This week’s Torah portion describes the revolt of Korah and his followers against Moses and Aaron. Challenging the authority of Moses, Korah asks a rhetorical question: Aren’t all of the Israelites holy? (Num. 16:1-3) This call for a more egalitarian approach to leadership sounds appealing not just to our modern ears, but to some of the traditional commentators as well. Most commentators, however, suggest that Korah only pretends to be a man of the people; What he is really interested in is power for himself and his followers.

      However, I want to focus on Moses’ response rather than on Korah’s motivation. His immediate response to Korah’s complaint is to fall on his face to the ground (va-yipol al panav). He then tells Korah and his followers to come in the morning with their fire pans and God will show who is holy. (Num. 16:4-5) The commentators wonder about Moses’ response. Why does he fall down? Why does he delay the reckoning until the morning? 

      One suggestion is that Moses is taken aback by the personal attack on his leadership. Instead of immediately replying either defensively or by attacking Korah, he falls to the ground because he wonders whether there is truth in Korah’s critique. Is his leadership flawed? After all, this is not the first time that he has been criticized for taking too much of the leadership on himself. His father-in-law, Yitro, told him to create a justice system so that he is not the only one judging cases for the Israelites. His prostration is a physical act, expressing a need to humble himself in order to gain a clear perspective on his leadership. Instead of rushing to judgment, he wants to sleep on it for the night.

      He sends for two of Korah’s co-conspirators to talk with them. They refuse to come and send Moses a message saying that “Egypt is the land of milk and honey! Even if you took us to a land flowing with milk and honey and we could possess it we would not come to you. We don’t trust you.” (Num. 16:12-14) 

      At this point, Moses understands that there is nothing he can do to satisfy this group. Even if he did everything he ever promised, they don’t want him as a leader. This has nothing to do with reality or truth. It is just about power. Their case begins with a ridiculous lie—that Egypt is the land of milk and honey. 

      My take away from this story is about how we respond when we are challenged. I am thinking of this particularly this week in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade. Confronted by the challenge to our very deepest notions about a woman’s right to make choices about her body, we too have fallen to the ground, questioning where we went wrong and how we can allow this to stand.  But in the morning, like Moses, we must pick ourselves up and  continue to fight for what we know to be true.

     This summer we will experience Tisha be-Av—the darkest moment in the holiday cycle. We will then move to the High Holiday period of reflection and change. Like Moses, on Yom Kippur we will prostrate ourselves. And then like Moses, we will pick ourselves up and act. For teshuva, tefilla, and tzedaka ma’avirin et roa ha-gezara- working for change, connection and justice will mitigate the severity of this ruling.