Edutainment Weekly

“Out of this World – to Die For?”

(Insights from this week’s Portion: Korach)

• This Week’s RRR (Relevant Religious Reference): “Three things take a person out of this world: jealousy, lust, and honor-seeking” – Avos (Ethics of the Fathers), 4:21
• This Week’s SSC’s (Suitable Secular Citations):
  • SSC #1: “I’ve spent most of my life walking under that hovering cloud, jealousy, whose acid raindrops blurred my vision and burned holes in my heart” – Astrid Alauda
  • SSC #2: “…But clouds got in my way! I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…” – Joni Mitchell, also recorded by Judy Collins

OUT OF THIS WORLD

“Out of this world”! Why do our Sages (who authored the “RRR quote” above) opt for this language in describing the potential impact of “jealousy, lust, and honor-seeking”? It’s safe to assume that they weren’t using “out of this world” in accordance with the hippie slang, as if to say that these drives take a person to a place that is “out of sight, groovy, or psychedelic” (just as when the Sages use the term “awesome”, they are generally referring to a somewhat different concept). Perhaps they said it in the context of an uptown, high society conversation: “dahling, these three things are absolutely out of this world – simply to die for!” Also doubtful! But “to die for” may not be so far off.

I’VE LOOKED AT CLOUDS FROM BOTH SIDES NOW

So in what way does the phrase “out of this world” aptly illustrate the idea with regard to jealousy? Here are a few ways to possibly understand this linguistic phrase of choice: that allowing ourselves to be led by jealousy...

• ...Takes us away from being able to perceive the realities of this world clearly and objectively. We become so single-mindedly consumed by our need to follow this drive that we end up losing access to our natural sensibilities and sensitivities. The results? Becoming oblivious, inconsiderate, or even callously cruel to others who interfere with our agenda!
• Example of the extreme: in “The Matrix”, the character Siefer eventually justifies the betrayal of his allies – leading up to that, there are three telling scenes in which he is shown to exhibit jealousy, lust, and honor-seeking respectively!
• ...Takes us away from fulfilling our purpose in this world (i.e. to transcend and elevate our natural drives and instincts).
• ...Causes us to experience anguishing, death-like departures from this world, during which enjoyment of life all but disappears and is replaced by an overshadowing disgust for living. As the Spanish Writer Baltasar Gracian eloquently said, “The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied win applause.” These moments make us feel that we are living under a constant cloud (as in the “SSC” quote above).
• ...Makes us believe we are above this world: speaking of clouds, we can become so wrapped up in self-importance – so “elevated” in our own minds – that we come to find our “head in the clouds”. And when a person finds his head in the clouds, he’s not nearly as likely to see the world as clearly as he needs to (which brings us back to where we started).

TO DIE FOR

In this week’s Portion Korach, a prominent member of the Jewish people named Korach ultimately allowed jealousy to take him out of the world in a unique way that we haven’t discussed: the Torah testifies that the earth miraculously swallowed him alive along with his followers. While Korach was a great scholar with tremendous virtues, he coveted his Cousin Aaron’s priestly position: and if he couldn’t occupy that position himself, he wanted to make sure that no one did. So he constructed “cogent” arguments as to why such leadership positions shouldn’t even exist. The result: soon thereafter, he didn’t even exist. His jealousy was so toxic that it became potent enough “to die for”.

WHERE AM I NEEDED? AM I NEEDED?

In Ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avos), the great Sage Hillel teaches us that “In a place where there are no leaders, strive to be a leader”. Since statements in Pirkei Avos were composed using a precise economy of language, we can derive logical inferences from them, such as the following one based on the above quote: In a place where there are already leaders, we may not be needed as leaders and should therefore shun the spotlight. Therefore, we need to examine our motivations and not just seek leadership for our own personal glory – and similarly, we shouldn’t get in the habit of speaking just to be heard!

But we can rest assured that even if we are not meant to be a leader of one cause, every person born into this world must step up and be a leader in some capacity. Every one us is sorely needed – we just need to figure out where! As Elizabeth O’Connor said, “Envy is a symptom of lack of appreciation of our own uniqueness and self worth. Each of us has something to give that no one else has.”

Have a Wonderful Shabbos! Love, Jon & The Chevra

Text Copyright © 2008 by Jon Erlbaum and Torah.org