In this week’s Torah portion, Moses and Aaron’s cousin Korach and 250 leaders of the Jewish people gather against Moses and Aaron and say, “Its enough for you, for, the whole people are holy and God is in their midst, so why do you lord over the congregation of God?”  In the end Korach and his men are punished by God, showing that Moses is the rightful leader and Aaron the chosen Kohen.

What precisely is the sin of Korach?  Shurly suggesting that the Jewish people be governed by democracy is a noble one?

I think the answer is that Korach’s focus on hierarchy, on power and not on mission, makes clear that his intentions are nefarious.  A good leader, a servant leader, does not fear the power of others, in fact a great leader’s aim is to empower others to lead, because their goal is the success of the people and its larger mission.  Bad leaders do not want others to lead because they care about power.

In the Torah Portion a few weeks ago, when two individuals were prophesying in the camp and Joshuah was worried (perhaps because they might challenge Moses’ leadership) Moshe said, “If only all the people of God were prophets.”   Moses is not a leader interested in power but one who has authority by virtue of his caring for and serving the Jewish people and bringing them ever closer to their true destiny- the Land of Israel and a connection to God and the Torah.

Korach, in contrast, does not make a suggestion about how to reach the goal, he only challenges Moses’ leadership.  It is by his focus on power and not mission, that we know Korach’s desire for democracy is a red herring, in actuality just a way to dispose Moses in favor of his own ego fueled leadership.   For Korach, leadership, power, is an end in itself.   The parsha teaches us that we should herald leaders whose goal is to serve the people, to inspire other leaders, and who are focused on mission, not hierarchy, and we should be very wary of leaders who are interested in their own power.