July 4 • 2019 29
jn
Healing Broken
Healing Broken
Relationships
Relationships
I
was recently teaching a class
about the weekly Torah portion
when someone mentioned the
rebellion of Korach.
I explained that Korach’
s
rebellion began when Korach
questioned why his cousin
Aaron and his lineage should
become the priests. Most
of the people in the room
were surprised to learn that
Korach was the first cousin
of Moses and Aaron, but
that’
s an important fact in the
story.
The narrative of Korach
and his rebellion is yet
another story of a family
quarrel in our Torah. These
squabbles go all the way back
to the time of Cain and Abel, when
they were the only siblings on Earth
and managed to introduce us to the
concept of sibling rivalry (and frat-
ricide).
In this week’
s portion, we have
yet another example of disharmony
in the family. Korach stages a rebel-
lion against his cousins, Moses and
Aaron. Together with a few co-lead-
ers of the rebellion, Korach gathers
250 men and accuses Moses and
Aaron of hoarding power. Korach
argues that the entire community is
holy, and he questions why Moses
and Aaron elevate themselves above
everyone else. Korach takes excep-
tion with the appointment of Aaron
as the High Priest, when they are
at the same level in the family tree
(both grandsons of Kohat).
Prior to God’
s punishment of those
involved in the rebellion [spoiler
alert] when the Earth opens and
swallows Korach and his family,
and then a heavenly fire consumes
the rest of the rebels, Moses tries to
find a peaceful resolution between
the two parties. Moses, known as a
humble leader of the Israelite people,
no doubt was very troubled by the
fractured relationship with his cous-
in Korach. He desperately wanted
to end the dispute and make
peace within his family.
Unfortunately, this is an all-
too-common occurrence in
families in our day. So many
find themselves in estranged
relationships and the pain is
severe. We can take comfort,
however, in knowing that it is
possible to seek reconciliation
and put the pieces back togeth-
er in our fractured relation-
ships. Frequently, reconcilia-
tion comes following the death
of a loved one, but families
shouldn’
t wait until that point.
Shalom, peace, is a Hebrew
word that is often used when dis-
cussing the relationship between
nations. However, we should all seek
to bring shalom into our families.
The disharmony in families in the
Torah should serve as an example
that the consequences are tragic
when relatives feud with each other.
We all have relatives who are diffi-
cult to get along with, who challenge
leadership roles within the family,
who battle over money or who let
their emotions get the best of them.
However, family should be treated as
sacred.
The stories in the Torah of flawed
human beings and familial dysfunction
should lead us to take the steps to heal
troubled relationships. It is far from
an easy process and it can take many
years, but the first step is always the
most challenging. A healed relation-
ship is the reward for putting in the
work of reconciliation. ■
Rabbi Jason Miller is an educator and entre-
preneur. He is the founder and director of
Kosher Michigan and MitzvahRabbi.com, as
well as the president of Access Technology.
Follow him on Twitter at @RabbiJason.
spirit
torah portion
Rabbi Jason
Miller
Parshat
Korach:
Numbers
16:1-18:32;
I Samuel
11:14-12:22.
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