Parashat Korah – 5785

Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and The 250 Men

A D’var Torah for Parashat Korah 

By Rabbi Greg Schindler (AJR ’09)

Tom Stoppard’s 1966 play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, brings to the forefront two minor players from Hamlet – the couriers, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. While they prepare for, and perform, their small parts in the play, unknown scenes occur “offstage” (in Shakespeare’s Hamlet) that have major impacts on their lives.

This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Korah , is named for the insurrection led by Korah and his accomplices, Dathan and Aviram, against Moses. And – like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – there are another 250 characters who play minor roles and whose lives are affected by “offstage” events beyond their knowing.

וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח בֶּן־יִצְהָ֥ר בֶּן־קְהָ֖ת בֶּן־לֵוִ֑י וְדָתָ֨ן וַאֲבִירָ֜ם בְּנֵ֧י אֱלִיאָ֛ב וְא֥וֹן בֶּן־פֶּ֖לֶת בְּנֵ֥י רְאוּבֵֽן׃

וַיָּקֻ֙מוּ֙ לִפְנֵ֣י מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַאֲנָשִׁ֥ים מִבְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים וּמָאתָ֑יִם נְשִׂיאֵ֥י עֵדָ֛ה קְרִאֵ֥י מוֹעֵ֖ד אַנְשֵׁי־שֵֽׁם׃

Took Korah, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—descendants of Reuben.  They rose up before Moses and men from the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the assembly, ones who were called to the [Tent of] Meeting, men of renown. (Num. 16:1-2)

Although most commentators see the 250 men as rebels together with Korah, Dathan and Aviram, the placement of their names after “Moses” weakens this claim. Several other factors argue against co-conspirator status:

·        Moses later attempts to convince Dathan and Aviram to change their minds, but he makes no such effort with the 250 men. (Num. 16:12-13)

·        Korah, Dathan and Aviram are swallowed up by the earth, while the 250 men suffer a different fate. (Num. 16:31-35)

·        The Torah calls the 250 men “unintentional sinners” (Num. 17) (see below).

If they weren’t “with” Korah”, then what were they doing there?

According to The Netziv [1], the 250 men were accustomed to sitting with Moses and Aaron whenever Moses and Aaron required advice. Thus, they might simply have been there already when Korah appeared. Alternatively, they may have been told by Korah to come with him to a meeting with Moses, without knowing the subject thereof. This request might not have seemed unusual, as Korah was Moses’ first cousin, a member of the prestigious Kehati family – the Levites charged with the carrying the most holy objects, including the Ark.

The Torah then tells us:

“They [without specifying whether this includes the 250 men] combined against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and Gd is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above Gd’s congregation?” (Num. 16:3)

Moses replies as follows:

“Then he spoke to Korah and to all his assembly, saying, ‘Tomorrow morning Gd will make known who is Gd’s, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near to Gd: whom Gd has chosen will Gd cause to come near to Gd. Do this: Take fire pans, Korah and all his company and put fire in them, and put incense in them before Gd tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom Gd chooses, he shall be kadosh – holy. You take too much upon you, sons of Levi.” (Num. 16:5)

What might the 250 men have been thinking at this point? Let’s imagine a dialogue between two of them. Let’s call them “Rosenberg and Goldstein”:

Rosenberg:  I don’t know about this. Moses looked pretty upset.

Goldstein:    But Korah does have a point. Weren’t we supposed to be a kingdom of priests (Exod. 19:5-6).

Rosenberg:  Hmm. And I guess it has been quite a rough stretch recently – with all the people who complained about the manna killed by a plague from Gd (Num. 11:33), Miriam speaking against Moses and getting stricken with tzaarat (Num. 12:14-15), the spies (Num. 13:27-33), and the decree we will all die in the desert (Num. 14:32-35).

Goldstein:  What about the disastrous attempt to go up to the Land?! (Num. 14:44-45). Maybe Moses was the right person to take us out of Egypt, but someone else will be needed to bring us into the Land?[2]

Rosenberg:  When Moses told Korah “and all his company” to come back in the morning with their fire pans, do you think that included us? I’m not sure we should go.

Goldstein:    It sure sounded like Moses meant all 250 of us.

Rosenberg:  But isn’t bringing incense to the Tent of Meeting dangerous? Wasn’t that what Nadav and Avihu did wrong?

Goldstein:    That was different. They brought a foreign fire that hadn’t been commanded (Lev. 10:1). Moses specifically told us to come back tomorrow with our fire pans and see who Gd chooses. And what about Moses’ little zinger there at the end – “You take too much upon you, sons of Levi”? It sure sounds like Korah is out of the running.

Rosenberg:  So maybe we should throw our fire pans in the ring.

Goldstein:  One of us might be “the one.”

Rosenberg: And Moses ordered us to do it… right?”

[Then some scenes occur Offstage, of which the 250 men are unaware: Moses sends for Dathan and Aviram, but they refuse to come (Num. 16:12). Moses pleads with Gd not to accept the offering of the conspirators (Num. 16:15) Moses again tells Korah to come with all his company tomorrow and bring firepans and incense, specifically mentioning the “two hundred and fifty fire pans” (Num. 16:16-17)]

The 250 men show up the next morning at the Tent of Meeting, fire pans in hand. They see the Presence of Gd appear. Gd says something, but only Moses and Aaron can hear it. Moses and Aaron fall on their faces. Moses seems to be pleading with Gd. Then Moses departs with the 70 elders[3]— it is not clear where they went. (Num. 16:19-24)

[Offstage, Moses brings the elders to the homes of Dathan and Aviram. He warns the people to get away from the homes of these two men. Then the earth opens her mouth and swallows Korah, Dathan and Aviram, their families and all their possessions. (Num. 16:25-34)]

Suddenly, a fire comes forth from Gd and consumes the 250 men. (Num. 16:35)

Didn’t see that coming.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern learn of their fate in Act Three, when they finally open the letter that they have been carrying to deliver to the King of England. Unbeknownst to them, it has been edited by Hamlet (after he discovered that the original letter commanded his demise). The letter reads:

“[O]n the knowing of this contents, without delay of any kind, should those bearers, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, put to sudden death.”

