Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Korach
One of the facets of human nature is that it always is looking for new leadership and new personalities to rule over them. To a great effect, the day after winning an election, the victor becomes a lame duck. While campaigning for office, promising everything to everybody and demanding a new vision and political and social change, the candidate is seen as being dynamic, charismatic and a person of vision. Since the nature of human beings is to be eternally dissatisfied, the present is never sufficient to make us happy. It is always the future and the promises made to us by others regarding that future that holds our interest and initially even our loyalty. Korach effectively capitalizes on this all too common human trait and therefore finds a ready ear amongst sections of the Jewish people in his attempt to discredit Moshe and Aharon and promotes himself to become the leader of the Jewish people. Moshe realizes the falseness of Korach’s claims and the hypocrisy of his superficial piety and apparent public interest. But Moshe is aware that no public debate with Korach and his supporters will sway them and prevent the open split in dispute within the Jewish people that they wish to promulgate. He therefore has no recourse but to leave the matter to the judgment of Heaven, no matter what consequences may follow. There are many lessons in this story for us as well, if we but look at us and our society and leadership honestly and ignore the often-false visions of change for the sake of change itself.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
Various Events FOR WHOM NOT TO VOTE
Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook stressed that Israeli politics is G-dly, so I have no problem answering this common question on a Torani blog. Also, Free-Will is a G-d-given right and obligation, to "destine one's fate" (R. Soloveichik, Kol Dodi Dofek, 67), so I obviously don't tell others how to vote. But once not a few (especially young) have already asked, a couple of personal words from experience and thoughts from chazal & Rav Kook which may be of help to others, mainly for whom NOT to vote.
P'ninat Mishpat Fallout from Failure to Install Elevator – part II
based on ruling 85007 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
