Korach

Immediately following the rebellion of Korach, the Torah tells us the laws of the offerings & all the gifts that the Kohanim receive. Rashi explains why these laws are presented here & not in Vayikra with all the other laws of the Kehuna. He explains that Korach came & protested against Aaron over the Kehuna, for  which the Torah gave Aaron the twenty four gifts of Kehuna with an eternal covenant.

I saw a fascinating p’shat from the Ben Ish Chai that could also explain why the laws of Teruma & Maaser are stated here, too.  ‎After the rebellion of Korach, Moshe took a stick from the leader of each tribe & put them in the Ohel‎. The Torah tells us that the next day Aaron’s stick blossomed ויצא פרח ויצץ ציץ, it brought forth a blossom, sprouted a bud & developed almonds. The Midrash tells us ויוצא פרח, is a hint to the sons of Aaron & ויצץ ציץ is referring to Aaron. 

The sefer זרע ברך questions the wording of the Midrash; why does it refer to the children of Aaron first? It should have  hinted to Aaron first, for the father always comes before the son. He answers that the main argument that Korach had wasn't against Aaron; it was really against his sons. He wanted to eliminate them from the possibility of becoming the Kohen Gadol so that he would be able to get it. Therefore, the Torah put the sons first to show that they, too, were worthy of being the Kohen Gadol. 

The Ben Ish Chai explains based on the words of Rabbeinu Bachya who says that the reason Aaron was chosen was because of the laws of Maaser, that the tenth one is holy. Just like when one separates masser from the animals, he brings all the animals into the pen & then, one by one he lets them out. As they leave the pen, the tenth one is holy. This way, the last animal in would be the first one out & so on until the first one in is the last one out. 

This is also why Shevet Levi became holy, for if you count from the last shevet up, Shevet Levi is number ten so they became the kohanim & Leviim. Now, continuing this way and counting from the children, Aaron would be number ten & that would make him the Kohen Gadol.  However, in this manner, Korach would be number twelve ‎. The two people in line before him were Aaron’s two children. So here was Korach’s argument. We know that when Nadav & Avihu were killed, the Torah informed us that really there was a judgment against all of Aaron’s children. However, the prayers of Moshe helped to save Elazar & ithamar. Korach’s  claim was that your prayers saved them but that shouldn't be on my back. If they weren't here, I would be the kohen gadol your prayers can't take away what's coming to me. It shows that Korach's whole claim was on the sons of Aaron, so that's why the Torah mentioned them first. 

We see something else from the Teruma that's mentioned here.  Perhaps that could demonstrate how we have to view leadership roles to begin with. The posuk says ונחשב לכם תרומתכם כדגן מן הגורן, your set aside portion shall be for you like grain from the threshing floor. Reb Zisha explains that the Torah is hinting that if a person is given a leadership role, one shouldn't think that it's because he is greater than other people. Rather, because it's impossible to have a nation without leaders, Hashem was forced to pick someone & the lot fell on him. Just like by teruma, even though now it's holy, the piece of grain that you separated is no different than any other piece ‎except that that's were your hand landed when you separated it. This is what the Torah is telling us.  Just because someone might have a leadership role, he shouldn’t let it get to his head.  He shouldn’t be like Korach trying any which way to get into a leadership position.  Rather, if it falls on him, it should be in his eyes just like the grain from the threshing floor, where no one grain is better than the next. 

‎We see that the other leaders understood this lesson, for it says that the next day all the leaders came back & took their sticks but only Aarons sprouted. So, what do we care, asks the רבי ממאגילניצא , that the other leaders took their sticks.  It was only Aaron’s that mattered.  He answers that to show their humility, they took their sticks & showed them to everyone to prove that they were not the ones that Hashem had chosen.  Rather, it was only Aaron who was chosen by Hashem. 

We have to take this to heart & realize that whenever we find ourselves in a leadership role, whether in business, family or community, we must act with the utmost humility & only then will we succeed!