Shabbat-B'Shabbato – Parshat Korach

No 1379: 23Sivan 5771 (25June 2011)

AS SHABBAT APPROACHES

"The Entire Community is Holy" - by Rabbi Mordechai Greenberg, Rosh Yeshiva, Kerem B'Yavne

What was the basic motive for the sin by Korach? Was it merely a matter of seeking honor and authority? But then why does the Torah feel a need to issue a warning for all later generations, not to be "like Korach and his community" [Bamidbar 17:5]?

Based on writings of the Maharal and Rav A.Y. Kook, we can understand the ideology that was the basis for their claim that "the entire community is holy" [16:3]. In principle they opposed the very concept of making a choice among the people.

Our world has a general structure of a center surrounded by a perimeter. This is true starting from the smallest particle, the atom, which consists of a nucleus surrounded by electrons that move around it, and it remains true for the largest heavenly bodies, which consist of a star that is surrounded by planets. It is also true for humanity. There is always a need for a central point which is surrounded by an external area. The center influences the surroundings and raises them up to a higher level. When a center exists there is a goal for the people to reach, but when everybody is equal there is no incentive to rise up – and everybody remains at the lowest possible level.

In the same way, all of humanity surrounds Yisrael, which is at the center –"Yisrael among the nations is like the heart among the other organs." And the tribe of Levi is the center of Yisrael, while the center of Levi is the priests, and the central figure of the priests is the High Priest.

And that is what Moshe meant when he said, "In the morning, G-d will make it known who belongs to Him and who is holy... And He will bring the one that He chooses close to Him." [Bamidbar 16:5]. Thus, there are three levels of choice: Yisrael among all of humanity, Levi within Yisrael, and the priests from among Levi. This can be seen in the way the name of Aharon is written: aleph-heh-resh-nun. Heh is the middle letter of those which denote single digits (from aleph, 1, to tet, 9). Nun is the middle letter of the letters denoting tens. Resh is the middle of the numbers denoting hundreds. And the aleph hints at the unique and individual character of the High Priest.

When Korach asked Moshe if a house that is full of holy books must have a mezuzah on its doorpost and if it is necessary to put tzitztit on a cloak that is made up entirely of techelet, he and his community want to imply that there is no need for a central figure to raise up the surrounding people, since everybody is innately holy. Moshe replied that if everybody would be equal there would be no incentive for improvement, since everybody by definition would be at the highest level of any possible achievement.

According to Rav Kook, this is the essence of the approach that was adopted by Christianity. "The call to all of the nations, no matter how deeply they were involved in all manner of filth and impurity, in the depths of evil and ignorance... 'You are all holy, you are all sons of G-d, there is no difference between one nation and any other, there is no such thing as a chosen nation in the world, every person is equally holy' – That is an expression of the principleof Korach within humanity as a whole." [Orot, page 33].

A document recently published by the Council of Bishops shows how relevant this outlook remains to this day. "As Christians, we cannot talk about a land that was promised to the Jewish nation. The concept of a 'Chosen People' no longer exists. All men and women in all the nations of the world have become the Chosen People. The concept of a Promised Land cannot serve as justification for giving the Land of Israel to the Jews and expelling the Palestinians... And there is no way that such a concept can be based on the holy writings."

POINT OF VIEW

Last Chance for Religious Zionism in Politics- by Rabbi Yisrael Rozen, Dean of the Zomet Institute

What has not yet been written about the political divisions and separations by sector that have risen up and that continue to grow among the religious communities, with all their diversified shades and secondaryshades? And as is well known, every person who comes up with a new division does so in the name of "unity." This is the legacy of Korach, who declared in this week's Torah portion that"the entire community - all of them - are holy" [Bamidbar 16:3].

The four Torah portions that we read in recent weeks – Bamidbar, Nasso, Behaalotecha, and Shelach – all involve the tribes and their representatives (the leaders and the scouts). This gives us a clear impression of the varied mosaic of which the nation of Yisrael is formed, which is divided into tribes but which still moves together – or at least tries to. This is true until this week's portion, which contains controversy and divisiveness. The Holy One, Blessed be He, fights against this trend with determination – the earth opens up, and the people are warned, "Separate yourselves from among this evil community" [Bamidbar 16:21]. Moshe takes the trouble to go himself to the tents of Datan and Aviram, who were among the instigators of the division, not in an attempt to compromise with them but in order to mark them as outcasts: "Move away from the tents of these people" [16:26]. The controversy was settled and even suppressed by Divine intervention.

