RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT Korach PART 1: Who Needs the Priesthood?(BONUS PREVIEW Sapphire from the Land of Israel A New Light on the Weekly Torah Portion From the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook by Rabbi Chanan Morrison )

"You have taken too much upon yourselves! All the people in the community are holy, and God is with them. Why are you setting yourselves above God's congregation?" (Num. 16:3) Korach's call for religious equality resonates well with modern, egalitarian sensibilities. Why indeed do the Jewish people need a special caste of priests? Why cannot each member of the nation participate in the holy service, personally offering up his own gifts to God? Why do we need kohanim to serve as intermediaries?