[Jewish] [Mindful Torah] Psalm for Monday: Psalm 48, vs. 1

[Rabbi Steven Nathan]

1. A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah
Normally, if a psalm begins "A Psalm of ...." I would simply add vs. 2
and comment on both. However, the phrase "a psalm of the sons of Korah"
struck me. 13 of the 150 psalms are attributed to b'nei Korah . How
strange, since Korah was the cousin of Moses, from the tribe of Levi,
who led a brief rebellion against Moses and was swallowed up by the
earth as a consequence. How is it that his descendants became not only
sacred musicians, as were all the Levites, but sacred composers as well?
As Rabbi Perry Netter points out in his commentary on the Torah portion
of Korah, "The sons embraced the claim of the father that they were
indeed holy, and they wrote holy words. His sons became poets; they
wrote Psalms...Korach is the symbol of rebellion and conflict and
despair; his sons are a symbol of hope."
The sons who wrote the psalm lived generations after their namesake.
The fact that they were still very much a part of the priestly Levite
tribe reminds us that the sins of the parents are not visited upon the
children (or at least not for long) in the Biblical tradition. Yet, how
many of us carry the "sins" of our parents within us, and even to the
next generation, because we are unwilling to let go. Each of our
parents have acted in ways that have angered us. Perhaps more
frequently than we would have liked. And those of us who are parents
have angered or hurt our own children more times than we would probably
like to admit. We have made mistakes, sometimes serious ones. I know I
have. And yet, as mindfulness teaches, we must live in the present
moment and not in the past. Yes, we must seek for giveness for wrongs
we have committed, but it also our obligation to accept the amends made
by parents or other who have hurt us. If they do not acknowledge that
they have done wrong, or not sought to apologize, then we owe it to
ourselves to forgive them or at least, to let go of the anger that will
simply continue to gnaw at us.
Korah believed he was at least as holy, if not holier, than his cousin
Moses and so he deserved the mantle of leadership as much as his
cousin. His hubris and ego brought violence and destruction to himself
and the community. The sons of Korah believed that they were holy for
we all are holy, we are all a part of the divine. And so they provided
song, joy and comfort to the community and to themselves. Hence they
are, as Rabbi Netter wrote, a "symbol of hope." Not the hope for things
of the future that we can know nothing about in this moment. But hope
simply as a recognition that life continues from moment to moment. Hope
and belief that divinity can be found in each person and in each
moment. Hope that comes from letting go of past hurts and living in the
presence. Hope that makes us want to sing!

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Posted By Rabbi Steven Nathan to Mindful Torah at 4/26/2010 11:16:00 AM
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