Holier Than Thou?
Yeshayahu Leibowitz once observed that the placement of Korach’s rebellion in the Torah just after the mitzvah of tzitzit at the end of Parshat Shelach is far from a coincidence. He’s not alone in his observation, but his explanation is more relevant to our times than what others have offered. I’d like to share my reading of how he describes the two fundamentally different understandings of kedushah (holiness) presented in these two parshiot – one of which is completely wrong.
The Tzitzit Reminder: Holiness as a Mission
Parshat Shelach concludes with the mitzvah of tzitzit:
“You shall see it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them … so that you may remember and perform all My commandments and be holy to your God.”
The chapter does not describe holiness as an existing condition. Rather, it is a process equated with the performance of God’s mitzvot (commandments). Tzitzit serve as a reminder that holiness requires effort. Every glance at the fringes redirects a person’s attention back toward a life shaped by Torah and mitzvot.
The Torah does not say, “You are holy.” It says, in effect, “Observe the mitzvot in order to become holy.”
Holiness is a mission rather than an accomplishment.
Korach’s Mistake: Holiness as an Achievement
Against this backdrop, Korach’s rebellion takes on a deeper meaning.
Korach – about whom we read last Shabbat outside of Israel – confronts Moshe and Aaron: “For the entire congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them.” This sounds like a noble and egalitarian statement. However, Korach’s argument rests on a profound misunderstanding of what holiness means. Korach transforms a mission into an achievement which he boasts he and his followers have already attained.
Once holiness is understood as something already attained, leadership becomes unnecessary. Guidance becomes unnecessary. Self-reflection and soul-searching become unnecessary. Most importantly, mitzvot themselves cease to be instruments of growth and become merely decorations on an already perfected people. Perfected people have no social or political obligations to others, only to themselves. The rebellion is therefore not merely political. It is a spiritual arrogance.
Moshe’s leadership represents the recognition that human beings are always a work in progress. Korach’s argument assumes that the work is already complete. This is why Korach’s challenge can be understood not merely as a rejection of Moshe’s authority but as a rejection of the core value of social/religious community that Moshe is building. Korach’s rebellion is a collectivize shirking of responsibility to the community.
Kedoshim: a Command, not a Compliment
This interpretation is reinforced by the famous command in Parshat Kedoshim: “Kedoshim tihyu” — “You shall be holy.” That is, you shall strive for holiness.
The word kadosh, often translated as “holy,” is rooted in the idea of being separate, set apart for a higher purpose. Holiness involves distinguishing oneself from instinct, impulse, and the ordinary patterns of life to serve God. Yet what is most striking is that the Torah expresses holiness as a command to participate in the community, to contribute to it and fight on its behalf. That, too, is a journey that never ends, not an achievement.
This point is crucial. If holiness were a status, the Torah would merely describe it. Instead, the Torah commands it, indicating an ongoing process that requires constant effort. One can never declare that the task is complete, because the moment a person becomes convinced of their own holiness, separating themselves from their communal obligations, they are moving away from holiness. Humility is one of its prerequisites.
Korach’s mistake was believing kedushah – holiness – had already been achieved. It wasn’t – nor could it ever be.
The Real Meaning of Being Chosen
This understanding also sheds light on one of Judaism’s most misunderstood ideas: Jewish chosenness. The Torah never suggests that Israel was chosen because Jews are intrinsically superior to – or holier than – others. Indeed, the Torah’s relentless honesty about the failures of the Jewish people argues strongly against such an interpretation. Israel was chosen because of God’s covenant with Avraham and His promise to entrust this mission to his descendants.
Being chosen means being assigned responsibilities. It means accepting obligations. It means undertaking the difficult work of transforming ordinary life through learning, observance and, above all, communal involvement. In this sense, one might view Jewish history as a kind of experiment—not an experiment designed to prove Jewish superiority, but an experiment intended to demonstrate whether human beings can move closer to holiness through this kind of covenantal living.
Chosenness is a responsibility. It means being entrusted with the task of pursuing holiness.
The Humility of the Journey
Seen through this Leibowitzian lens, Shelach and Korach present two competing visions of religious life.
Shelach says: “Remember. Observe. Strive. Become.”
Korach says, “You have already arrived.”
One vision produces humility. The other produces hubris.
One sees kedushah as a path. The other sees it as a possession.
One recognizes that holiness requires continual effort. The other assumes that holiness is already guaranteed.
The Torah’s verdict is unmistakable. Holiness is never something we own. It is never proof of superiority. It is never justification for self-satisfaction that comes from self-isolation. It’s direction rather than destination. The Jewish people were chosen to undertake the never-ending task of becoming better than they were yesterday. The moment we believe we have already achieved holiness is the moment we stop pursuing it – which is also when we start losing it.
True kedushah begins with the recognition that our journey is never over.
