by
Rabbi Michael Laitner

Parshat Korach

This is a clemency plea by Moses for Korach, who had incited the people against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Yet Korach did not act alone. Why does Moses offer such a prayer?

Korach was an inciter, using insincere motives to further his personal agenda. Demagogic-style behaviour can draw many other adherents who may be sincerely concerned for the sake of the community, unlike the inciter. Therefore, Moses prayed that Korach alone be punished.

The Talmudic sage Rabbi Meir was censured by his wife Beruria for praying for the death of robbers, rather than that they should repent, based on the verse, ’sinners should vanish from the earth’ (Psalms 104) as the word for ‘sinners’ can also mean ‘sins’ (TB Berachot 10a).

Contrastingly, at the time of the Roman persecution, when some Jews became informers, the Rabbis approved the composition of the extra 19^th blessing (‘velamalshinim’) in the weekday Amida, to pray that such informers or inciters receive due punishment. Nonetheless, Shmuel Hakatan, known as the most saintly of the Sages, penned this prayer, on the assumption that he would have the purest of intentions (TB Berachot 28b-29a).

As these examples show, and as is clear from Moses’ conduct in the story of Korach, we should try to reach out even to rebels, to show them the beauty of Judaism. The 18th century sage, Rabbi Ya’akov Emden, suggests that this is alluded to by the town of Yavneh, where Shmuel Hakatan composed the prayer. Yavneh is an acronym for the items we use for Havdala - wine, spices, light and blessings. However, if the rebels take no heed, we need to take appropriate measures, with the sincerest of intentions, including prayer, to protect ourselves and our religion.