Parashat Korach: The Middot of Integrity

Torah: Numb 16:1-18:32

Haftarah: Is 66:1-24

Brit Chadashah: Rom 13:1-7

Main Sections:

The Rebellion of Korah

Aaron’s Rod Chosen Among the Twelve Staffs

Kohen Duties: Ministry of the Priesthood

God’s judgment for the Israelites to wander in the wilderness was set and things seemed to go from bad to worse. After the incident of the twelve spies and a failed invasion attempt, they began to look at their future with both dread and dismay. During this time of high emotions, bickering, and blaming, another plot unfolded. Korach the Kohathite, Mose’s cousin, began to have ambitions of leading not only the clan but aspiring to take Aaron’s office of High Priest as well. After gathering 250 men to confront Moses and Aaron, he began the confrontation with the statement, “You’ve gone too far! All the community is holy -all of them- and ADONAI is with them! Then why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of ADONAI?” (TLV)

Korach’s ambition pushed him past his designated place. Instead of recognizing the beauty of his own calling and purpose, his ambition caused him to forget the sovereignty of God. Hashem alone chose Moses and Aaron. He would defend their leadership and stop his ordained purpose from being subverted. Korach’s problem was that he did not have integrity. If he had, he would not have sought to rebel and take another’s office.

What is Integrity?

Integrity (yosher) is aligning our values and actions through the decisions we make. It is the quality of having an undivided heart and having Yeshua as our sole focus. We cannot live with part of our life connected with God and the other part associated with sin. Integrity steers us away from living a life of compromise. Integrity helps us to make many decisions on how we are to live based on our convictions and core values. It comes from the Latin “integritas”, meaning wholeness and completeness. In Hebrew, it is straightness and uprightness of heart and behavior and is sometimes related to honesty and ultimately holiness. The Prophet Daniel and Samuel are good examples of biblical integrity.

Integration of our thoughts, emotions, and biblical values into our behavior begins with a desire to draw close to God and we need “yiras shamayim” to boot (Ps 24:3-5). Prayer with a unified heart and teshuvah is one way to drive out unbiblical, competing ideals.  When we get stressed or feel threatened, our values can change. When we are in a rush and want to take a shortcut to finish, our values can change. They can also change when we can benefit from something that is done or said and end up violating our integrity because our ego needs are too strong. Maybe we want money, recognition, power/position, or to be acknowledged as right. Sometimes we just have unmet needs and are looking for a way to fill the emptiness. Integrity, as a conviction, helps us meet our needs in godly ways so that we are not trying to serve God while constantly falling into sin. We cannot use grace as an excuse to not recognize and address sin in our lives.

We read his word to understand it and obey truth (1 Kings 9:4). As we read and seek God for change, the value of the anointed word of God transforms our faith and we can better reflect God's person in the world. As we continue to pray and act it becomes a conviction. As we practice, we can get enough of our evil inclination out of the way to make his ways and how he loves visible through us (1 Tim 1:5). When we have integrity we have the ability to walk in the Spirit in greater ways. Our integrity helps us to be consistent in our values and decisions and we do not end up doing what we think is right just for the moment or circumstance. (Ps 25:21)

What do you do when you are alone?

What happens when you are alone or in the privacy of your home is vital. It is the best place to walk out our convictions. The reason our homes are filled with fighting and compromise is that we have not carried through with consecrating it and committing ourselves to maintain its sanctity. Simply placing a mezuzah on the door is of little value if we are not sanctifying the space within.

See your "True Self".

If you are struggling, what just went through your mind is "what if I don't like my true self?" What does it mean to be authentic? It is when our external self is a good mirror of our internal one. We will never be satisfied with our true self if it is not given to God. Being true to self does not mean that we harbor and safeguard the bad parts of our personality that continually damage our relationships and spiritual efforts. The true self we need to cling to is the one God ordained. It is that part of us that was made in God’s image and the part the Almighty fills. If we excuse our failings and resign ourselves to accepting “well, that’s just how I am”, we end up basing our character on the worst parts of our carnal nature.

