Oddly, I unintentionally forgot to make an entry regarding one of the most landmark stories in the entire Mosaic time period - that of Korach - in the first aliyah yesterday. I have been enjoying hearing and reading about lots of different interpretations of the story, all of which, as always, are correct.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this story is how fractured Korach and his "assembly" really are. There is no unity, and the mission was and is doomed to fail from the start. As with so many other factious uprisings, what will happen if and when they finally get what they want, get that power and authority? It will take all of two minutes for the factions to turn against each other and kill each other instead.
One of these factions is the infamous duo of Datan and Abiram, ben Eliav, about whom so many midrashim are dedicated. There is something so - so archetypically aggravating, humiliating, and infuriating about these two. Clearly hangers-on to the rebellious swell around them, these two can't even hide what they really want - which is simply an "inheritance" - or land - or, to be clear, money and possessions, as they say to Moshe: "Moreover, [you did not bring us] to a land flowing with milk and honey . . . nor did you give us an inheritance of field and vineyard." Bemidbar, 16:14. Then they continue on to posture about how gloriously anti-authoritarian they are, these two tough guys.
The plea is so weak. Not only is it at least superficially antithetical to what Korach said just a few verses earlier - it isn't even backed up by what G-d - and Moshe - have been telling the people all along - that when they do go up, they will all reach land, and an inheritance, and an eternal but also materialistic property.
There are of course those that are so far gone that money, materialism, wealth, and power - they don't even hide the fact that these are the things which they really want. But I think that sort of ostentatiousness has gone by the wayside and most people do try and eschew any sort of desire for money. But is that really the case?
Here, Datan and Abiram try and hide their true desires. First they try and claim that their issue is with Moshe bringing them out of Egypt to make them die. Ho-hum - they're just copy-catting of a complaint that has been made by everyone else since the very first day of freedom. Then they try and state that the issue is that even after being brought up, Moshe still is exercising power over them. This is just false, and you can tell that they know it. It is only - and you can just see the rage building in their temper tantrums - after some time that they admit their real complaint is in not being given "a field and vineyard." And what they say - only at the very end - "distressed Moshe."
As above, we would like to distance ourselves from these two. But there is surely a shred o fit in each of us. In the holy relationship, what do we really want at the end of the day? I think if we're being honest, it's okay to admit that at least part of it - all the prayer, and meditation, and mitzvah observance, and Torah study, and tzedakah - it's not only to bring about minimal material blessing, but to grow rich as well. And that may even be the end goal of it all for some. In my heart of hearts, I do not think this is the case for me. But my goodness, it's hard. And that's what's been drilled in our heads - that the goal, the supreme goal, is to get rich.
As we all know, it's not - the supreme goal is to grow closer in holy partnership - but what level of material desire, if any, is still appropriate? I think perhaps one implied take-away is that while desiring wealth is okay - it cannot be the only thing, and perhaps it's better just to be honest about it instead of covering it up in shrouds of false holiness.
So yes, I most certainly do desire wealth, and not only so I can donate lots to charity and support Torah study, but also so that I can achieve a legacy and level of this-worldly comfort as well. But in my deepest candor, it is far - very far - remotely far - getting ice cold - from the reason why my spiritual practice is such a crucial part of my daily life.
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