What Makes a Leader?
There are many similarities in the parsha of the meraglim (spies) and Parshas Korach. The most prominent is the moral reason that brought the meraglim and later Korach to differ with Moshe. The Zohar says: "And Moshe sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of the L-RD; all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel." They were all righteous and leaders of the Children of Israel, but they took for themselves bad advice. What was the advantage they wished to gain? They said: If we will enter Eretz Yisroelwe will be dismissed from our leadership positions, and Moshe will appoint other leaders, since we merited being heads in the desert only, and we aren′t worthy of being heads in Eretz Yisroel. Those who took this advice died,together with all those who received (went along) from them.
Likewise it says about Korach: And Korach took"- Korach took upon himself to split from the nation. Rashi expounds on the reason for this: What made Korach disagree to the nesius of Elitzofon ben Uziel, who was appointed by Moshe to be the Nosi of the children of Kehos, based on Hashem′s words.
The desire to rule caused the meraglim and Korach to transgress Hashem′s will. They also dared to challenge other explicit commands of Hashem, as the mitzvah of inheritance of the land, or the appointment of Elitzofon ben Uziel, and ultimately Aharon′s appointment.
One may think that personal involvement can effect only people who are average and below. That is why the Torah specifies that the spies were all righteous, and Korach, about whom it is common knowledge that he was one of the eminent Jewish figures of the time, had Shmuel HaNovi descend from him.
Anyone who has a personal interest- be it honor, or a rulership issue, is not fit to be a Leader in Israel.
הרב עוזיהו שרבף - חברון
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