Biblical integrity has a Godward focus. It will step over and reject shortcuts, immediate gratification, and worldly ways of relating in a relentless pursuit of pleasing God in all things. Integrity is not dependent on the conditions, benefits, or consequences of a situation. Despite the craziness of life, our character remains the same and our actions do not change. If we are seeking to reflect God’s ways, pursuing integrity helps us to align and unify our character with the character of God. God is one and he has called us to be one in him. His love does not change nor is it ever compromised. Our ability to love in godly ways will drive our integrity and sense of holiness.

Teach Me To Be Real! (Opensiddurproject.org)

A prayer for integrity by Rabbi Clifton Harby Levy (1927):

Teach me, O God, to be real! Help me to see the way to live in accord with love of Thee, (in accord with love) of all men. Show me how I may speak the truth and live it. May I be willing to suffer for the right and day by day prove each one of my beliefs. May I grow in the doing of duty, simply as I see it and as it has been taught by those inspired by thee. Help me to be content with little, eager to help others, and to make myself more worthy of Thy love and mercy. Let every word and deed be right, in thy sight, that out of the feeling of thy nearness I may be surer of myself, more certain of thee. Amen.

Don't Lie to Yourself.

Pride/arrogance and shame/guilt are two sides to the same coin. One overinflates our egos, the other refuses to properly elevate it to where it should be. Both are a lie but they also represent a set of values we carry and how we cope with life. We need both humility and sincerity. If our motive is pure and God glorifying, it will neither inflate us nor butcher us.

Boundaries and Integrity

Know what your boundaries are and why they are there. The integrity of our convictions is what keeps boundaries in place. Our boundaries prevent us from taking shortcuts (1 Sam 13:8-11), cheating (Acts 5:1-11), or mistreating people for self-gain (1 Kings 21). They are an expression of love for ourselves as well as for others. Boundaries keep our actions limited so that they do not stray into extremes. They also limit our interactions with others to keep abuse and mistreatment at bay. In our sacred community, our treatment of others is seen through a more corporate perspective as we constantly ask ourselves how our behavior draws others closer to God or alienates them from their Creator. Our holiness is reflected many times in how we treat others honorably (1 Cor 8:11-13).

Integrity and Proper Action

We tend to talk and read more about prayer than we pray. We can also speak of holiness and godliness from a theological standpoint without actually focusing on living it ourselves. Many congregations have devolved into speaking on the victory that comes after the trial but do not talk about the value of the trial and how it brings us closer to God and refines us. Integrity will always bring us to godly action. Most of us would rather testify of other people's trials than go through the fire ourselves because it is uncomfortable. Integrity will help us act in the right places and also refrain where we need to. We all have some opportunities, but not all of them are godly and ethical ones. 

We need to do what we say and keep our commitments and promises. The mark of a person of integrity is that they honor their word. Menches are found on the road of faithfulness and devotion. Keeping our promises may sound simplistic, but a consistently righteous person is reliable in all things.

Vows and Integrity

Scripture speaks of the importance of keeping vows (Deut 23:21-23, Numb 30). Integrity is critical to our vows and spiritual commitments. God does not break his word (Heb 6:18-20) and he is faithful (Deut 7:9). Understanding the power and seriousness of the vows we make to God is important. The reason is that it also helps us to understand how seriously God takes our prayers and the promises he gives us. God called us to integrity because he is a God of integrity. It is part of his character.

