion is not Datan and Aviram are presented acceptable, and therefore, per- in midrash as habitual malcon- haps, when it is. The parsha be- tents. We suggest that, at least in gins: "Korach, son of Yitzhar, son the case of Korach, midrash hints of Kahat, son of Levi; and Datan at a more meaningful lesson. "Rich as Korach" has become a and Aviram, sons of Elia -v., and On, son of Pelet, Reubenites, took. modern Hebrew idiom, almost a And they rose up before Moses cliche. Korach is depicted as the [with their supporters]." Never is wealthiest of the Israelites, and what the leaders of the rebellion the details of his indulgences are "took" specified. Neither is what, given. He may well have thought other than their wish to usurp that his wealth entitled him to a leadership, they had in common. greater part in decision making. W Susann Codish is president of Ed Codish is gabbai of Or Congregation Or Chadash, a liberal observant community. Chadash and a writer on Judaism.