I want you to think for a minute what image comes to mind when I ask you to think of a Holy Man. A Holy Man. I can’t help but think of the irreverence of Monty Python in the movie, “The Life Of Brian” when the people of ancient Israel begin to hold some guy named Brian to be the Messiah, completely over looking Jesus who is preaching in the background.

Brian becomes the Holy Man, quite by mistake, is revered, and finally crucified; together with his friends. The movie ends with those on the cross singing: “You have to look on the bright side of life.” Pure Monty Python.

A Holy Man. What image comes to mind? Priest? Monk? Rabbi? And what kind of rabbi –bearded or clean shaven? And why is this man holy, in your mind? Davens a lot? Spends his days immersed in the study of sacred texts?

I can tell you the terror I felt coming out of Rabbinical School, and I wasn’t alone among my newly minted rabbinic colleagues, that my new congregation would attribute to me some kind of holiness that they themselves did not have. I had a beard back then designed to make me look older, actually, not holier: Just ordained, I had a baby face and looked like I was ten.

There is an issue of holiness that comes up in the Parasha today. There is a rebellion brewing led by Korach, a Levi, like Moses, who thinks he should have been the one chosen to lead the Israelite nation. The tribesmen of Levi were assistants to the Priests charged with the rituals of the Tabernacle and later the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Korach approaches Moses with some 250 men standing behind him and says, “Rav lechem, ki kol ha edah kulam kedoshim u’vetocham adonai, u’madua titnasu al kehal adonai?” Korach says to Moses: “It is too much to you [that is, you presume too much authority over us]. For the entire assembly, all of them [that is, all of us] and God is among them; why do you exalt yourselves over God’s congregation? (Numbers 16:3).

This is a fairly common form of demagoguery; a person gains power and influence through his oratory. Korach doesn’t care what Moses thinks of him; he cares what the People think as he tries to turn the People against Moses. “Why do you presume to be the leader, Moses? You aren’t any holier than any other person in this camp.

Perhaps Korach is the first democrat in the world. Leadership, according to Korach, should be bestowed on that person who is the most popular among the citizenry. The Midrash says that the 250 men standing behind Korach were all men of distinction that lent their prestige to Korach. For Korach, Moses’ Divine election is irrelevant. Popularity is the thing. Oratory is the technique; power comes from the people to the man, not necessarily the most qualified but to the man most convincing. That man is Korach, according to Korach.

We see what God thinks of this kind of democracy. The earth opens up and swallows the democrats, whole. Democrats, small “d” by the way. I don’t want to get anyone riled up, here.

Now I guess you could say that the Torah advances a political program that favors lineage over popular will. And honestly, I am not going to get into the political science of the Bible. I leave that field of exploration to those more qualified, like our member Marty Sicker who is an expert in Biblical politics.

I can tell you, though, that Korach is missing the point. He misuses this term, kadosh, holiness. He accuses Moses of being no more innately holy than any other man of Israel. And in saying so, he essentially accuses Moses of hijacking leadership based on some mistakenly presumed spiritual intimacy with God. Korach is accusing Moses of hubris. Korach is accusing Moses of arrogance. He says to Moses, “rav lachem,” you take too much power upon yourself when you are just a simple, common man, like the rest of us.

Well, it is true that Moses is just a common man like the rest of them. In fact the Torah says precisely that about Moses in Numbers 12. It comes in the context of another rebellion of sorts. Aaron and Miriam begin to murmur about Moses’ foreign born wife, and the propriety of that marriage. And then they attack Moses directly with the words: “Has the Lord indeed spoken only to Moses? Has he not spoken also to us?” (Num 12:1-2). This prompts the Torah’s response: “v’haish Moshe anav m’od, mikol hadam asher al p’nai haadamah,” Moses was a very humble man, more than any other man which is upon the face of the earth” (Num 12:3).

Here, like in Numbers 12, Moses doesn’t presume anything. If anything, Moses feels unqualified for leadership. We read in Exodus 4, Moses’ plea to God who appoints him Prophet: “Please, my Lord, I am not a man of words, not since yesterday, nor since the day before yesterday, nor since You first spoke to your servant, for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of speech” (Ex 4:10).

Moses is the anti-demagogue. He presumes no power over anybody. He seeks to influence no one at all. In fact, he prefers obscurity –being a simple shepherd is more than ok with him. Korach is just the opposite. All he has is his oratory: he is man of words and little else.

But what about Korach’s accusation, that Moses claims to be more holy than anyone else. To answer this accusation, we have to go back to last week’s parasha that speaks about the mitzvah of the tzi-tzit. We read there, “they shall make for themselves “tzit-tzit” on the corners of their garments…..so that they may remember and perform all My commandments and be holy to your God” (Numbers 15:37ff). “V’hayitem keshoshim leloheyhem,” in order to be holy to your God. To be holy, you must observe God’s commandments. Holiness, therefore, is achieved. It is not innate. Holiness depends on action, what you do, not who you are. It is Korach who is actually claiming otherwise. He declares that his Levitical status should make him eligible for leadership. The holiness charge was a ruse. Korach believes he should be leader just because he is, I don’t know, a wonderful guy. He’ neither a leader, nor a wonderful guy. He has done nothing to earn leadership. He has done nothing that moves him towards holiness. Moses isn’t holier than thou, it’s Korach who’s holier than no one.

So let us go back to our image of a holy man. Perhaps it takes scandal among clergy to bring home this point. One’s dress, one’s appearance, one’s charisma, one’s oratory makes a man no more holy than anyone else. Don’t be fooled. Holiness is in the heart. Holiness is in a heart shaped and defined by righteous deeds. All else is smoke and mirrors. What you do brings you closer to or farther away from God. And holiness is dependent on humility. If you think you are great just because you are you, holiness eludes you. You will not achieve piety; you are not religious, regardless of your trappings. Without humility, God will hide His face from you.

So, I humbly recommend, that whatever image you have in your mind of a holy man… challenge it. Besides, God has no need for your reverence for Holy Men. God wants your holiness. God wants your heart created and sustained by acts of righteousness.