In this week’s Torah portion, Korach, we witness a tragic outcome born from the pursuit of status and envy. While Moses and Aaron are leading the people through the wilderness, Korach and his followers, Dathan and Abiram, lead a rebellion against their leadership. Joined by 250 community leaders, Korach rises up and declares to Moses, “You have gone too far!” (Numbers 16:3). He claims that Moses and Aaron have “raised [themselves] above the Eternal’s congregation,” and insists that every Israelite should be considered equally holy (Numbers 16:3–4). Korach’s actions are met with severe punishment as God causes the earth to swallow him, along with his household and possessions.
Many read this story and immediately question the intensity of God’s response. I mean, imagine if we were swallowed up by the earth every time we protested something we disagreed with or felt passionate about. That would be crazy! So why does God react so harshly? After all, was Korach really so wrong? Isn’t he, in some sense, correct? Aren’t all people created in the image of God? Aren’t all Israelites holy?
Many rabbinic commentators suggest that Korach’s mistake was not in affirming the holiness of every person, but in misunderstanding what that holiness actually means. They argue that Korach disguised his own ambition in the language of equality. He assumed that if everyone possesses equal worth, then everyone should hold the same role, the same authority, and the same responsibility.
But Judaism teaches us otherwise.
Every person is equally valuable, and no two people are called to the exact same purpose. Moses was called to lead. Aaron was called to serve as High Priest. Bezalel was called to build. Miriam was called to inspire through song and prophecy. Their different roles did not make one more valuable than another; they simply reflected the unique soul and gifts that God entrusted to each of them.
And perhaps that is Korach’s true tragedy. He could not celebrate another person’s calling because he was too consumed with comparing it to his own.
Comparison is part of the human condition, especially today, when social media constantly tempts us to measure our lives against someone else’s successes. Korach’s story feels just as relevant today as it did thousands of years ago. We can easily fall into the trap of believing that someone else’s platform, position, or influence is somehow more meaningful than our own.
The Torah reminds us otherwise. Our value does not come from having the same role as someone else; rather, it comes from fully embracing the role that is uniquely ours. The goal is not to stand where Moses stood, but to stand where only we can stand.
This Shabbat, may we resist the urge to compare and instead celebrate the gifts that are uniquely ours. And may we remember that true holiness is not found in doing the same thing as everyone else, but in living into the purpose for which God created us and embracing the unique soul that has been within us since the day we were born.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ashira Boxman
