Parashat Korach: What is the Connection Between Korach’s Revolt and Eretz Yisrael?

Parashat Korach

What is the Connection Between Korach’s Revolt and Eretz Yisrael?

How Does Unified Leadership Help Us Overcome the Test of Fear?

I don’t have to tell anyone that we are living in challenging times. The Talmudic rabbis expressed their own apprehension about this era, teaching: יִתֵּֽי וְלֹא אֶחֱזֶֽנֵּיהּ “Let the Messiah come, but may I not witness it” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b).

We are being tested to see whether we are worthy of experiencing the great wonders and revelations that we – and our ancestors – have prayed for over the past 2,000 years.

Last week in Parashat Shelach, we encountered the test of the spies: would our emunah in Hashem’s salvation, and our deep attachment to the Land, overcome our fear?

This week, in Parashat Korach, we face a different challenge: the test of unity. Under the pressure of missiles and war, we find ourselves sharing tight spaces – like bomb shelters – with people whose attitudes, fears, and boundaries may differ from our own. And that is a test no less difficult than fear itself.

In my EmunaHealing course, several women shared the challenges they faced in their bomb shelters. One woman was upset that her neighbors brought their dog, which felt intrusive in such a confined space. Another was disturbed by loud music played without permission. At our Midrasha, there was tension over differing responses to alerts: some students entered the shelter only when an actual siren sounded, while others felt compelled to go in as soon as they received the phone warning to be within 1½ minutes of shelter access. The problem arose when the door was opened during the siren, making others – including one staff member – feel unsafe.

These incidents made something clear: our mental attitude shapes our fear threshold, and uncertainty around leadership only heightens anxiety. I realized that what the students needed most was clarity and unity from above. So, I consulted the Rabbi of our village, clarified the official Midrasha bomb shelter policy, and explained it to the staff. Once it was accepted and implemented across the board, the mental and emotional atmosphere shifted. Peace was restored.

How powerful it is to witness what happens when we submit to a higher authority – not out of weakness, but for the sake of unity and calm. In times of collective stress, unified leadership is not only a practical necessity – it is an emotional anchor. It helps us overcome the tests of insecurity, fear, and disunity, and strengthens our capacity to hold together as Am Yisrael.

How is a Unified Torah Leadership a Prerequisite for Engendering True Peace?

Parashat Korach highlights the grave consequences of undermining Torah leadership and the devastation that such rebellion can cause. Korach’s challenge to Moshe and Aharon stands as one of the most notorious acts of dissent in the Torah. On the surface, it appears to be a protest against Moshe and Aharon’s leadership, yet Korach’s critique undermined the entire safety of the Jewish people:

ספר במדבר פרק טז פסוק ג וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ עַל משֶׁה וְעַל אַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֲלֵהֶם רַב לָכֶם כִּי כָל הָעֵדָה כֻּלָּם קְדשִׁים וּבְתוֹכָם הַשֵׁם וּמַדּוּעַ תִּתְנַשְּׂאוּ עַל קְהַל הַשֵׁם:

“For the entire congregation – all of them – are holy, and Hashem is among them. So why do you exalt yourselves over the assembly of Hashem?” (Bamidbar 16:3)

Korach failed to grasp the foundational role that the core value of unity under Torah leadership plays in sustaining the Jewish people. Motivated by jealousy and the pursuit of personal honor, he incited a rebellion that ultimately led to his own tragic demise, along with 250 followers, when the earth swallowed them alive (see Rashi on Bamidbar 16:1). Ironically, Korach,  through his downfall, came to teach us the importance of Emunat Chachamim (trust in the Sages).

Whether it be the voices of the Talmudic sages, halachic authorities, or even our own local community rabbi, respect for Torah leadership forms the bedrock of Jewish continuity and peace. Even when we feel confident in our own perspective, true peace – especially in the Land of Israel – depends on a willingness to submit to unified Torah guidance.

The first step toward transforming the State of Israel into a Torah-guided society is to begin by honoring Torah leadership in our immediate circles – our communities, our schools, and even within our families.

What is the Connection Between Korach and the Spies’ Rejection of the Land?

