Last year Parshat Korach was our son's Bar Mitzvah celebration, so I didn't really get into a deep dive for #parshainspiredmenus. We found a few light connections to foods already planned and called it a day. So, this year it was fun to look at the parsha again with non-Bar Mitzvah eyes.
Korach, along with Datan and Aviram, challenge the leadership of Moshe and Aaron, saying they are upset that Moshe and Aaron place themselves above the rest of the community when they are all holy. After a really dramatic test to see who has God's favor, God is ready to punish the perpetrators and the Torah recounts, “God spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the community and say: Withdraw from about the abodes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, the elders of Israel following him. He addressed the community, saying, “Move away from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing that belongs to them, lest you be wiped out for all their sins.”
Moshe's action, of going to Datan and Aviram, had an interesting commentary that caught my attention. The Or HaChaim says: ויקם משה וילך אל דתן ואבירם, Moses rose up and went to Datan and Aviram, etc." Why did the Torah have to write ויקם that Moses rose up? If the Torah only wanted us to know that Moses had been sitting down before, why is this piece of information important to us 3000 years later? We may have to understand this in light of Proverbs 16,18 לפני שבר גאון, that "pride goes before ruin," and Proverbs 16,33 ולפני כבוד ענוה, "whereas humility precedes honour." Our sages in Shemot Rabbah 45,5 explain what David meant in Psalms 113,5 המגביהי לשבת. "When others deride me, G'd elevates me, whereas when I elevate myself G'd puts me in my place." Similarly in our verse. As soon as Moses had decided to waive his dignity and to go and appeal to Datan and Abiram, "he arose," i.e. he was elevated in the eyes of G'd. This is also the meaning of the verses we have quoted from Proverbs.
With this in mind, I can see Korah, Datan, and Aviram matching the "pride goes before ruin" as it
was their own pride that drove them to feel that they too should be elevated. On the opposite, Moshe's humility to still go to those near the men who have challenged him, to try to persuade them to move away and be saved, is an honorable act. Striving for things that will make us seem greater, that will increase our pride, rarely drives us to make good decisions. This is different than being proud of who we are or what we've accomplished. It's more a question of the impetus behind your actions. In thinking about food to associate with "pride" I thought of the phrase "Proud as punch" so this summer Shabbat dinner will include a refreshing, fruit-based, non-alcholoic punch! (much easier than trying to make a food to resemble a peacock)
The second menu item follows the same story in terms of proving to the Israelites that the Moshe and Aaron really are special to the community. To demonstrate Aaron's (and his line) unique
fitness for the role of High Priest, God told Moshe to gather the staff of each tribe’s leader, including the staff of Aaron, the leader of the tribe of Levi. Moshe was to write each leader’s name on his staff and place them all near the mishkan. The next day, Aaron’s staff had bloomed with almond blossoms and was covered in almonds. So, an almond-centric dish seems like a great choice. There are lots of options out there, but I liked this almond chicken recipe. Looks easy, tasty, and pretty healty too!
Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!
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