Parashat Korah tells of the
rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. With 250 respected leaders of the community,
they accuse Moses and Aaron of acting “holier” than the other Israelites.
When Moses asks the leaders
to meet with him and Aaron, the leaders refuse saying, “We will not come.”
Stunned, Moses asks God to , “Pay no regard to their words. I have never taken anything from them nor
wronged them.”
The next morning God speaks
to Moses and Aaron and tells them to “Withdraw from Korah and the community because
they are about to be destroyed.” Moses
and Aaron ask God on behalf of the Israelites to not destroy Korach and the
leaders.
The next day the earth opens
up and swallows Korah and their 250 followers, their families and everything
they owned.
Rabbi Leslie and I both lived
in Southern California and before that Rabbi Leslie lived in the San Francisco
area where she survived the World Series Earthquake and we both lived through
the Northridge Earthquake and several other less significant quakes.
Earthquakes are terrifying
and sometimes it feels like the ground will open up and swallow us all.
I think we all have our own
personal pits which are likely to swallow us.
For some it might be work. For
others it might be a hobby. For others
it might be acquiring wealth.
Our task, I believe, is to avoid the pits which
may likely swallow us and consume us.
Unlike Korah and his followers, we can choose whether to live or
die. I urge us all to choose life.
