Korach: Swallowed by Machlokes

By Judah Graber Years ago, I heard a shiur from Rav Yehuda Turetsky discussing what is so harmful about machlokes.

After the entire machlokes between Moshe and Korach, the pasuk (במדבר י״ז:ה׳) states :זִכָּר֞וֹן לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לְ֠מַ֠עַן אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־יִקְרַ֜ב אִ֣ישׁ זָ֗ר אֲ֠שֶׁ֠ר לֹ֣א מִזֶּ֤רַע אַהֲרֹן֙ ה֔וּא לְהַקְטִ֥יר קְטֹ֖רֶת לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֤ה כְקֹ֙רַח֙ וְכַ֣עֲדָת֔וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֧ר יְהֹוָ֛ה בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֖ה לֽוֹ׃ֹ׃(And he shall not be like Korach and his assembly.)

The Gemara in Sanhedrin 110a teaches: "Anyone who engages in machlokes violates a prohibition not to be like Korach and his assembly."

Rashi, the Maharal in Gur Aryeh, and the Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvos all explain that this is an asmachta an allusion or hint, rather than a formal prohibition. In their view, the pasuk serves to teach us the importance of avoiding conflict, but does not establish an actual mitzvah or issurin the strict halachic sense.

The Ramban al HaTorah, however, understands this differently. He writes that this is indeed a genuine, bonafide issur but that it applies specifically to a yisrael or a levi who challenges the unique roles of the kohanim and seeks to usurp their avodah.

The Rabbeinu Yonah in Shaarei Teshuvah, as well as other rishonim, and what seems to be the pashtus explanation of the pasuk, maintain that the Torah is teaching us that a person should never act like Korach,no one should ever allow themselves to be drawn into machlokes.

The Nesivos Shalom (Nesivas Shalom Bamidbar, parshas Korach, second maamar): offers an explanation why the Torah specifically teaches this lesson in the context of the story of Korach, rather than simply stating, as it does with other issurim, “Do not engage in machlokes.” He raises several kashas to bring out this idea:

First, why is this warning conveyed through a narrative, rather than stated directly as an explicit commandment: “Do not create conflict”?

Secondly, he points out something very unique here. Usually, in beis din shel mata, punishment applies only from the age of thirteen. In beis din shel maalah, the heavenly court, Hashem punishes from age twenty. Yet here, the Torah relates that even children and babies perished along with Dasan and Aviram because of machlokes. Why should this be so?

Third, the Gemara famously states that the second beis hamikdash was destroyed because of sinas chinam, baseless hatred, which is equated with the three cardinal sins of avodah zarah, giloy arayos, and shfiachas dumim. Why is machlokes considered so severe that it is compared to these most terrible transgressions?

Finally, we find that a new and unique punishment was created: the earth itself opened and swallowed them alive. Why was such an extraordinary punishment necessary?

The Nesivos Shalom answers that if ואהבת לרעך כמוך—זה כלל גדול בתורה is true, and if the Jewishpeople stood opposite Har Sinai כאיש אחד בלב אחד, these are not incidental values, they are centralto the very identity of Klal Yisrael. Machlokes destroys this foundation; it is the complete antithesis of what the Jewish people are meant to embody.

The Zohar writes that when there is machlokes among Klal Yisrael, it disrupts our connection with Hashem Himself. This is why the Torah relates to machlokes in such a unique way, to emphasize how deeply it contradicts the purpose and mission of Torah life.

As Rav Taragin is found of pointing out from Tehillim  34:13-14מִֽי־הָ֭אִישׁ הֶחָפֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים אֹהֵ֥ב יָ֝מִ֗ים לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב׃ נְצֹ֣ר לְשׁוֹנְךָ֣ מֵרָ֑ע וּ֝שְׂפָתֶ֗יךָ מִדַּבֵּ֥ר מִרְמָֽה׃

It’s all about the perspective you have. If you are a negative person, you might be “correct” a lot of the time, but you won’t be as productive or as happy. You’ll always find a reason to speak badly about your friends, your family, and even yourself. However, someone who has a positive perspective doesn’t speak ill of their friends, seeks to be their best self, and maximizes their potential, thereby living a good life.

At this stage in our lives, time seems to be moving more quickly than ever (maybe I’m just speaking for myself), and history seems to be accelerating as well. The nissim we have observed and witnessed in Eretz Yisrael, Hashem’s kindness expressed through the remarkable hishtadlusof the State of Israel, the IDF, IAF, Mossad, the United States of America, and others have been incredible. Yet there are still so many open questions about Israel’s security including the war in Gaza. rachmana litzlan, seven soldiers were just killed the other day Hy’D.

Sometimes, when life is moving so fast, it becomes easier to slip up, to act without thinking, to accidentally offend someone, or to fall into a negative perspective. This parsha teaches us to distance ourselves from machlokes, and instead strive to be positive people who take a few moments to think before we act, whether it is bein adam lechaveiro or bein adam laMakom. May Hashem continue bringing the geulah bimeheira v’yameinu.

Have a great Shabbos.