Parashat Korah 5770
Chutzpah. Of all the Yiddishisms that have entered the English language, “chutzpah” has got to be the most common – used by Jews and non-Jews alike. It even appears in the Official Scrabble Dictionary. Some years ago a couple of Jewish lawyers wrote a funny article for the Yale Law Review – they did a Lexis search of Yiddish words that appear in legal opinions. The most commonly used Yiddish word was “chutzpah,” appearing in hundreds of court cases since the 1970s. Chutzpah actually comes from classical Hebrew meaning impudence, nerve, or audacity. In early sources, chutzpah is used to describe someone who has over-stepped the boundaries of accepted behavior; but, interestingly, chutzpah doesn’t mean being wrong. You can be right and still have chutzpah. Sometimes, chutzpah is even a virtue.
In this week’s Torah portion we read one of the most famous stories of Jewish chutzpah. Korah and a band of 250 prominent leaders rise up in rebellion against the authority of Moshe and Aaron. The Torah says,
They assembled against Moshe and against Aaron and said to them, “Rav Lecha – You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and Adonai is in their midst. Why then do you elevate yourselves up over Adonai’s community?” (Num. 16:3)
Wow! That’s chutzpah! To stand in defiance of Moses and Aaron – the two men most responsible for leading the people out of slavery, the two men who more than anyone else had to suffer the demands of thousands of Jews – that’s chutzpah!
We might expect that Moses would respond with anger and righteous indignation. Instead, we read “Moses listened and he fell on his face” (v. 4). Confronted with a challenge to his authority, Moses’ initial reaction is very strange. He doesn’t yell or get angry – instead he listens. What does it mean that he fell on his face? Most of the commentators say that this was a gesture of despair in the face of yet another rebellion.
But I came across one very interesting interpretation of this verse. Reb Shneur Zalman of Liadi, who founded the Lubavitch Hassidim at the turn of the 19th century, wonders why Moses did not immediately get defensive or angry with the mob. In his commentary known as the Tanya[1], Reb Zalman speculates: what if Moses – the most humble of men – fell on his face because he really had to ask himself if Korah had a valid point. Perhaps he took a moment to reflect on whether Korah – despite the chutzpah of his approach – was correct. After all, Korah was himself a priest, just like Aaron. And his companions, Dathan and Aviram were from the tribe of Reuben – descendants of Jacob’s eldest son – the rightful heir of the clan. And what about Korah’s claim? He essentially says, “look, Moses, God has told us that we are ‘a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.’ (Exod. 19:6) Each one of us is holy. What makes you so special to rule over us!”
Korah had chutzpah, but was he wrong? He may have gone about it poorly; but, Reb Zalman says, Moshe fell on his face because he had to consider if perhaps Korah’s argument contained some kernel of truth.
It’s a very provocative interpretation. How easy is it to get defensive in the face of conflict or anger? How easy is it to beat our chests and assert authority? Reb Zalman is challenging us to think about how we react when someone contradicts us. Can we be, for at least a moment, reflective in the face of criticism? Can we be at least as humble as Moses and entertain the possibility that another’s words may contain painful truths?
Today we find that the leadership of the Jewish community – rabbis, Federation executives, organization presidents – is facing a number of challenges. A younger generation of Jews in their 20s and 30s are not buying into the status quo. Recent demographic studies reveal that the next generation of Jewish adults is radically different from earlier generations; and they are challenging the Jewish community to rethink its approach and its messages. The studies point out that these Jewish Gen X-ers were born and raised in a post-racial America where they have not experienced explicit anti-Semitism. They move effortlessly through a multi-cultural society where they have benefited from and have embraced modern American values like equality for all people. Many of them feel proud to be Jewish, but they also feel very comfortable among their friends of every race and religion – and that’s a good thing. But, we’re finding that the messages that worked in previous generations don’t work with this younger crowd. They are not motivated to participate in the Jewish community by guilt or fear. They are not convinced that assimilation will “give Hitler a posthumous victory” (as Emil Fackenheim famously warned). They don’t believe that “we have to stick together because the goyim are always out to get us.”
