{"id":1639,"date":"2017-06-21T00:52:07","date_gmt":"2017-06-21T00:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/?p=1639"},"modified":"2019-08-27T08:24:15","modified_gmt":"2019-08-27T08:24:15","slug":"korach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/06\/21\/korach\/","title":{"rendered":"Korach"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my heart, the real challenge awakened into quarrel\u2019s inner courtrooms by Korach is the essence of post-theodic[I]<\/sup><\/a> egalitarianism[II]<\/sup><\/a>, i.e. if all are facets of the same diamond, and all the centre of the stage, then why arrange ourselves by systems that force us to interact with each other and the world in specified protocols? This is both (1) unfair, why should only royalty enjoy fame\u2019s narcotic pacifying gifts, and (2) how can we claim that it is fair for one soul to become Saul and another David, when surely anyone would prefer the latter despite knowing the equality of all amongst All?<\/p>\n

Here is a suggestion:<\/p>\n

It is not fair that not everyone is fated to wield the prestige[1]<\/sup><\/a> of public influence, since, qua social species, we ascribe significant existential value to our ability to impact beyond our body\u2019s frail shell. This includes social influence, intellectual, material, localized, historical, etc.<\/p>\n

But if it is not fair, then why is the rebel here sent to hell?<\/p>\n

Sidebar:<\/p>\n

I see the Torah<\/em>, not as a guidebook akin to road trip novel which inspires a summer adventure, but instead operates as a voodoo constellation mapped upon the Sapien propensity for linguistic wisdom. Thus it\u2019s not enough to say, \u201cOh, I\u2019d better avoid that<\/em> part of the parashah<\/em> from expressing itself in my life,\u201d (although another may say, \u201cI\u2019d better avoid that<\/em> bad trait, as described in the parashah<\/em>\u201d). It just happens by itself.<\/p>\n

How do I see this in my own life (to allow comparison or inspiration):<\/p>\n

I look at the part of me that is Korach<\/em> this week, and I do not judge the guilty who have accepted their holy verdict (i.e. the characters of the Torah<\/em> are holy, and thus not so much righteous, as they are beyond good and evil). I see that my own Korach<\/em> allowed me to test a boundary (he is good at that), and although cast into firey earth, that apotheotic metamorphosis represents an epiphany of a prison which was thought Moshe<\/em>, but then discovered to be the land (which had become conflated with the sky as though the land could hold the sky without the sky holding the land). Thus I continue to assert the right of the Torah to be learned by my wandering thoughts.<\/p>\n

I see Korach<\/em> against the sparkle of Yitro<\/em>. Could not predict #1 from #2, but can see why they exist once their relationship is mapped. Korach<\/em> is the burnish unburned bush that is Yitro<\/em> that is Moshe<\/em> etc etc etc. I am probably being an idiot when I commit myself to ongoing rebellion without end, but I learned from Korach<\/em> how to purify my rebelliousness, I did not learn to ignore it. I can learn from Korach<\/em> that I rebelled against my internal royal family\/priesthood on a basis which was justified (viz. e.g. by Moshe<\/em> aligning himself with a path that leads to forbidden fruits, aka godhood, that was evidence that Korach<\/em> could navigate by utilitarian constellations, whose utility were not sufficient grounds for dismissal) but via a legal defence which uses that justification but then uses a contradictory strategy (viz. e.g. the right to be free to choose within my own slave dream\/prison; i.e. korach<\/em> is wrong to pursue this right since it was never granted \u2013 mundane freedom is not guaranteed, rather freedom from nature is guaranteed).<\/p>\n

I am more impressed by the weaknesses of my Midrashim<\/em>\/inspirations than by their success. The latter represents confidence (merely), whereas the former [represents<\/span>] shadows wisdom (and truth, which is seen as the inverse of discovering one\u2019s ignorances).<\/p>\n

When I ask, \u201cWhat does this mean to me?\u201d, I allow my gut to talk to me per the following (also learned from this parasha<\/em>):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. IFF (if and only if) I speculate privately, then I will avoid the risk of becoming a corrupter of truths (warned by Pirkei Avot<\/em>).<\/li>\n
  2. IFF I practice mindful creativity (reading the naked text, and being opened to the thoughts that arrive, without the false expectation that their value is reflected by their truthfulness \u2013 their value may be that they lead you to discard ignorances, and thus you were wrong to worry about being correct (since you wanted to be loved and adored by those who admired your learning)<\/li>\n
  3. IF presume that all questions are good, then the answers may arrive much later.<\/li>\n
  4. The intellectual effort to communicate one\u2019s ideas may truncate them, but may also allow them to reach greater heights. However one risks becoming like Korach, or the 3 friends of Job, who want to be awarded the medal for freedom without the freedom to make mistakes, and thus the freedom to disagree with one\u2019s own systems.\n
      \n
    1. Thus I recommend caution where possible, patience is key, time is the field of output, and company may be enjoyed like wine (not too much, and not every day, and not if you start needing it).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Thus on one foot: Korach<\/em> is about ensuring that the individual, alone in the whole cosmos, is never lost, no matter how unified the world becomes through his efforts, and this is why peace comes through individuality[2]<\/a><\/sup>. When we appeal to the masses against any other form of qualification (even hereditary, thus showing that this principle is not moral, and is inverse in its logic: it teaches that democracy is no right by showing that it attempts to thwart tyranny with a foolish similar of the tyrant\u2019s arbitrary decrees) then we are claiming human dignity but declining the offer.<\/p>\n

