Good Neighbors
Tomorrow morning, in synagogues across the globe, the story of Moses' cousin, a man named Korach, will be read from the Torah. He was the first person to stage a rebellion against Moses and ultimately lead a mutiny against the greatest Jewish leader of our history.
But Korach was not alone. He enlisted and persuaded 250 men to join his revolt against Moses. Who were these individuals? Were they simply a bunch of unemployed town criers? No. Our Sages teach us that these men were the leaders of the tribe of Reuven!
Now how did men of such great stature under Korach’s spell? How could these great individuals rile up against their beloved leader.
The answer is simple. They were Korach’s neighbors and lived right near him on the south side of the mishkan (Temple).
Whether we like it or not, we are profoundly affected by our surroundings. If we walk into a room filled with smoke the chances are that we’ll walk out smelling like smoke as well. That is how millions of Germans came to believe that exterminating Jews was their calling. Everyone else says so; they must be right.
Korach’s neighbors, the leaders of the tribe of Reuven, were poisoned by Korach’s jealousy of Moshe and because of their proximity to Korach, it rubbed off.
It is not for naught that since our very first days as a nation in the Sinai Dessert and throughout the next 3300 years, Jews have always lived in a community; a neighborhood where our values and traditions were a palpable part of the very fiber of the community. If it was a trip to the grocery, butcher, or the bank, everyone emphasized and promoted the same Jewish values.
Yet today, the reality is that many of us live in communities and cities that do not resemble the wholesome and robust Jewish neighborhood of yesterday. How then are we to perpetuate – for ourselves and our families - a commitment to G‑d, the Torah, Jewish tradition?
The simple answer is to relocate! But that might not always be the right answer and certainly is easier said than done…
There is however one more solution. It too is not simple, but, if followed, it can produce, perhaps, greater results:
Reverse the current of influence. If we wish for our Jewish soul to remain vibrant and warm, we need to look for opportunities to be a source of influence and inspiration. Instead of being a recipient we should become a leader.
One thing is for certain. Things will not remain status quo. We will either affect our environment, or our environment will affect us. There is no middle ground.
So if we happen to live next to a Korach we have one of two choices. Either move away or turn him into a Moses!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick
