Jacob Chanikuzhy

Rebellion is bad, in the eyes of many. The rebels however, believe that the thing that causes rebellion is still worse. People fond and capable of thinking independently would like to live according to their own terms. Since this is not completely possible in a society, they are willing to submit to authority, provided the ruler is just. The instant they detect some sort of injustice or any trace of tyranny, they rise in rebellion, believing that when and where one’s legitimate freedom and rights are curtailed, rebellion is a divine duty. The society today owes much to such rebels for the kind of civil, political, social, religious and cultural rights it proudly enjoys today. The rebels stand all alone, against the wish and pressure of the status quo lovers, for their ideals.
Not all those who take an opposite stand against the authorities can be immediately baptized as heroes; they can also be villains. A story in point is narrated in the Bible, in the Book of Numbers (Chapter 16). It is the story of the revolt of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Theirs was a revolt against Moses and Aaron. One might wonder, how one can revolt against Moses, who was the meekest of all (Numbers 12,3). Korah’s objection was not against the arrogance of Moses, rather, against the authority the meek man Moses wielded. The authority of Moses was partly due to the “law of Moses” which Moses claimed to have been given by God. The rabbinic literature explains that Korah questioned the divine legitimacy of these laws. Korah argued that these laws were made by Moses himself. To ridicule the “law of Moses,” Korah, it is said, used the following parable:
“A widow had two daughters and when she ploughed her field (the law of) Moses told her not to plough using an ox and an ass; when she sowed, Moses banned using mixed seeds; when she reaped, Moses prohibited harvesting the 6th of her field and from the rest of the harvest he demanded his share. Disgusted with all these she sold the field and bought two sheep. Then Moses took the firstling. At the time of sheering, he demanded the first fleece. Then she killed the sheep upon which Moses wanted the best portion of the meat. Fed up with such demands, she declared the meat “consecrated to the Lord,” hearing which Moses took the entire meat for himself leaving the women to starvation.” Thus, Korah tried to persuade the people to believe that the ‘laws of Moses’ were unacceptable. He also made his followers believe that these laws could not be from God as they made life unbearable.
How came Korah dared to question the authority of Moses after having seen all the wonders that God did through Moses? May be his lust for power blinded his eyes to see the goodness of Moses and hardened his heart to ignore the proofs of the divine sanction of the authority of Moses. Moreover, Korah also belonged to the tribe of Levi and was the great grandson of Patriarch Levi. Thus, he considered that he had legitimate right to wield the same power Moses had. Additionally, it was believed that Korah was the one of the richest among them. Legends have it that Korah possessed the treasures Patriarch Joseph had hidden in Egypt. Besides, Korah was also an astute leader. Thus, his lust for power, backed by his intelligence, rhetoric, wealth, family status, and the support of a number of prominent people might have emboldened him to go against a legitimate leader who, in his own eyes, was just a stammering shepherd.
Rebellion can be one’s moral obligation when all other efforts to get justice from a corrupt leader fail. Even Moses had rebelled against Pharaoh and it was Yahweh Himself who guided and empowered Moses in this rebellion. However, Korah symbolizes all those who are arrogant on account of their intelligence, wealth, family status, social support, and mislead people and exploit them in their pursuit of power and authority. That the earth opened its mouth and devoured Korah signals that even what was supposed to be a perennial support will one day get disgusted with such people and will in an unexpected moment disown them and even clear them from the face of the earth.