Korach’s revolt was not merely a personal challenge to Moshe’s authority – it was a rejection of the entire Divine structure of kedushah (sanctity) as ordained by Hashem for His people. This structure encompasses not only the priesthood and hierarchy, but also the central mission of entering and sanctifying Eretz Yisrael. True holiness is expressed through the channels established by the Torah – including the Land itself – and any attempt to bypass or undermine those channels is ultimately a rebellion against Hashem.

The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:5) draws a direct connection between Korach and the spies: “‘In their secret counsel may my soul not enter’ – this refers to the spies. ‘In their assembly may my honor not be united’ – this refers to Korach.” Ya’acov Avinu pleaded with Hashem that his name not be associated with either group – neither with those who rejected the Land nor with those who rebelled against Divinely appointed leadership. By equating Korach with the spies, the Midrash reveals that Korach’s uprising was also, at its core, a rejection of the Land’s sanctity.

The Zohar teaches that Korach’s rebellion disrupted the very harmony that sustains both the upper and lower worlds: “One who disputes peace disputes the Holy Name… Korach came to disrupt the peace above and below. Therefore, he was punished from above and below” (Zohar part 3, 176b)

Since Eretz Yisrael embodies the unity between Heaven and Earth, Korach’s challenge struck at the heart of that Divine order. Like the spies, Korach feared the exposure and accountability that spiritual life in the Land demands. In resisting the call to enter and sanctify the Land, he not only fractured communal unity – he undermined the spiritual framework through which Hashem’s Presence is meant to dwell among His people.

Holiness Is Not a Free-for-All – It Is Rooted in the Land

Korach’s claim that “the entire nation is holy” (Bamidbar 16:3) may sound spiritually democratic, but it ignores a fundamental truth: holiness is not a free-for-all. It is not generic or self-generated. Rather, holiness is contextually grounded – revealed through obedience to Hashem’s will and intensified in specific people, times, and places, with Eretz Yisrael being the primary place.

While every Jew indeed possesses inherent holiness, the expression and activation of that holiness are not random or self-defined. True kedushah emerges through alignment with the structure Hashem established in the Torah – including Divinely designated roles, sacred times, and sanctified spaces.

The Torah delineates distinctions in holiness – between Kohen and Yisrael, Shabbat and weekdays, the Mishkan and an ordinary tent. These are not man-made hierarchies but reflections of Hashem’s precise blueprint for sanctity. Korach’s rebellion rejected this structure, flattening the sacred order into a man-made ideology of sameness. But in doing so, he severed holiness from its Divine root.

Eretz Yisrael is the clearest example of holiness tied to place. It is not merely a spiritual concept – it is a living land imbued with the unique capacity to host the Shechinah. Holiness intensifies in the Land, and those who dwell here are called to higher standards. Korach’s disregard for this structure was, at its core, a denial of the sanctity of the Land – and a rebellion against the very framework through which Hashem’s Presence is meant to dwell among His people.

How Does the Land Reaffirm Its Sanctity by Swallowing the Rebels?

When the earth opened its mouth and swallowed Korach and his followers alive, it was not merely a punishment – it is a reassertion of Divine order through the Land itself:

ספר במדבר פרק טז פסוק לא ...וַתִּבָּקַע הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר תַּחְתֵּיהֶם: (לב) וַתִּפְתַּח הָאָרֶץ אֶת פִּיהָ וַתִּבְלַע אֹתָם וְאֶת בָּתֵּיהֶם וְאֵת כָּל הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר לְקֹרַח וְאֵת כָּל הָרְכוּשׁ:

 “…the ground beneath them split open. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses, and all the men who were with Korah and all the property. (Bamidbar 16:31-32)

Though the rebellion took place outside the borders of Eretz Yisrael, the sanctity of the Land extends beyond geography – especially for those who are journeying toward it. As the Or HaChaim (Bamidbar 16:30) explains, the earth itself actively participated in restoring the sanctity that Korach sought to undermine. The Land is not passive soil; it responds to rebellion, disrespect, and desecration. It is a living partner in the covenant between Hashem and His people, prepared to uphold Divine truth even before we physically enter its borders.

This reinforces the theme that Eretz Yisrael is a living entity – a partner in the covenant between Hashem and His people. The path to inheriting Eretz Yisrael is not through flattening holiness, but through deepening our awareness of Hashem’s structure – in Torah, in leadership, and in the Land itself.