      But I ask myself, what have I learned here that I could not have foreseen in Levinas?<\/p>\n

      Answer: nothing, Torah is voodoo, not logical. Which is to say, the question is meaningless because it tries to limit potential by challenging redundancies (rather than challenging synergies).<\/p>\n

      What do I call Torah<\/em>, in non-localized religious jargon?<\/p>\n

      I call it semiotics of combinatorics that couples existential narrative and momentums, sufficiently variegated to allow all possibilities to be theoretically attainable. Thus it is not logical, because when accessed qua \u201calphabet for the book of life\u201d then it acts via lights, not via the electrons that crossed the diode stuff, i.e. it acts via the primordial substrate of possibilities, and does not act via the manifested facade of accessibilities.<\/p>\n

      What about the triple gem, in non-localized jargon?<\/p>\n

      I see a super-structure designed to strengthen a bridge across generations by the petrification of attainable wisdom (i.e. I allude to the sangha[III]<\/sup><\/a>), alongside that petrified wisdom (into the written canon), by a petrified soul (that has escaped change).<\/p>\n

      What does the Mesoret look like to the Dhamma[IV]<\/sup><\/a>?<\/p>\n

      Let\u2019s start the other way. The former sees the other as irrevocably different, and as containing differences which can be mirrored, but never truly crossed (except as the loss of identity). Now let\u2019s assume the same courtesy imagined by the former as though given by the latter to the former (viz. M imagines D other-ising M):<\/p>\n

      The Mesoret<\/em> does not speak of nirvana or the tilakkhana[V]<\/sup><\/a>, but they are similar in other ways: They also mark themselves upon history, through men that imposed their changes into the world, and through segregation of populations and their capacities for vindicated conservatism, and through academic traditions which act dynamically.<\/p>\n

      To the fantasy reader?<\/p>\n

      The walker of long roads recognizes the Torah scholar as brothers within the universal inn through which they both pass, nomads each to their feather\u2019s kind. It is no surprise that the goal of an epic shall transcend the limits of imagined import or reward, and that its path is iterative and methodical, but never forseen (except via risking prophecy, which makes dreams appear more real than a world made of dreams). E.g. if I had been told that in future all world would connect on text displays then I would have been astounded at what limits would be surpassed, but in doing so, delude myself into thinking that I had learned anything about the future more than I already didn\u2019t know. My new ignorance is like the darkness in which the blind see (casting Popperian[VI]<\/sup><\/a> possibilities[VII]<\/sup><\/a> like a sorcerer sweeping up a fog into mirages, or a scientist casting algebra like necromancy, or a foolish elder painting the superior youth with colours and patterns the young one\u2019s had never learned).<\/p>\n

      Thus I answer the two questions:<\/p>\n

      (1) The desire for explicit and demonstratable power is a threat, not a seduction.<\/p>\n

      (2) It must be amongst Saul\u2019s challenge to understand his primacy over David (per Saul\u2019s POV).<\/p>\n

      (X) It is alright to say with Job, \u201cI can\u2019t see it,\u201d and the faithful would hear blasphemy and we would only hear blasphemy from theirs. So many it\u2019s alright to say more, \u201cI can\u2019t see you,\u201d and agree to walk alone.<\/p>\n

      I have seen recommendations for exciting appreciation for soothing priestly woes (viz. Specifically, the doubt that I have any direction left, having succeeded beyond my wildest dreams\u2026 which is why I don\u2019t bother, instead of saying, \u201cI can\u2019t see myself saved,\u201d so it must be beyond my mind\u2019s eye, except by allusion. So I don\u2019t try and see that which is invisible.<\/p>\n

      Is it wrong to try to live for the sake of living? I think so\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026. Wrong for me.<\/p>\n

      For others? Nah, that\u2019s cool.<\/p>\n

      Just to show how smart I am? Eh, good enough to motivate, but irrelevant for justifying.<\/p>\n

