Monday, June 23, 2014

Korach: Dissent, Leadership & Divinity


Some of my strongest memories are of protests. I have yet to stay dry-eyed as the crowd's passionate cry for justice swells within me. Fighting first so my parents could marry, then so I could marry, was such a personal dissent that I couldn't help but imbue each step with my heart's cry for justice.

But it's not just the personal fights that make me cry for the fight. I've chanted alongside my friends, family, co-workers and strangers in favor of same-sex marriage and in opposition of war. I've painted protest signs for fair wages and transgender inclusion. And I've walked miles so that we can repair this broken world.

Korach's dissent is something I have said before. In this week's parsha, Koarch says to Moshe, "You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above the Lord's assembly?" For this, he is swallowed up by the earth.

Commentators, troubled by the death of a messenger of justice, create reasons for such troubling conduct. They say that Korach had improper intentions - that he publicly advocated for justice, but he wanted the power for himself. Moshe, on the other hand, was divinely given the power to lead. 

As someone who believes an an amorphous G-d, with each of us having the reflection of G-d within us, I find the idea troubling that leadership is divinely determined, excluding some from positions of power.

The scariest part of the adoption process is that we first must say "Yes!" and only then can we meet our child. This is for the child's protection, to keep him or her from feeling rejected and not good enough, and a good policy. Yet, how can we pick the "right" kid when we only can meet their social worker? How can we not feel guilty for excluding a different child from our family?

In my daily life, I try to trust that everything will work out. I have been extremely lucky in my life - I have a wonderful wife, I own my home, I have a great community, and I am pursuing my dream career - and there's no reason to expect that I shouldn't trust my future too.

I believe that there's divinity in each of us, and that our energies combined can change the world. At the same time, this trust in divinity doesn't guarantee anything about my future child. Just because they are G-dly doesn't mean that they're the right fit for us. Ultimately, I disagree with classic rabbinic teaching. I don't believe that divinity (which I think is universal) entitles us to anything - including leadership - nor will bring us anything specific - such as the "right" child. 

I know that the "right" child is a myth, but it doesn't keep me from worrying. I know that the child is "right" because we nurture it and share our spark with the child. Our universal G-dliness doesn't divine anything about our future, but it should inspire our present. Connecting to each other - to our future child - is the most important thing. We are there to nurture our child's spark - no matter who they are. They are "right" because they are our child.

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