In Song: Korach
Each week The Arty Semite connects the Torah reading — however tenuously — with a classic work of rock and roll.
This week’s parsha is Korach, named after the man who, along with his lackeys, tries to instigate a rebellion against Moses’ leadership. They fail, as God weighs in on Moses’ side and sends Korach and his 250 supporters down a crack in the earth to be incinerated.
The people who complain about the harshness of the punishment are, in turn, smitten by plague. Aaron’s status as High Priest is affirmed by a simple test, when his staff miraculously sprouts almonds and the staves of the chieftains of the other tribes do not.
Finally, a summary of the tithes and gifts due to the Levites and Cohanim (priests) is given.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30