Hold Yourself Accountable

Living a life of integrity means being able to question moments of compromise and temptation to see and acknowledge where weaknesses exist. What do our inner reactions, thoughts, and automatic responses reveal about our values? Do we have a “selling point”? These reflect another part of who we are and sometimes we act on them. Though they are a part of our struggles, we do not have to own them. Our real values are the ones we decide are important enough to enforce (James 4:17). Being reflective and responsive to our character and holiness pursuits does take moral courage. We need to confront ourselves and often others in the process. Though our confrontation should always be done in humility and a touch of grace, it is also done with truth. Integrity is a commitment to holiness and rightness, inside and out, before God. (Prov 4:25-27)

Integrity of Speech

We need to be straightforward as people. Honesty requires us to communicate truthfully (Lev 19:11) but not go to extremes in brutality such as shaming others, ridicule, guilt-tripping, or character assassination (2 Cor 4:2). The person of integrity does not use deceptive tactics to turn things around and blame others (reversing victim and offender roles), evade responsibility, or shield themselves from fault (see Job 27:27:4-6). Maimonides (in Mishneh Torah, Laws of Virtues, 2:6) stated that a person should have the same character in his heart as well as his mouth. It is forbidden to deceive or steal the mind of another through deception…a person should always cherish truthful speech, honesty of spirit, and purity of heart. (see Prov 22:11)

Also, no one views the slanderer or talebearer as a person of integrity. The person who verbally mistreats others ends up being viewed as an untrustworthy and unreliable person. The Sages assert that one of the first things a person will encounter in heavenly judgment is the question “Did you deal faithfully and honestly with others?” (BT Shabbos 31a). People need to clearly see the love of God abiding on each and every Messianic. We cannot be spiritual frauds when people need to see spiritual fruit. At the close of the Amidah we pray God, keep my tongue from evil, and my lips from deceit. This reminds us of our need for integrity of speech.

Integrity Helps Us:

* Walk securely (Prov 10:9)

* It will preserve you (Ps 25:21) and establish you (1 Kings 9:4-5)

* Be guided by godly values and our way is kept straight (Prov 11:3, 5)

* Be a blessing even to one’s children (Prov 20:7)

* Is personally more profitable, even at its worst, than the fool and deceitful are at their best (Prov 19:1)

* Be a delight to God himself ((Prov 12:22)

* Have an enduring testimony even to our enemies (1 Pet 3:16)

* Is more acceptable than even sacrifice (Prov 21:3)

* Hold steady in trials (Job 2:3, Ps 41:11-12) and is a part of deliverance (Prov 28:18). Life is not always a straightforward path. There are curveballs, unexpected things, and sometimes despite our best efforts problems come and disaster happens. Our integrity helps us hold on to God’s promise and manage stress.

* We are to bind them to us and write them on the table of our hearts (Prov 3:3). Integrity helps us walk in faith. We have more of a concept of God’s faithfulness when we are striving to do the same. When we are going through difficult times, we know that God is able, despite what we feel or think. (see 13th prayer of the Amidah)

Increasing Integrity:

* We need to sometimes focus on being faithful in the little things (Luke 16:10). It is the little things that teach us consistency.

* Increase the power of your convictions through prayer and the study of God’s word.

* Seek transformation and empowerment of the Holy Spirit to change.

* Pause to consider whether the emotions, thoughts, or decisions of the moment represent the person God called you to be. Value what God is forming in you.

* Closely monitor ungodly speech. Catch the words before they leave your mouth. Slow down your reaction and think before you speak. Do not slander, demean, or disclose those things said in confidence.

* Follow through on commitments and promises.

* Keep your end behavior and actions in mind. Do they represent the Savior’s will and purpose?

* Pursue teshuvah and reconciliation to mend what you have broken. Settle disputes with humility. Keep your conscience clear of offenses.

* Get your priorities right and think ahead. When our lives are played out in heaven as the judgment is happening, what do you want to be seen as you stand before God? We can control the narrative of our life. What do we want people to say about us when we pass away? If we have influenced people with our integrity, what will we leave with them that is beneficial?

Shabbat Shalom

Rav Calev

Next Feasts

Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset, Sept 22nd and ends at sunset on Sept 24th.

Yom Kippur begins at sunset, Oct 1st and ends at sunset on Oct 2nd.

Sukkot begins at sunset, Oct 6th and ends at sunset on Oct 13th.

Hebrew words to know:

Yiras Shamayim- Fear/awe of heaven.

Yarei Shamayim- A God Fearer

Mensch- A righteous man or woman.