      Is it wrong to oppose signs and portents? How about, Is it virtuous to ignore them?<\/p>\n

      <\/div>\n

      [1]<\/a><\/sup> There is nothing aprior lesser about pride, nor better about humility. We learn this from\u00a0 Torah which advises them as arbitrary mandates serving a higher purpose: IME pride is terrible for magic, or quantum channelling of probabilities (since arrogance thirsts not merely<\/em> for recognition, but for naked, masturbatory, praise, approaching each probability with its hidden list of silent demands [#1. I want to be loved, #2 I want to be adored\u2026 these lead to many opportunities of disintegration] But I never studied humility, nor practised abstaining from pride\u2026 learning forces me to face my limits, because every field I have approached, I have left without becoming an expert. HOWEVER being frustrated (by a world which ignores voice) forced me to become calloused to sensitivity against other\u2019s pride (sinat<\/em> chinam<\/em>), which is also bad for magic.<\/p>\n

      If there is a \u201csecret\u201d to humility: [on<\/span>] one foot: don\u2019t learn by belittling yourself, rather by enlarging your esteem for others. Don\u2019t learn to see self as a great artist, rather learn to see great artistry. Nb. I don\u2019t mean to respect others for the sake of becoming humble. Rather, e.g. I want to be proud of skills, so I pay attention to those types of skills occurring in the world, and notice what is good about them. The more goodness I can find, the less I am plagued by these worries. I struggle here greatly, and the excuse I allow myself is that shame is a similar blemish, albeit one that is lethargic rather than violent, which is an advantage, albeit of quality, not quantity. For myself, too much antipathy for pride could be a sign for the rebalancing of scales that bring constructive self-imaginings, or many many many many other controls on the control panel called Life.<\/p>\n

      On one foot: Stop looking for the magic SOP [Standard Operating Procedure?<\/span>]. Only the mitzvot are ordained as necessary steps. The wisdom of the Torah<\/em>, however, occurs by sheer force of effort to consider. I would guess that a life plan inspired by the Torah to be similar in expectations to one inspired by anything else. The Midrash<\/em> is not the Torah<\/em>. Thus I would no more call it foolish, than I would any self-help plan and philosophy. Perhaps holy humans can just be animals once in a while, pause from their quest to reach the moon, and pick lice from their scalps because that is how they are, and in a way, the mundane is holy by way of being excluded from the holy (Korach<\/em> as an inverse of Yitro<\/em>)<\/p>\n

      [2]<\/sup><\/a> The failure of late 20th<\/sup> C \u201cpost-modern\u201d cultural identities and values can be read against this lesson. Once the generation (e.g. the 60\u2019s) discovered that they had been enslaved to past, they thought that all imposition of one will onto another implied a lack of ideal love. Thus love become watered down into a dogmatic pacificism, hippie-ism, whereas once the generation (e.g. the 60\u2019s) discovered that their parents were wrong, they should have been able to insist on being right despite lacking any proof of anyone ever knowing anything. They could respect each other without loving each other, because to disagree with You is a sign that I allow for a universe to exist in which I am not the sole centre.<\/p>\n

      <\/div>\n[I]<\/sup><\/a> “Theodicy<\/strong> (\/\u03b8i\u02d0\u02c8\u0252d\u026asi\/), in its most common form, is an attempt to answer the question of why a good God permits the manifestation of evil, thus resolving the issue of the problem of evil”. For further details see https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Theodicy<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

      [II]<\/sup><\/a> “Egalitarianism<\/strong>, or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that prioritizes equality for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all human persons are equal in fundamental worth or moral status.<\/em>” For further details see https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Egalitarianism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      [III]<\/sup><\/a> “Sangha<\/strong>, is a Buddhist monastic order, traditionally composed of four groups: monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. The sangha is a part\u2014together with the Buddha and the dharma (teaching)\u2014of the Threefold Refuge, a basic creed of Buddhism”. For further details see https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/sangha<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

      [IV]<\/sup><\/a> “dhamma<\/strong> is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. … In Buddhism, dharma means “cosmic law and order”, and is also applied to the teachings of Buddha. In Buddhist philosophy, dhamma\/dharma is also the term for “phenomena”.” For further details see https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dharma<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

      [V]<\/sup><\/a> “In Buddhism, the three marks of existence are three characteristics (Pali: tilakkha\u1e47a<\/strong>; Sanskrit: \u0924\u094d\u0930\u093f\u0932\u0915\u094d\u0937\u0923, trilak\u1e63a\u1e47a) of all existence and beings, namely impermanence (anicc\u0101), unsatisfactoriness or suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatt\u0101)”. For further details see https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Three_marks_of_existence<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

