“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

That excerpt, as I’m sure many of us realize, is from our American Declaration of Independence. I’ve long been a student of American history, and continue to be. When I was 8 years old, I could name all of the presidents. I memorized states and capitals, and always loved learning about the United States. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up very close to Washington DC, or if I’m simply built that way, but it’s a facet of my personality that I love leaning into. I have a nice shelf at home full of thick presidential biographies, and am currently in the midst of one right now (it’s not the lightest, easiest reading for Shabbat, but I do find it engrossing).

This Shabbat we read parshat Korah, which is about leadership and privilege. As we approach the semiquincentennial of the United States in two weeks, it’s hard to not feel the weight of history in this moment for both our country and the Jewish people. Questions of leadership and privilege have moved to the fore in both the Jewish community, and among Americans.

Korah’s rebellion against Moses is quashed rather quickly, but it doesn’t arise out of nowhere. I want to claim that that excerpt above from our Declaration, in a way, sums up what Korah is trying to do. To put it blithely: the current regime isn’t working, so we need regime change. I would actually argue that Korah, on one level, has a legitimate grievance. He and 250 other leaders (anshei shem, or “men of repute” they’re referred to) rise up against Moses in 16:3 and say: “Rav Lachem!”– “You have gone too far!” 

The biblical scholar Aviva Gottlieb Zornberg in her wonderful book........

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