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Korach (Shabbat - Sat. 16th June; 3rd Tammuz)- Laibl's Weekly Parsha Video

623 views · Published 12 June 2018 · 1:53 · Indexed 21 October 2026

Channel: Spiritgrow · 2018 · Education

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Korach (Shabbat - Sat. 16th June; 3rd  Tammuz)
Laibl's Weekly Parsha Video
Is It About Leadership or Position?

SUMMARY: How can a highly placed, wealthy and clever individual still seek more and more, never being satisfied with the gifts already afforded him in life? This is the case of Korach who coveted Moses’ mantle of leadership and fomented a rebellion against him.  His ill-considered aspirations and faulty actions resulted in his demise – but the cause was ultimately his ego. His egotistic nature led him wildly astray.  Intellect is never an insurance policy against foolishness. In contrast, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose Yortzeit is this Shabbos, is an example of a self-effacing leader who through humility uprooted mountains in the cause of Judaism and Jewish peoplehood.  The contrast and accomplishments of these two cannot be more pronounced. 

Notes:
• This week’s parsha is about an enigmatic individual: a highly qualified, clever, and member of ‘spiritual royalty’, a person of immense wealth, and also holding a position of power. His name was Korach. And it is from him that we learn the innate weakness of those who aspire to leadership out of a deeply flawed character, compared to leaders who assume leadership through humility coupled with a sense of duty – what is termed in contemporary leadership theory as ‘servant leadership’.
• Korach, to put it plainly, was jealous of Moses and Aharon and coveted the position of leadership.  But the cleverer the aspirant, the more entangled does he become in convincing himself of good intentions and integrity. So Korach argues ever so cogently, using almost syllogistic reasoning, ridiculing some of Moses’ teachings. And being a person of considerable power, he instigates a rebellion against Moses.
• The Rebellion fails dismally and Korach and his rebels are decimated. But the question remains: what spurs a clever individual of high IQ to aspire to positions that are clearly not intended for him?  And this is the dilemma of many a person of high intellect who tends to frown upon and look down on the ‘plebians’ like you and me. The culpable feature of such a personality is ego.
• Egotism may insinuate itself as leadership and convince the errant personality in seeing himself in a good light. But it hides the deep character flaws that redirect drive and energy into self centred and selfish ventures. 
• This Shabbos is Gimmul Tammuz, the yortzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe was a beautiful example of ‘servant leadership’.  Initially refusing the leadership that was being thrust upon him, he eventually took on the mantle of leadership and became the most successful spiritual revolutionary of Jewish history since Moshe Rabbeinu. 
• Leadership comes in two versions: it’s about me, or it’s about you.  For the Rebbe it was always about you. For Korach it was always: it’s about me.

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