בַּיִּקָּהֲלוּ עֱל־מֹשֶׁה וֱעֱל־אֱהֱרֹן וֱיֹּאמְרוּ ֲאלֵהֶם רֱב־לָכֶם כִּי כָּל־הָעֱדָה כֻּלָּם קְדֹשִׁים וּבְתוֹכָם ה' וּמֱדּוּעֱ תִּתְנֱשְּׁאוּ עֱל־קְהֱל ה'
“They assembled against Moshe and against Aharon and said to them: ‘You have taken too much for yourselves, for the entire congregation, all of them, are holy, and Hashem is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of Hashem?’” (Bamidbar 16:3)
Korach begins his protest with words that sound positive and unifying. He declares that all Bnei Yisrael are holy because the Shechinah dwells among them. His opposition to Moshe and Aharon is couched in egalitarian and democratic language: Why should they elevate themselves above others when all are equally close to Hashem?
Rashi explains “all of them are holy” to mean that all heard the Aseres HaDibros (the Ten Commandments) directly from the mouth of the A-lmighty at Sinai. At first glance, Korach’s approach champions social equality: everyone is equal, everyone has the same right and access to holiness. Yet from this lofty opening, his argument rapidly deteriorates into outright rebellion against Moshe’s leadership. To compare the collective experience of the entire nation hearing Hashem at Sinai with Moshe’s unique role as the one who ascended the summit of Har Sinai and spoke with Hashem face to face is insolent and unfounded. Very quickly Korach’s true goal emerges: to seize the leadership. At that point, the pretense of equality comes to an end.
The words of Korach and the power of the congregation
Yet despite all this, it is possible that a deeper positive message is hidden within his opening words. The expression: “For the entire congregation, all of them, are holy, and Hashem is among them” calls to mind another verse in Vayikra: “And I shall be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael.” The source of the concept of a minyan (quorum), which is that only in the presence of ten Jews can one recite certain prayers and words of sanctity, is found in the Gemara in Megillah (23b). The Gemara investigates the source of the requirement for a minyan:
From where do we derive these matters? Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: “For the verse states, ‘And I shall be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael.’ [This tells us that] any matter of sanctity may not be recited with fewer than ten. How is this implied [in the verse]? As Rabbi Chiya taught: ‘We derive “toch” (“among” תוך) from “among.” Here it is written, “And I shall be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael,” and there (in the episode of Korach) it is written, “Separate yourselves from among the congregation.” We then derive עדה “congregation” (“ eidah ” ) from “congregation,” for there (in the episode of the spies) it is written, ‘How long shall I bear with this evil congregation?’ Just as there it refers to ten, so too here it refers to ten.’”
The above Gemara is explaining that the requirement of ten for matters of sanctity is derived through a derasha (exposition). The derasha begins with the verse, “And I shall be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael,” which teaches that the sanctification of Hashem’s Name, such as in the saying of Kaddish or Kedushah, must take place “among Bnei Yisrael,” that is, within a group. But how many people constitute such a group? The Gemara employs a gezeirah shavah (a textual bridge) based on the word “among,” which appears both here and in the account of Korach’s rebellion: “Separate yourselves from among the congregation.” The word eidah “congregation” is used there, and we already know from the ten spies, who were called “this evil congregation,’ that a congregation is a (minimum of) ten people. How remarkable is that!? That we derive the power of a minyan for every matter of sanctity from a textual link built upon Korach and the spies! What is the message behind this?
The power of ten Jews for both good and evil
A group of ten Jews gathered for prayer brings the Shechinah down to earth. Such is the power of ten Jews. One could say that Korach’s statement, “For the entire congregation, all of them, are holy,” expresses precisely this idea: that every congregation possesses holiness and the ability to connect to Hashem.
Where do we find this concept, that every Jew, regardless of status, has equal access to holiness? Right here: כִּי כָּל־הָעֱדָה כֻּלָּם קְדֹשִׁים וּבְתוֹכָם ה' For “the entire congregation, all of them, are holy, and Hashem is among them...” Every eidah (a group of ten, a minyan) is holy, and Hashem dwells within it. My heart tells me that Korach was alluding to the concept of a minyan. The power of a group of ten is immense, both for good and for evil. The ten spies brought about a national catastrophe. The 250 men who joined Korach were swallowed into the earth. Yet the measure of good is greater than the measure of punishment, and that very same group structure can bring the Shechinah down to earth.
There is an element of equality within a minyan, for whether it consists of ten Torah scholars, ten tzaddikim, or ten simple Jews, every minyan draws the same holiness and brings a revelation of the Shechinah into the world. The Shechinah does not rest upon nine tzaddikim alone; there must be a tenth, even if he is a simple Jew. If there are nine tzaddikim in one place and ten ordinary Jews in another, the Shechinah rests with the ten. Such is the spiritual power of ten Jews.
“Let a person arise early to come to the synagogue so that he may be counted among the first ten” (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 90:14). It is ruled that the first ten receive the reward corresponding to the entire congregation: “For the reward of the entire congregation depends upon the first ten.” We may suggest that this is because they are the ones who affect the descent of the Shechinah, while those who join the minyan afterward enter a place that has already become holy through the first ten.
From the spies to Korach: The power of the group
As we wrote in Parashas Shelach, the ten spies taught us this lesson. Although their actions were negative, they demonstrated the collective power of ten. Groups can influence a nation with far greater force than individuals. That small group altered the destiny of the entire nation. The fall of the ten spies from righteous and upright men to sinners revealed to us the power that lies in a group, both for destruction and for holiness. As we concluded in Parashas Shelach, since we learn the concept of a minyan from the ten spies, every time we establish a minyan, it serves as a merit for them.
Korach’s legacy, rooted in an uncompromising approach of din, proposed something that cannot truly exist in our world. Yet even within his rebellion, his opening words contained an eternal truth: “For the entire congregation, all of them, are holy, and Hashem is among them.” Every Jew is precious. Every Jew has equal access to holiness and to the Shechinah. Although Korach fell, his sons repented. The sons of Korach gave us some of the most beautiful chapters of Tehillim. Even Korach himself, through his opening remarks, managed to leave behind a legacy, not merely of rebellion, but of hope, reminding us of the holiness embedded within every Jew and of the power we possess when we unite as a group, ke’ish echad b’lev echad, as one man with one heart.
