There Is No Santa Claus, Only G-d
Korach son of Yitzhar son of Kehat son of Levi took, together with Datan and Aviram sons of Eli’av, and On son of Pelet, descendants of Reuben. They confronted Moses together with 250 men from the Israelites, including the princes of the community, summoned for the meeting, and other men of repute. [Numbers 16:1-2]
Moses was a gentle giant with a modest heart. He followed G-d’s command to the letter, didn’t take anything for himself and tried to be friendly with everybody. Until the last weeks of his life, he didn’t appear on television, make speeches or photo-ops and avoided the limelight as much as a leader of millions could.
Korach was Moses’ cousin. He was perhaps the richest man in the world, a fortune taken from the late viceroy Joseph as the Israelites were leaving Egypt. But after a while being a billionaire didn’t make him happy. Now, Korach wanted power. He had the money to buy off princes, judges and the rest of the elite. All he needed was a platform.
They assembled against Moses and Aaron. They said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire community — all of them — are holy, and G-d is in their midst. Why do you raise yourselves above G-d’s assembly?” [Numbers 16:3]
Had there been a fact-checker in the Sinai Desert, Korach’s allegations would have been proven to be bald lies. Moses had not usurped power: G-d had appointed him king and prophet of Israel, a job Moses never wanted. If the community would have been holy, the Israelites would not have rejected the Land of Canaan and been sentenced to die in the desert. Indeed, the only ones who sought to exploit the Jews were Korach and his supporters.
When Moses heard this, he fell on his face. [Numbers 16:4]
The first thought that went through Moses’ mind was “Here we go again.” Over the last few years, he had repeatedly engaged in crisis control. He pleaded with G-d to save the Israelites in wake of the sin of the Golden Calf. Then, Moses prayed hard and even tried to quit during the “Meat Now” campaign on the eve of the Israelite trek to Canaan. Then came the betrayal of the tribal princes, known as the spies, when they opposed proceeding to and resettling in Canaan. Sure, G-d is patient, but perhaps even He has his limits.
“How much can I trouble the king? Maybe he will no longer accept anything more from me.” [Rashi on Numbers 16:4]
Therein, lies the difference between a leader and a politician. A politician can promise anything and never even try to make good on his pledges to the people. He can repeat slogans ad nauseum and then the next day say the exact opposite. A politician invites the powerful and rich and offers them influence.
Zohran Mamdani is the latest poster child in American politics. Born in Uganda in 1991, Mamdani, a Shi’ite Muslim, became a naturalized US citizen in 2018. Two years later, he was elected to the New York State Assembly. A former rap producer, Mamdani has scaled the political ladder through his hatred of Israel and his promises of free transportation, free groceries, free daycare and a rent freeze. On June 24, Mamdani, supported by other anti-Israeli politicians, won the Democratic primary for New York City’s mayoral election, a city that is home to nearly one million Jews.
“The problem is: Nobody told him there’s no such thing as Santa Claus.” [former New York Gov. David Paterson, May 2025]
Then, there’s Moses. He does not want to promise anything to the people because he can’t deliver. Everything is in G-d’s hands: If we are faithful to Him and follow the Torah, He will bring us to the Promised Land and never abandon us. If not, we’re in trouble.
Like Mamdani, Korach pursued a pie-in-the-sky agenda. He told the people that he would take the priesthood from the Levites and return it to the first-born of Israel. Korach’s words could not have been more deceitful: It was G-d who decided to transfer the priesthood after the sin of the Golden Calf. It was G-d who selected Aaron as the high priest. No mortal made that decision.
But like every politician from the beginning of time, Korach exploited the decline of his constituency. In the wake of the rejection of Canaan, G-d announced that the generation that had left Egypt would die in the desert. The demise of 600,000 people would take place over nearly 40 years. They represented a frustrated class of have-nots looking for a scapegoat as well as a messiah. And that’s what Korach and his two political advisers, Dotan and Aviram, provided. Their message: It’s all Moses’ fault.
“Is it not enough that you have brought us out of a land flowing with milk and date- and fig-honey to kill us in the desert, that you should also exercise authority over us? You have also not brought us to a land flowing with milk and date- and fig-honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards.” [Numbers 16:13-14]
Can a politician manipulate the people forever? Can a normal electorate keep swallowing the lies of the eternal candidate who will do anything to maintain power? It took G-d to stop Korach and his huge following. The Almighty opened the earth under them and then a blaze did the rest. Many survivors were angry, and again they blamed Moses. They had hoped to share in Korach’s wealth, but G-d destroyed both the man and his riches.
In the end, Korach’s promises were not meant to help his followers. His demands for reform were just a ruse to topple the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Like the many false messiahs in Jewish history, their narcissistic vision left only death and destruction in their wake. Perhaps David Paterson, the former governor who came from Eastern European Jewish ancestry, is right: There is no Santa Claus, only G-d.
