Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah reading, Korach, we read of a dramatic rebellion. Korach, a Levite, gathers 250 leaders and challenges Moshe and Aharon: “Why do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of Hashem?” (Bamidbar 16:3). On the surface, it seems like a call for equality and justice. But Chazal reveal that Korach’s rebellion was not about ideals, it was about ego. Korach could not accept his specific role and desired another’s.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that every soul is assigned a unique role in this world, and true greatness is not in comparison to others, but in living out your mission fully. When a person leaves their unique mission to chase someone else’s, envying their kedusha or status, they disconnect from their truest self.

This truth is beautifully illustrated in a story of Reb Zusha of Anipoli, one of the early disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch. Near the end of his life, Reb Zusha told his students:

“When I come before the Heavenly Court, they won’t ask me, ‘Zusha, why weren’t you like Avraham or Moshe?’ They will ask, ‘Zusha, why weren’t you Zusha?’”

Korach’s tragedy was not simply his opposition, it was his refusal to embrace his own sacred path.

Each of us has a divine role that no one else can fulfill. Our task is not to become someone else but to become the most authentic version of ourselves. That is the foundation of shalom, growth, and holiness.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Zushe Cunin