Watch those Motives

Many different motivations were at work in the episode of Korach's Rebellion. (Just looked up last year's TT for Korach and saw that the topic of the "lead tidbit" was Motives. I've got something different in mind for this time, but it is interesting that one's mind wanders in the direction of Motive when thinking about Korach.)

Commentaries speculate as to Korach's motivation. Some say that he was upset that he was passed over for the leadership of the family unit of K'hat. Moshe was the son of K'hat's eldest son, Amram, and therefore the overall leadership of Israel went to him. Korach's father Yitzhar was second oldest. Korach felt that he should have been chosen leader, rarther than Eltzafon b. Uziel, Uziel being the youngest son of K'hat. Others say that Korach wanted to be Kohein Gadol rather than Aharon. In either case, the appointments were made by G-d's decree, not Moshe's, and Korach was out of place in his challenge to Moshe. Korach stirred up resentment against Moshe from among his fellow Levi'im and among his neighbors, people of Reuven. Aside from Datan and Aviram, who would fight against Moshe for no reason at all, there were "good" people of Reuven who were able to be influenced by Korach because their patriarch Reuven was also "passed over" in the selection of leaders of Israel, with aspects of greatness going to Levi, Yehuda, and Yosef. Three times bypassed,and we can understand why Korach found furtile ground to sow his seeds of dissent among the Reuvenites.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this issue is the question as to what happened to Korach. The 250 incense offerers were killed in the same way as Nadav and Avihu had been. They were struck down by a heavenly fire (its effect being internal) and are treated by the Torah's words as sanctified individuals. They werewrong in what they did, but there must have been a genuine striving for Kedusha that (at least partly) motivated them. Datan and Aviram and others with them were sent to the bowels of the Earth with indications that their motivations and attitudes had nothing sacred about them at all.

But what happened to Korach. Some commentaries say that he was swallowed by the Earth; others say that he was consumed by the fire, like the 250. Some say that he received both punishments. Ponder the latter suggestion and it makes you think about accountability for thoughts and motives, not just actions.

Train of thought: If a person forgets that it is Shabbat and breaks a branch of a tree (similarly, if he is unaware of that being forbidden), what he must do depends upon what he was thinking. If his intention was to use the branch, then his is in Shogeg violation of the category of Melacha called KOTZEIR, reaping. If hisintention was to improve the growth of the tree by removing a dead branch, then his violation is ZOREI'A, planting, and other acts which enhance growth. In either case, he would bring a Chatat to the Beit HaMikdash. But if his intention was to improve the tree AND use the stick, he must bring two korbanot. Same act. Differentmotives. It's a stretch, but maybe Korach was punished in both (very different manners) because of his complex set of motives and intentions.

All of this has ramifications well beyond the space I have to present them, so I leave it to you, dear reader, to carry the ball.