Religious Zionism is Adorned with Divisiveness

Let us with a sharp turn move on to the current controversy within our camp. It is natural for us to concentrate on religious Zionism. It is no secret that this sector is divided and split up, crumbling from within, both politically, on the left-right scale of politics, and on the level of religious observance, on a scale between "chardal" and liberalism. Even so, I feel that our sector remains basically unified, and that the "campfire" still burns quietly. Here is what it is whispering to me: Something must be done to rejoin us, at least in the political arena, emphasizing the elements that are shared by the entire sector and noting what separates us from the others. What can I personally do about this situation? At the very least, I can write!

Last week the demon of divisiveness continued his joyful dance in the "Bayit Yehudi" – the Jewish House. The central council of the Mafdal Party met, under the leadership of MK Zvulun Orlev, claiming that it possesses legal and institutional continuity with the past. The gathering was strongly opposed by the two other Knesset members (Hershkowitz and Orbach), who claim that the Mafdal no longer exists (call it Mafzal?). "And weeping and mourning increased with the house of Yehuda" (see Eichah 2:5). Here is a personal disclosure: I like Uri Orbach, who is fluent and pleasant to hear, and I am very close to Rabbi Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz, the Minister of Science, both for his past activity and for the way he has advanced the combination of Torah and science in his ministry. And (as one who was a member of the executive council of the Mafdal in the past) I support Zvulun Orlev's attempt to get the religious Zionist party back into motion "as it is." We have waited long enough, the existing situation can only lead to a cessation of all activity!

In my opinion, the next elections are the last chance to determine if there is any possibility of maintaining a religious Zionist party in the Knesset. Yes or no. To be or not to be. We can already hear the winds of such statements as, "There is no need for a party... We are better off joining the others... We shouldn't put all our eggs into one basket..." This trend is clearly seen in the large number of religious Zionists among the MK's of other parties. However, as one who believes in the concept of a "Jewish State," I am convinced that the only way to accomplish our goal is through an organized and unified religious Zionist approach, especially in the realm of politics.

An Emergency Call for Political Organization

The only chance that I can see to save the situation is to return to the format that took shape for a short time only, right before the last general elections – a super-committee with many participants (say 120?) that will choose the list of candidates for the Knesset or will decide how to choose them. Every rabbinical element or other subdivision of our camp that will block such a move can be accused of the final elimination of any organized entity that represents religious Zionism– and he or she will be judged in the end by the "minister of history." No other opportunity will be available in the future.

I do not believe in the institution of primaries, because this requires a long process of registration in order to generate an approved list of voters. This is an operation that is complex, expensive, and long. And it can be distorted by interested parties and professional "vote contractors." There is thus no alternative but to put pure democracy aside, as something needed for this specific case, and to depend at this time of emergency on 120 (?) delegates who will be carefully chosen to represent every subsidiary sector, institution, and organization, in addition toall the people who are important in their own right.

Such a move has a chance to succeed if it is done now and not close to the time of the elections! Without this procedure, there will be no hope for the existence of a religious Zionist presence within Israeli politics. And then many people will decry the loss...

THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE "SHABBAT" SUPPLEMENT IN "MAKOR RISHON" – Rabbi Yisrael Rozen

Response by Yoav Shorek to my Article

The article by Rabbi Yisrael Rozen last week was a combination of legitimate criticism and lies, incitement, and slander (for a detailed response see what Ido Pechter wrote on the Shabbat Supplement website). The controversy revolves around the question of whether the right to be involved in Torah study and to come to conclusions about the Torah should be restricted only to religious people, and to people who belong to a specific yeshiva-religious sector, or if everybody who holds the Torah and the nation of Yisrael dear has a right to discuss and attempt to clarify the path that is most appropriate for our generation. And this group includes non-yeshiva religious people, "datlashim" – people who are no longer religious – and the nonreligious. (Note that Reform Jews, those who convertsx to Christianity, and people who throw away their tefillin are not part of this definition.)

Rabbi Rozen is free to claim monopolistic rights on halachic discourse for the classic rabbinical world (of which he is represents only a minority faction). We would be happy to host an in-depth discussion on this question in the pages of the Shabbat supplement. Unfortunately, instead of this Rabbi Rozen chose to take a path that is insulting and may make for better ratings but is certainly not the way of Torah.

Response by Rabbi Yisrael Rozen

I have no problem with letting the entire public become involved in Torah discourse. My criticism is against the ideology of the editor in a wide-ranging series of articles (which I described as "preaching and inciting") that grant a priori legitimacy to not being faithful to the halacha that has been accepted for many generations. My main complaint is that a very high proportion of articles were "given control" of the newspaper, espousing the same approach – which I called "Conservative" and related to the "Hartmann" approach.

Correcting an Error / a Misunderstanding

Last week I wrote a harsh attack against Yoav Shurek, the editor of the "Shabbat" supplement of the Makor Rishon newspaper. I do not regret what I wrote, in general or in the specifics, and I want to thank the many letters of support that I received.

There is one point that should be clarified, and for which an apology might be in order. The sentence in my article, "The editor wraps himself in an Orthodox image (but as he declares, without tzitzit and tefillin)" might have been taken as a personal note about the editor. But that is not what I meant! I noted that the only thing that Shurek has publicly discarded is his kippa. What I wrote about tzitzit and tefillin was referring to his agenda, where he called for a priori legitimization of a way of life "without the daily intensity of blessings and prayers... A central example of 'flexible' halacha is the obligation of the individual with respect to prayers and blessings" (Pesach issue of the supplement). He calls for "legitimization of not attending a synagogue on a regular basis." (Shavuot issue).

It seems that I confused "tefilla" – prayer - with tefillin. The editor's comments about prayer, blessings, and the synagogue sounded to me to be a call for "flexibility" that included tefillin and tzitzit too. But these items were not explicitly mentioned in his agenda, and I apologize for this specific mistaken detail.

SOMETHING FOR THE SOUL

The Way Out that is Hidden in the Dead End- by Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira, Rosh Yeshivat Ramat Gan

Many times in our lives we find ourselves in what seems to be a dead end. We are in a situation where there seems to be no reasonable solution to our problems, and we find it hard to understand what the Almighty wants us to do. This is true not only in our private lives but even more so in public life, which is moved by very powerful forces. An outstanding example of this is the national problem that we have faced during recent generations – specifically, how we can best fit into the region of the Middle East. Various opinions have been voiced, with different levels of enthusiasm and self confidence, but everybody knows deep in his heart that he does not really have an acceptable solution to the problem. The problems involved are very serious and harsh, and even when we make use of the best and most creative minds we cannot find a reasonable solution. This leads to a controversy about what to do, since even in such a situation some paths are better than others. But there is nobody who has come forward with a perfect solution.

Here is another example, on a much smaller scale: the question of unity within our own sector. It seems that everybody wants unity, but nobody knows how to achieve this goal. Many attempts have been made, but nobody has arisen who can show the way for the religious Zionist community to become truly united – and this is true not only at the political level but also on other levels. Many people wonder at the fact that such a small group of people is torn between five different political parties. But except for the basic suggestion that everybody should accept "my" authority or become convinced by "my" ideas, nobody knows how we can extricate ourselves from the existing complex and humiliating situation.

In such cases, it is necessary not only to try to find a solution but also to understand the situation. Rav A.Y. Kook, in his commentary on a case discussed in the Talmud, can show us the way. We are told that a student who studied much Torah died at a young age. His wife took his Tefillin with her and went from one Beit Midrash to another. She said: "It is written in the Torah, 'For it is your life and it will give you long days' [Devarim 30:20]. My husband studied much Torah, why did he die so young?" Nobody could give her a satisfactory reply, until the Prophet Eliyahu came and explained the situation to the people.

Rav Kook explains that there are times when the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not want to simply add another level to the understanding of the sages but rather wants to reveal to them a new dimension of understanding of which they were not aware previously, related to the hidden levels of the Divine. Such a revelation will not be perceived correctly unless the foundations of the existing approach are completely destroyed, such that the current outlook will appear to be a total failure, a dead end. This is the only way that the level of understanding will lead to the desired new depth, and the full meaning of the new approach will be appreciated.

The same applies to the two subjects discussed above. When a new approach is brought to the world, one that goes into greater depths and is more general than ever before, we must first experience a process of preparation during which we will realize that the existing approaches are not able to provide solutions for our problems. The frustration, the pain, and the feeling of a dead end will soften the existing dogmatic approach and pave the way for a new way of life to be developed.

For decades the relationship between the State of Israel and the other countries of the world was fed by the basic understanding of the justice of the existence of Israel, as a "safe haven for a pursued nation." But this vision is no longer sufficient to continue prodding the wheels of the process of redemption, and it is now disintegrating and becoming scarred, so that it can make way for a greater and deeper vision. Religious Zionism has always tried to carry many banners, but it attempted to combine them all in a superficial way – this was an "instant" unity that could not be sustained. This false unity is now being splintered into little pieces, paving the way for a deeper true unity, where all the different values can exist together, based on the fact that they all stem from the same Divine roots. What we should strive for is to achieve this new depth, and eventually we will learn that the long wait was worthwhile.