This week’s parshah recounts the dramatic mutiny against Moses, led by his charismatic cousin, Korach. As great as Moses was, Korach succeeded in attracting hundreds of followers and mounted a serious challenge to Moses’ and Aaron’s authority.

Korach was a powerful, aristocratic member of the tribe of Levi; a man with oversized ambitions. But his challenge proved futile. Moshe was vindicated, and, in an open miracle, Korach and his henchmen went for a deep dive into oblivion:

And the earth beneath them opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses, and all the people who were with Korach and all their property. They and all they possessed, descended alive into the grave; the earth covered them up and they were lost to the assembly. 1

Interestingly, the Torah mentions “their houses.” Were there really any houses in the desert? The people were nomads, making and breaking camp regularly. There was no way that they had any real houses of bricks and mortar, or even log cabins. Surely, as wanderers in the wilderness all they could have used for shelter would have been simple tents that they could set up and fold down in their travels. Yet, the Torah uses the word “houses.”

According to the Biblical commentator Ibn Ezra,2 “houses” should not be taken literally at all. It does not mean a ‘house’ but ‘household,’ i.e., one’s family. In his own words, house is “a broad term for wife, children, and toddlers.”

Might I humbly suggest an alternative understanding: in the arrogant Korach’s eyes, his little tent must have seemed an imposing mansion, a palace of his own delusions of grandeur.

Korach contested the authority of the greatest prophet of all time, the man who G‑d personally sent to strike Egypt with 10 plagues, split the sea, and bring the Torah to the people. Surely, Moses should have been way beyond dispute, reproach, or even criticism. Yet Korach openly argued against Moshe’s leadership. Only someone with such chutzpah and egotism could possibly have imagined his flimsy tent to be a real, solid house.

House or Home?

What a difference between Korach’s world view and the Torah’s! How do we look at our houses? Do we only see the external—physical residences with roofs and walls—or are we in touch with the inner home, the deeper, spiritual purpose of a house? Are our homes intimate and personal, or are they places of architecture, furniture, and gadgets? Are we fixated with superficial glitz, or do we understand that home is a safe haven, a sanctuary for our family, and a place of love, safety, and security in which to raise the next generation?

Do we have houses or households? Is our house, in fact, a home?

Bringing Home Education

When our children were growing up here in South Africa, my wife regularly gave up buying new wardrobes or enjoying other comforts and conveniences to send them to New York to see the Rebbe, visit their grandparents, and get to know their family. Looking back, I marvel at her virtuous principles and deep insight.

This Shabbat we will commemorate Gimmel Tammuz, the yahrtzeit of our revered Rebbe. In over 40 years of teaching and educating, the Rebbetouched on virtually every subject under the sun. Space, philosophy, politics, medicine, and morals, even sport - sharing life lessons from soccer and baseball to teach children – no topic was beyond his reach and attention.

But if I had to choose one topic that I think the Rebbe addressed more frequently than any other, I would vote for chinuch, education, and the need to provide all Jewish children, not only our own, with a solid Jewish education.

He went beyond the Jewish community too. His repeated call for educating students of all faiths with a moral, ethical value system was heard loudly and clearly in Washington, and led to the pronouncement of National Education and Sharing Day on his birthday every year.

Please G‑d, in all our edifices we will focus on our households and families, inspiring our children for generations to come.