At once, they recognize their helplessness in the face of greater forces at play:

“…[O]ur movement is contained within a larger one that carries us along as inexorably as the wind and current.”

With no knowledge of the events occurring “offstage” in Hamlet, they struggle to make sense of it all:

“But why? Was it all for this? Who are we that so much should converge on our little deaths? … To be told so little – to such an end – and still, finally, to be denied an explanation.”

Intention is essential in Jewish law. For example, the Torah tells us that certain sacrifices must be consumed by the second day after offering. (Lev. 7:18) However, this was interpreted by the rabbis to mean that the offering is disqualified from the start (regardless of when eaten) if there was an intention at the time of the offering that some of it will be eaten after the second day (see here).

Pirkei Avot teaches us about the importance of intention, citing our Parsha:

“Every dispute that is for the sake of Heaven, will in the end endure. But one that is not for the sake of Heaven, will not endure. Which is the controversy that is for the sake of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Hillel and Shammai. And which is the controversy that is not for the sake of Heaven? Such was the controversy of Korah and all his congregation.

Tere are basically three kinds of sin in Judaism:

·        Heit refers to inadvertent sins[4]

·        Avon refers to intentional sins

·        Pesha refers to sins of rebellion.

The Torah calls the 250 men הַֽחַטָּאִ֨ים – hahataim – inadvertent sinners (Num. 17:3)

Perhaps indicative of their lack of bad intent, whereas the earth swallowed up Korah, Dathan and Aviram, the 250 men perish from a fire before Gd. And while the possessions of Korah, Dathan and Aviram go down to the pit with them, the fire pans of the 250 men have become “kadosh” – “holy”, and they are to be hammered into sheets to plate the altar.[5] (Num. 17:3)

If it was not bad intent, then what motivated the 250 men?

Was it because Moses commanded them to come? Was it out of some sympathy for Korah’s position? Was it the tantalizing possibility that one of them could be G-d’s chosen one?

In Hamlet, the King fears that Hamlet poses a threat to the Crown. He summons Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in the hope that he can use them to spy on Hamlet. First, the King welcomes them with flattery:

“Welcome, dear Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Moreover that we much did long to see you,”

Then he alerts them to Hamlet’s recently transformed behavior:

 “…nor th’ exterior nor the inward man

Resembles that it was,”

He reminds them of their childhood friendship with Hamlet, and asks for their help:

“I entreat you both

That, being of so young days brought up with him

And since so neighbored to his youth and ‘havior,

That you vouchsafe your rest here in our court

Some little time so by your companies

To draw him on to pleasures…”

But then the King alludes to the true mission:

“…and to gather,

So much as from occasion you may glean,

Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus”

Thus far, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are silent. Will they do it, or won’t they?

Finally, Getrude promises a reward:

“Your visitation shall receive such thanks

As fits a king’s remembrance.”

Rosencrantz – wary and, perhaps, conflicted – tells the King that if he wants them to do it, then he should order them to do it:

“Both your majesties

Might, by the sovereign power you have of us,

Put your dread pleasures more into command

Than to entreaty.”

But Guildenstern quickly corrects his colleague:

“But we both obey

And here give up ourselves, in the full bent,

To lay our service freely at your feet.”

Were Rosencrantz and Guildenstern motivated by a sincere desire to help Hamlet, or were they seduced by the promise of royal favor? Towards the end of the play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern wonder where they went wrong:

“There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we should have said no. But somehow we missed it…. Well, we’ll know better next time.”

They don’t get a next time – even after countless productions of Hamlet.

But we do.

One of the greatest difficulties of life is making decisions based on incomplete information. However, even lacking omniscience, we can always make decisions with the proper intention.

When making a decision, ask yourself: “What is motivating me?”

·  Is my intention truly for the sake of Heaven? If so, then proceed with all your might.

· But if you find that some selfish element (such as ego, revenge, or desire for personal gain) motivates you – then heed this warning sign.

Do things for the right reasons, and you will have no regrets.

Shabbat Shalom.

[1] “Haamak Davar”, Naphtali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (“The Netziv”, 19^th c., Valozhyn)

[2] This last point is not very farfetched, as 1. the Talmud (Sanhedrin 17a) tells us that Eldad and Medad already prophesized (Num. 11:27) that Moses will die and Joshua will bring us into the Land, and 2. this is actually what happened.

[3] According to Rabbeinu Bahya (Spain, 1255-1340), the ‘elders of Israel who accompanied Moses were the 70 elders appointed in Num. 11:25.

[4] It comes from the Hebrew word used in archery for missing the mark. This is the same kind of sin about which we confess on Yom Kippur – “Al heit… for the inadvertent sin”.

[5] And as a warning (Num. 17:3).

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Rabbi Greg Schindler (AJR 2009). While at AJR, he was honored to serve as President of the Student Association. He is a community rabbi in Westport, CT where he conducts classes in Talmud and Tanakh. He has led Children’s High Holiday services for over 20 years. Each year, he writes and directs a new Yom Kippur comedic play based on the Book of Jonah , including “Jonah-gan’s Island”. “Batmensch”, “SpongeJonah SquarePants”, “Horton Hears an Oy” and more.