{"id":47503,"date":"2019-01-14T14:31:07","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T12:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=47503"},"modified":"2022-08-07T11:03:19","modified_gmt":"2022-08-07T08:03:19","slug":"the-peoples-burden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-peoples-burden\/","title":{"rendered":"The People\u2019s Burden"},"content":{"rendered":"
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That the Israelites are drawn to the words of Korach is not a surprise. From the moment they emerged safely from the sea, they have been fickle and defiant. They turned away from God in favor of a golden idol and even memories of leeks in Egypt. \u00a0So, when Korach levels a well-worded charge against Moses\u2019 leadership, it is no wonder the Israelites are captivated:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the LORD\u2019s congregation?\u201d (Num. 16:3).<\/span><\/p>\n

What is striking about this chapter isn\u2019t that the Israelites are led astray; it\u2019s the epilogue. \u00a0After God sends Korach\u2019s band down to the depths, one would expect the people to be chastened and to get back into line. Instead, with the earth calmed and the leadership question resolved, the Israelites panic: \u201cLo, we perish, we are lost, all of us lost!\u201d (Num. 17:27) <\/span><\/p>\n

The conclusion is unsettled and unsettling. Even with Korach\u2019s demise, the people don\u2019t understand how, in the moment, they could have known which leader to trust. Korach\u2014like Moses\u2014invoked God\u2019s word. \u00a0What was wrong with his words? <\/span><\/p>\n

More critically, how will the people tell good leaders from bad in the future? <\/span><\/p>\n

The message that elites are no better than commoners, that the people ought to govern themselves, has captivated people throughout history, from Korach to Cromwell to Lenin and into today. Even though experience teaches that successful populists will insert themselves as a new elite, often cruelly repressing dissent, it is nevertheless difficult in the moment to tell the democrat from the demagogue. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, when the earth opened her mouth and swallowed Korach\u2019s band, the Torah records that the Israelites \u201cnasu lekolam<\/em>\u201d, literally ran <\/span>towards<\/span><\/i> the voices of Korach and his band, towards the chasm (Num. 16:34). This image\u2014a crowd blindly following a demagogue into danger\u2014is the threat of populism made vividly real.<\/span><\/p>\n

We can then understand why the Israelites are so shaken at the end. After the Golden Calf and the spies, the Israelites learned a clear lesson: trust in God\u2019s word. At the end of this story, the Israelites don\u2019t know what to do. How can they ensure they don\u2019t follow the next demagogue down to <\/span>she\u2019ol<\/span><\/i>? This is the cry of \u201c \u201cLo, we perish, we are lost, all of us lost!\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And, starkly, there is no answer provided by God or Moses. This is a burden the people alone must bear\u2014to use their judgement to search out leaders who do justice, love mercy, and walk modestly with God.<\/span><\/p>\n

image: Bible abr\u00e9g\u00e9e (France, 13th C.), abridged illuminated Bible, also known as the Bible of Saint-Jean d’Acre,\u00a0gallica.bnf.fr Biblioth\u00e8que de l\u2019Arsenal, Ms-5211 r\u00e9serve, fol. 53r.<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":47504,"id":47504,"title":"num16-abregee","filename":"num16-abregee.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/num16-abregee.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-peoples-burden\/num16-abregee\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"num16-abregee","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":47503,"date":"2019-01-14 12:25:38","modified":"2019-01-14 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