Torah Portion/Synagogues

Korach Lacked Passion For Torah

Shabbat Korach:
Numbers 16:1-18:32;
I Samuel 11:14-12:22.

W

hat was the precise content
of the rebellion of Korach
and his cohorts against
Moses? "Behold (said Korach, Datan
and Aviram), I argue against (Moses)
and nullify (by means of logic) his
words (of Torah)."
What did these rebels do? They
stood up and assembled 250 heads of
court, mainly from the tribe of
Reuven and clothed them in garments
that were completely colored royal
blue. They came and before Moses
said to him, "Is a garment which is
wholly royal blue obligated to have
ritual fringes or not?" Moses respond-
ed, "Such a garment is obligated."
They began to mock him. Is it pos-
sible that a garment of another color
be freed from the obligation of ritual
fringes with but one fringe of royal
blue — and this garment, which is

Shlomo Riskin is head of Israel's Ohr
Torah Stone Institute and chief rabbi of
Efrat.

wholly royal blue, not be freed of the
commandments.
obligation?"
Why is the commandment of ritual
Korah and his cohorts were scoff-
fringes singled out from all of the oth-
ing at Moses' message of Torah on the
ers to be fondled and kissed and this,
basis of analytical logic, a logic that
despite Gaonic condemnation of the
threatened to destroy the very premise
practice?
of the commandments. Were they jus-
For insight, let us review a most
tified in their argument?
novel and striking interpretation of
In order to understand the proper
the "sin of the scouts" offered by Ray
response to their claim, let us
Joseph B. Soleveitchik in
examine a custom surround-
response to a problematic
ing the commandment of the
opening of last week's por-
ritual fringes. Apparently,
tion of Shelach: "And the
there was an old custom to
Lord spoke to Moses, saying
touch one's ritual fringes dur-
send forth for yourselves
ing the recitation of the
men who will scout out the
Shema each morning, to
land of Canaan ..."
hold them in one's hands, to
(Numbers 13:1, 2). Why
pass them over one's eyes and
would God possibly suggest
to kiss them. The 10th cen-
a reconnaissance mission to
tury Babylonian scholars Ray
look over the land, to decide
RABBI
Hai Gaon and Rav Natronai
whether
or not its conquest
SHLOMO
Gaon attempted to uproot
would
be
a realistic achieve-
RISKIN
this custom, arguing, "Why
ment? Why place Divine
Special to the
handle the ritual fringes at all
will into the hands of a
Jewish News
after one looked at them at
"committee"?
the time of putting them on
The ray maintains that
and made a blessing over them?"
the verb latur does not mean to "scout
Not only did the custom refuse to
out" in terms of "to evaluate," but
fall into oblivion, but it even became
rather "to seek out with passion," just
more pronounced in succeeding gen-
as the end of the Torah reading uses
erations. This was sensed to be a wor-
the same verb — in the context of the
thy custom and expressed love for the
commandment of ritual fringes — to

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instruct that we not seek out with pas-
sion after the stirring of our hearts
and our eyes (Numbers 15:40).
A successful marriage, a proper
conquest and inhabitation of the land
of Israel and the knowledge and per-
formance of Torah are each fraught
with unsuspected roadblocks and tan-
talizing temptations along the way.
Only the passion of love, which defies
logic, and romance, which supersedes
reason, can provide one with the req-
uisite strength to overcome all obsta-
cles in pursuit of these worthwhile
and as critical goals.
The sin of the scouts and the com-
mand of the ritual fringes united by a
verb which means passionate love
come to teach that there must be an
emotion which supersedes intellect, a
love which overcomes logic in the
realms of Torah and Israel. And Torah
must be passionately pursued if the
commandments will prove more pow-
erful than other sensuous seductions.
Hence the ritual fringes, reminding
us of beloved commandments which
come from heaven, must be fondled by
our left hand (corresponding to the
heart) and kissed by our mouths. Only
a beloved and passionate, fruitful Torah
has the capacity to overcome a bald and
arid, cold and dry logical Korach.

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