The Set Up: Korah

I can’t stand it, I know you planned it

Beastie Boys

Moses, in the Torah Portion Korah, offers up a masterclass on the set up. The set up– as a concept- is neither benign or malicious; it is merely a cunning tactic.

Often these deceptions occur right before the victim’s eyes; I know; long ago, a judge so politely set me up; it was criminal!

In Korah, Moses’ cunning, superior knowledge, and leadership skills combined to execute a set up that quashed a terrifying rebellion. Emotions can play a role. For me, it was the anxiety surrounding the court proceeding; for Korah and associates, it was jealousy.

To appreciate Korah and the art of the set up, I will begin with my tale.

The Set Up

As a newly minted attorney, I represented a Spanish speaking client on criminal matter. He mistakenly pled guilty to a spousal abuse charge and required my firm’s assistance.

While his court summons was for merely a failure to appear, he- through a misguided interpreter- pled guilty to the underlying charge.

We thought our case was strong; our client was diminutive and his wife- supporting his innocence- was willing to testify on his behalf. After the meeting, my boss assigned the case to me. My job was to get a court date in order to get the guilty plea rescinded.

At the hearing, the Judge advised me that he was fully aware of our motion to rescind’s substance. To resolve the mistaken plea conflict, the Judge suggested that since all of the court’s hearings were recorded, we could simply all go to his chambers and listen to my client’s contested plea. While the offer was friendly and non-confrontational, it didn’t seem right, but I didn’t know why.

With all of the parties in the Judge’s office, he played the tape:

“Question: “Do you plead guilty or not guilty?”

[Spanish] Interpreter’s Answer: “Yes. I hit her.”

Question: “Do you plead guilty or not guilty?“

[Spanish] Interpreter’s Answer: “Yes. I hit her.”

Question: “Do you plead guilty or not guilty?“

[Spanish] Interpreter’s Answer: “Guilty.”

The Judge looked at me and told me that he would vociferously oppose my client’s appeal. While the Judge buried me, the District Attorney was kind. In lieu of an appeal, we compromised on a light sentence. With that, my repentant and remorseful client avoided jail time and instead spent a weekend or two donning an orange vest to pick up trash on the highway.

It would be decades before I realized what had happened.

The Epiphany

Thirty years after the hearing, it dawned on me that I had been set up. After years of interacting with judges, I have come to understand that there is a healthy judicial community. They get together, they talk; they joke, they laugh; and, most of all, they remember. Certainly, my client’s plea was one for the ages; never to be forgotten. Legendary!

During a lunch break, the plea was likely served up as a heaping scoop of gallows humor. In the end, the Judge- knowing what was on the tape- set me up; he masterfully played out the ruse on the rookie attorney. Well done!

In sum, those with superior knowledge are able to or skillfully pull off set ups; this too was the case of Moses in the Torah Portion Korah.

Korah

In the Torah Portion Korah, Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership are challenged by Korah and a large contingency of Israelites. Moses, despite being outnumbered 250 to 2, was wise enough to employ both his knowledge and his faith to set up his adversaries.

From Korah’s story, it was apparent that some Israelites coveted both leadership and religious positions. This jealousy, however, not only blinded them to their reality but it was also did not align with the Decalogue’s commandment against coveting. Exodus 20:17.

The coveting was evidenced in their complaint to Moses and Aaron. They declared: “You have much! Because all of the congregation, all of them, are holy, and the Lord is among them. And why do you raise yourselves up over the Lord’s community?” Numbers 16:3.

Moses challenged Korah and the rebels; they were to perform the cultic task of bringing the incense burners close to the Lord to determine who was favored. If they accepted the challenge, it would be done on the next day. Numbers 16:5-7. Moses warned Korah and questioned his ambition. He told Korah that he, as a Levite, already had a distinguished position. Numbers 16:8-10.

For those knowing the past, the challenge was a set up. Before this incident, as reported in Leviticus, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu died as a result of offering an unauthorized fire before the Lord. See Leviticus 10:1-2. They came forward with an unfitting fire for which the Lord did not request. Korah and company apparently did not appreciate the catastrophic event and its elements: first, an unauthorized fire, and second, the offering was not requested.

Arguably, Korah and followers were offering up a fire which was not sanctioned by the Lord. [Note: Moses never told them that the Lord ordered them to appear] Second, there is some question as to whether Korah and his followers even knew how to competently prepare an authorized fire. Thus, the set up was all in place. In the end, Korah’s two hundred and fifty people offering the incense were consumed into the ground. Numbers 16:31-35.

This wildly dramatic event illustrated coveting’s impact on both political stability and leadership. While Korah and company should have known of the problems with approaching the Lord with incense burners, their emotions and ambitions got in the way; they ignored pertinent facts. In the end, Moses, knowing and appreciating the facts, used them to his advantage to quash a rebellion by employing a set up.

Conclusion

One should never underestimate how superior knowledge can be employed to tactically secure victory. The wise and cunning, in front of their opponent’s eyes, are able to take advantage of situations and possibly achieve a set up.

In my case, a Judge’s enthusiasm and uncharacteristic openness should have invited healthy skepticism. The thought of an accused criminal sitting in the Judge’s chamber seemed quite out of order. The Judge successfully ethered my client’s attempt to rescind his plea. Likely, my nervousness and unfamiliarity with the judicial system blinded me to what was to occur.

Likewise, Korah, and companions should have been wary of the open invitation to make an incense offering to the Lord. They should have appreciated Priesthood’s problematic beginnings which resulted in the death of two of Aaron’s sons. Certainly, the congregation was well aware of the tragedy. They knew the consequences of playing with cultic fire; their unhealthy ambitions, however, distracted them.

Moses, in that instance, was aware of the cultic practices’ strict orthodoxy. He appreciated that Korah and company’s incense burning activity was likely to be improperly and that they would be rejected. Thus, the Lord’s rejection of Korah and his followers was an inevitability. In the Korah’s instance, coveting blinded both him and his followers from seeing that the priesthood, while rewarding, could be fatally dangerous. This distraction allowed for Moses to masterfully set them up. Despite being outnumbered, the most humble Prophet of them all prevailed.

Be well!!!

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