Mudslinging in politics is nothing new. Unfortunately, it has been going on since as long as there have been unscrupulous politicians. If you attack someone’s character, you can show that he is not fit to rule, which naturally leaves an opening for yourself to step into their place. Elegant in its simplicity, if not in its methodology.
This is what Korach did in this weeks parsha. He said of Moses and Aaron “It is much for you! For the entire assembly, all of them are holy and why should you exalt yourselves over the congregation of Hashem.” (Num. 16:3) Rashi explains that Korach was criticizing them of abuse of power, of putting themselves on an unjustified pedestal above all around them. Indeed, even to this day, people are concerned about elitism, about leaders looking down on their followers.
It’s puzzling that Korach used that particular line of attack though, considering that Moses and Aaron were actually exceedingly humble. The medrash relates that Aaron spent much of his time with everyday people, creating peace between men and their wives. He is also considered the paragon of Hod, a character trait that accentuates humility. And the Torah relates of Moses: “for the man Moses was very humble, more than any other person on the face of the earth.” (Num 12:3) It would be a stretch to call either of these men arrogant.
So why did Korach take aim at this trait if his slander was so far from the truth? Shouldn’t he have found some other failing of Moses and Aaron that was closer to the truth?
Our sages tell us that “he who invalidates [others]… does so with his own blemish.” (Tractate Kiddushin 70a) In modern psychology, this is known as “projection bias,” a common tendency to ascribe your own flaws to someone else.
Korach himself sought undeserved power over others. Thus, when he saw Moses and Aaron with the power he desired, he projected his own flaw onto them. He assumed that they must have that same egotism that plagued him.
Projection is a scary thing, not only because we slander others, but because it stems from a blindness to our own faults. Korach’s subconscious discomfort with his own issues made him see that issue everywhere even while he ignored it in the one place it actually existed, himself.
The next time you criticize someone or get annoyed by someone, stop and think about it. What is the trait in them that bothers you so much? Is it perhaps something that you need to work on yourself?
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Altonaga and the JET Team