      [VI]<\/sup><\/a> “Sir Karl Raimund Popper CH FBA FRS was an Austrian-born British philosopher and professor. Generally regarded as one of the 20th century’s greatest philosophers of science, Popper is known for his rejection of the classical inductivist views on the scientific method in favour of empirical falsification”. For further details see https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Karl_Popper<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

      [VII]<\/sup><\/a> “Popper has always drawn a clear distinction between the logic of falsifiability and its applied methodology. The logic of his theory is utterly simple: if a single ferrous metal is unaffected by a magnetic field it cannot be the case that all ferrous metals are affected by magnetic fields. Logically speaking, a scientific law is conclusively falsifiable although it is not conclusively verifiable. Methodologically, however, the situation is much more complex: no observation is free from the possibility of error\u2014consequently, we may question whether our experimental result was what it appeared to be”. For further details see https:\/\/plato.stanford.edu\/entries\/popper\/<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      In my heart, the real challenge awakened into quarrel\u2019s inner courtrooms by Korach is the essence of post-theodic[I] egalitarianism[II], i.e. if all are facets of the same diamond, and all the centre of the stage, then why arrange ourselves by systems that force us to interact with each other and the world in specified protocols? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[159,154,167,168],"tags":[320,176,188],"metadata":[171,158,307,305],"class_list":["post-1639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-posts","category-google-drive","category-judaism","category-torah-commentary","tag-levinas","tag-176","tag-188","metadata-editors-footnotes","metadata-shai_footnotes","metadata-stage-5-consolidation","metadata-stages-phases"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":150,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2013\/08\/16\/believing-that-the-world-is-ok\/","url_meta":{"origin":1639,"position":0},"title":"Believing that the world is OK","author":"Pala","date":"August 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"There's this belief that the world is OK. How to address this? How about step 1: What is the nature of the constituents of the matter of concern? Or as Socrates might be modernized, \"What is the meaning of each thing?\". Truly ask this, because barely any do. Plato would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2853,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2014\/02\/21\/commune\/","url_meta":{"origin":1639,"position":1},"title":"Commune","author":"Pala","date":"February 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the first features to be observed is that I live in what appears to be a world of things. Everything is. A fact easily denied in the world of post-modernity. But I am. But is it fair to transcend from one thing to all things? And is it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2016\/10\/30\/apologies\/","url_meta":{"origin":1639,"position":2},"title":"Apologies","author":"Pala","date":"October 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Editorial notes: In October 2016, Shai opens his eighth\u00a0blog, entitled \u201cA Bashful Hope\u201c and sub-title \u201cDreaming of meaning\u201d. Between October 2016 and December 2016 he posts\u00a013 articles in this blog. This blog is clearly a work-in-progress and its menu structure suggests that Shai planned to incorporate articles across the vast\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A Bashful Hope"","block_context":{"text":"A Bashful Hope","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/blog-posts\/a-bashful-hope\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":179,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2014\/10\/01\/thinking-about-unhappy-consciousness-and-gods-dogs\/","url_meta":{"origin":1639,"position":3},"title":"Thinking About Unhappy Consciousness (and God’s Dogs)","author":"Pala","date":"October 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When I first read Hegel on \"the unhappy consciousness\", I struggled to make sense of it; a strange conversation gave it new meaning. The epiphany came about as we started talking about why dogs are so happy; why a dog's life can be said to be perfect, and enviable too!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1278,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/01\/09\/a-silent-path\/","url_meta":{"origin":1639,"position":4},"title":"A Silent Path","author":"Pala","date":"January 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"{04\/11\/2016} This is my own path. I'm writing this for no one except myself. If anyone should read this, be warned: You can not judge, you can not comprehend, you can not apply. Here are the wonders of my life. Who can claim them for their own? 10* for 8**\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/kisspng-black-and-white-monochrome-grey-divider-5ab8b367372326.6136383115220539912259-300x15.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1191,"url":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/2017\/06\/02\/the-day-cupid-dropped-acid\/","url_meta":{"origin":1639,"position":5},"title":"The Day Cupid Dropped Acid","author":"Pala","date":"June 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Editorial notes: Reflections about drug (and love) experiences, in which emotions and feelings are analysed (\u201cHacking\u201d) that are intensely felt but too changing and formless (as in \u201cchariot mysticism\u201d) to give reliable solid information; \u201cto be studied but not believed; or Hacking the chariot of fire.\u201d The reflections are deeply\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Posts"","block_context":{"text":"All Posts","link":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/all-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/sadotI-korach","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1639\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1639"},{"taxonomy":"metadata","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetravellerslastjourney.com\/shai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/metadata?post=1639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}