Spirituality

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i-IIEALTI-S ‘'SYSTIEM

TORA i PnRT1ON

Those Choser
To Serve God

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

T

before God and consumed them."
his week's Torah portion
This phrase is identical to the
contains the story of the
phrase used immediately previous
rebellion of Korach and his
to this event (Leviticus 9:24): "And
cohorts against the leadership of
fire came forth from before God and
Moses.
consumed the sacrifice," indicating
There were several factions par-
that
God had fully accepted the pre-
ticipating in this rebellion. One fac-
vious
sacrifices.
tion claimed that they, too, were part
It thus seems that here,
of the "holy community"
too,
their "service" was
(Numbers 16:3) of Israel.
acceptable
to God.
Therefore, apparently, they
Here
also
we can say
disputed that Moses' own
that
in
their
zeal to serve
brother, Aaron, and his
God
(it
happened,
after
family, exclusively, were
all, on the first normal
chosen to serve as priests.
functioning day of the
It is not clear whether
Tabernacle), they over-
the 250 men who make
stepped their station, but
this charge are motivated
ZV„,
their intentions were pure
by a sincere desire to
Rabbi Eliezer
and thus their "sacrifice"
serve God and the Jewish
Cohen
was accepted.
people as the priests do
Special to the
The Talmud (Horios
or whether it was a more
Jewish News
10B) quotes Rav Nachmon
base desire for prestige
bar Yitzchok: "A sin for
and authority.
the sake of Heaven is as great as a
Moses proposes a "contest":
mitzvah without intent." Perhaps
The 250 men and Aaron will each
this principle applies in both cases.
bring an incense sacrifice and "God
Even if a person does something
will make known who will be His
that is considered wrong, if his
(priest); He will bring the holy one
close, the chosen one will be brought motivation and intention is pure,
honorable and holy, God will treat it
close to Him" (Numbers 16-5).
as positive.
The following morning, the 251
No human being can fully know
sacrifices are brought and "fire came
the motivation, desires or yearning of
forth from God and consumed the
another.
250 men who brought the incense
What may appear to be unaccept-
sacrifice" (Numbers 16:35), thus
able to a human being, who cannot
confirming that Aaron was the wor-
possibly understand fully, may, in
thy High Priest.
fact, be acceptable and even pleasing
Yet in spite of their apparent
to the One who knows the hearts of
Divine punishment, God commands
all — the Supreme and true Judge.
that a cover for the altar be fash-
ioned from the censors they used for We must be very careful not to pre-
sume to judge one another.
the sacrifice "because they became
sanctified" (Numbers 17:3).
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of Congregation
It seems that their sacrifice was
Or Chadash in Oak Park.
at least partially efficacious; their
motivation must have been a posi-
tive one to sincerely worship God
and thus their censors became a
Conversations
permanent part of the holy altar.
Can we truly know what is
Likewise in Leviticus (10:1-3), we
pleasing to God? Why is it so
have the story of Aaron's two oldest
difficult for us to refrain from (at
sons bringing "an inappropriate fire"
least in our own minds) judging
(also an incense sacrifice), which
other people?
God did not command." And with
them, too, "fire came forth from

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