by Temima Goldberg Shulman
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
In her Jewish Week article, Viewpoints Contributor Temima Goldber Shulman challenges conventional reads of the Korach story and offers insights into the tensions between democracy and divine law.
The story is meant as a moral model for squeaky clean control of Israelites who do not yet appreciate their Divinely ordained leadership model. Thus, Korach is a rational problem (citizens unhappy with the ruling elite) that gets a Divine solution.
What if we read the biblical story of Korach’s rebellion against Moses as an attempt to introduce democracy into a theocracy? Korach as a vanguard, as a voice of the people, the barometer of a democracy in a tightly woven socio-religious system? Korach became the voice of those displeased with what they saw as an impenetrable hierarchy, with room only for those born with the Levite silver spoon in their mouth.
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Temima Goldberg Shulman is a Jerusalem-born, award winning writer and teacher based in New Jersey. She has taught Bible and Jewish law at New Jersey Jewish high schools and in Israel. She has worked as a daily reporter, a book review columnist, and as an Israel correspondent, interviewing the likes of Yaakov Agam and Yizhak Rabin. As a community activist, 13 years ago she turned her attention to women's issues and healthy sexuality.
Today she writes and speaks about these issues, their origins in the Bible and Talmud, and their application and relevance to modern Jewish life. She is founder and director of the Midrasha in Manhattan, a house of study and culture for Israelis, opening 2017.