Korach Excerpts

קרח

Shabbat Shalom

Aaron steps in the middle of the plague. When was the last time any of you have even stopped a fight in this shule...Shaytels came off...You were screaming 'Jerry. Jerry...'

That is not the way to treat Kiddush.

All the sinners of this shule...Right after Korach and his cronies start to die, they complain. They still complain. They don't give in. The protest begins. Everybody is having fun. 'Korach. Korach...' Just like this congregation screaming 'Jerry. Jerry,' last week, when the Marvin's toupee came off...Uproar. Did any body get in the middle?..Mrs. Cohen thought it was a mouse Bernie.

Yes. I tried to stop it, but there is only so much I can do when your rabbi is setting an example of being Shomer Negiah (not touching the opposite sex- you heretics who would dare touch a head covering)...

Moshe and Aaron can only stop H' so much. They tried to stop H' from doing anything, but the plague had already started.

(17:12-13) Aaron went into the middle and does atonement...

It would seem that the willingness to risk his life is what stopped the plague. The kind of leader who is willing to get his hands dirty. That is Aaron. That is a reason to stop the plague.

Would the Gabbai of this shule risk his life for a Dvar Torah? No...

I have seen countless times here where nobody risked their life. How many people in this shule drive motorcycles and compete at the Derby Hat Race? Nobody. Because you are not willing to risk your lives. 

Sky diving? Surgeries every weekend? Regular walk through Azza? How many of you even went out to shop on Black Friday?...Racist? Not the point. The point is you don't risk your lives. The only person in this congregation keeping the plague from coming is your rabbi. Your rabbi who risked his life to come to this congregation. Sold his soul for you.

Moshe sends out Aaron to get in the middle. Moshe had another leader besides himself. You need a right hand man...But how many take that chance and go in there? On Simchat Torah, with the group Aliyah, there was not one person in this congregation that went in there, even after my request, to read the Barchu not like an idiot. It was embarrassing. Deserving of a plague...This congregation has been struck with the plague of stupidity....

Who has ever went in the middle for your rabbi? Who has ever taken a chance at pulling the Bar Mitzvah boy away from the Bima...We were all struggling through the plague of the long layning, Bernie. 

A plague.

With leaders like this, who go into the people and connect with them. Letting them know that you are with them, after seeing 14,000 die. Not even thinking of your own life. How can H' not stop the plague? That is leadership that people will follow...

Nobody will follow a long layning. Nobody will be part of a community where transilteration is needed for Barchu...Pronouncing a 'chet.' That is not a Hebrew letter. That is the name of the guy that got kicked out of the trailer park...

What have you risked?

Got to go in there willing to risk a little for atonement. Otherwise, you might be caught in the middle of the next 'Korach. Korach' chant. You might find your rabbi touching women. And your shaytel might just kill a good Bar Mitzvah. If we do not stop this plague of stupidity and take a chance, our shule will end up with English written Hebrew everywhere.

***These are excerpts from the sermon. For the sermon in its entirety, come see David Kilimnick perform at the Off The Wall Comedy Basement, in downtown Jerusalem.
David also tours as a Maggid with very few stories, and is booking his America tour as a Comic-in-Residence for October.

Shabbat Shalom