Here are a few statistics: You’ve probably heard that the national rate of intermarriage is about 55% today – that’s an average across all demographics. But, ¾ of Jews under the age of 40 will marry someone who is not Jewish. I’m not stating this as a judgment, just a fact. Only about 1 out of 5 young Jews belong to a synagogue. And, having been raised to value personal choice and freedom, Gen X Jews don’t respond to the authority of rabbis or the demands of Jewish law. Most of them don’t care about denominations and labels. Paradoxically, however, the studies also tell us that while younger Jews are less interested in organized religion, they are drawn to spirituality and the pursuit of greater meaning in their lives. With little loyalty to the established organizations and synagogues in which many of them grew up, they are today forming their own small independent groups where they can practice Judaism and connect with other Jews any way that works for them.
And when it comes to identification with Israel and Zionism, the studies tell us that many young secular Jews are apathetic. Having never known a world without Israel, they look upon the Jewish State as a country not unlike any other. The more observant and involved a young person is, the more likely they are to have strong attachments to Israel, but among our more secular young adults, Israel is not a primary concern. And some have argued (as Peter Beinart recently did) that many younger secular Jews are turned off by what they perceive as the Jewish leadership’s uncritical and unconditional defense of Israel.
We can argue whether Beinart’s interprets the data well. But the response to Beinart from those leaders he’s criticizing is very telling – ranging from dismissive to hostile. Whether Beinart overstates his case for liberal Zionism or not, I think he has proven one of his points – that the reflexive response of Jewish leaders to criticism is often to circle the wagons and attack the messenger.
My goal is not necessarily to defend Beinart, per se (though I happen to think Beinart is on to something). The point I’m trying to make is that we – rabbis, leaders, and the Jews who are affiliated and are active in the community – should start listening a little more. Like Moses who heard Korah out, we should pause, and take a moment to reflect, and consider if the critics have a valid point.
Young Jews today are telling us – “rav lecha – the status quo doesn’t work for us.” Is it chutzpah for them to expect us to bend to their sensibilities and preferences? Probably! Those of us who – through a lot of money and work – built and maintain the institutions they reject are perhaps justified in being indignant. Is it chutzpah for young Jews to do Jewish in any way that pleases them? Yeah! Their consumerist attitude is, at times, obnoxious and vacuous. Judaism has survived for thousands of years because it makes claims on our lives. It asks of us… it sets boundaries. Every individual defining Judaism for them self is not a way of sustaining community. Is it chutzpah to indict leaders for defending Israel in the face of vicious bias and de-legitimization? Certainly. Many of us work hard to respond to unfair assaults with facts that, frankly, many young Jews are ignorant of. But if slicker PR and spin can’t win over the hearts and minds of young Jews, what chance do we have with the rest of the world?
We have a choice. Our knee jerk reaction can be to get angry and indignant. Go ahead and try, as Dennis Prager recently did, to lecture down to young Jews about their lack of commitment to God and the Jewish people… see how far that gets you. Or – like Moshe – we can pause. We can listen. We can reflect on what we do and how we do it.
After thinking it over, some Jewish leaders will decide that it is better to have a smaller but more committed community (that’s valid). But, if we simply dismiss these demographic shifts, most of the next generation of Jews will be swallowed up like Korah and his bunch. That’s not a gamble I think we should take. A new generation of Jews presents challenges (some of them chutzpadik, for sure) but they also present enormous opportunities: the opportunity to offer Judaism through the lens of value and meaning rather than guilt and tribal loyalty; the opportunity to welcome people who bring diversity of experiences and social connections; and the opportunity to engage in robust and honest conversations about Israel and other issues that we care about.
When it comes to the next generation of Jews, I hope we will take up Reb Shneur Zalman’s challenge to listen before reacting.
Shabbat Shalom.
