Korach hiding his true face — the beginning of modern politics

'The Punishment of the Rebels,' a fresco by Sandro Botticelli, the Sistine Chapel, Rome. On the right, the rebels attempt to stone Moses, Joshua protecting him. The center shows Korach and conspirators being driven out by Moses and Aaron. To the left, the ground opens and the two principal conspirators sink into it. (Wikipedia)

So often, politics consists of people of prominence who claim leadership without ever having been chosen. They frequently will speak about what the people need but only have in mind their own grandeur. Where did this all start? Perhaps with the revolt of Korach and his co-conspirators.

A lot of trouble in the desert was around evil speech (Miriam, the Spies, Bilam, Korach) but the latter stood out because of its intentional falsehood.

They claimed that there was no need for leaders because we are all holy. (Apparently, they learned nothing from G^d even disapproving of Aharon and Miriam seeing themselves on the same level as Moses.)

Moses didn’t even react to what they said. They were not anarchists who wanted to do away with leaders. He rather responded to what they meant: We would be better leaders. It was a power grab.

Another thing that was unique of the uprising of Korach & co was that they cut off the branch they were sitting on. Moses was the great defender of sinners before the Heavenly Throne. They killed off their lawyer. How stupid.

(Moses always uses the prosecution’s argument to fight it. G^d says: They’re so stiff-necked. Moses replies: Ain’t that great how stubborn they are in their beliefs? It’s hard to convince them but once they are, they won’t change their mind so quickly too. Here they say: It’s [too] much for your — all this prominence. He replies: isn’t your status as Levites not much?)

It’s not that I don’t understand them or feel bad for them. They were just told that they were not going to enter the Promised Land but rather were to die off in the desert. They wanted to return to good old Egypt. Showing once more that they weren’t fit to enter the Holy Land. They overlooked their wives and children who were fit. G^d didn’t.

The whole Exodus is riddled with people who wouldn’t make it. Only 20% left Egypt. Many died because of sins on the way. Until the rebellion against Pinnechas. There, a new way came about to purify the people before getting into the Land: repentance. Just looking up [to Heaven] would be enough to stay alive. Today, we’re still on that program.

About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. 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