From Anger to Awareness: Korach's Rebellion
- Susie Keinon
- Jan 1, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 5
In this week’s Torah portion, Korach, Korach accuses Moses: “You have gone too far.”
He challenges Moses’s leadership, accusing him of elitism: “Why do you raise yourself above the congregation?” Beneath his words lies jealousy—of Moses’s position and authority.
Jealousy is deeply human.
Yet Korach had moments—opportunities—when he might have paused, stepped back, and gained perspective. He could have taken time to process his feelings and see the situation differently.
When we don’t pause, we risk jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts. This can be destructive to relationships—like when parents, in the height of anger, punish their children in ways they later regret.
Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “nose” is af, and anger is charon af—literally “a flaring nose.” When we become angry, our nostrils flare. At the same time, G-d is described as Erech Apayim—“long-nosed,” a metaphor for patience, like that of a loving parent toward a child who has made a mistake.
Perhaps there is wisdom here: when anger arises, we can turn to the breath—specifically, breathing through the nose.
When we feel the fire of anger igniting, we can pause… and breathe.
In other words, we can practice mindful awareness. Perhaps Korach, too, might have benefited from a moment of mindful breathing.
Research supports this. A 2016 study found that participants who were intentionally angered became significantly calmer after just 20 minutes of meditation—even those with no prior experience. Their heart rate and blood pressure decreased.
Meditation helps protect both body and mind from the stress of anger—and from difficult emotions in general.
Emotions live in the body. We know this from experience: butterflies in the stomach when we’re nervous, warmth in the chest when we feel moved.
It can be more helpful to attend to these physical sensations than to the thoughts about them. Why? Because sensations move more slowly than thoughts—they are easier to stay with. They shift, change, and soften. Simply noticing them can ground us and help us settle.
We’ll now move into a short practice of noticing sensations in the body. I’ll leave moments of silence so you can observe your experience.
We’ll begin by finding a comfortable place to sit on a chair, on the floor. It doesn’t matter where you sit, but the attention that you bring to the practice. So wherever you can be the most awake and attentive. We’re going to be paying attention to body sensations. Placing your feet on the floor, your hands on your thighs, and sitting upright in an alert and comfortable way.
Noticing how your feet feel on the floor, noticing your hands on your thighs, and noticing the contact that your body makes with the chair, the ground or a cushion. Noticing your spine, if it’s resting on the chair or slightly off your chair.
Observing your breath and what it feels like to be breathing in this moment.
Bringing awareness to your physical sensations as you inhale, and as you exhale.
(pause)
And noticing your breath and the air entering and leaving your body.
Can you feel the air as it enters your nose? Is it warm or cool… Focusing on the temperature of the air as it enters your nose and leaves your nose. (Pause)
Paying attention to the sensations in your chest with each in-breath and each out- breath.
Perhaps contracting; expanding? Tightness; heaviness, lightness, a sense of flow…… Just noticing. (pause)
And now focusing on the stomach as the breath goes in and out.
What sensations do you notice there? Being curious about whatever you are noticing in your body right now. Expanding, contracting….. queasy, butterflies, knots,
lightness, calm?
And now noticing your clothing on your body.
Observing where you feel your clothing: is it tight or loose? Rough or soft?
We’re going to take a few moments to notice what’s happening in your body and any sensations arising, or falling away. Sensations such as: warmth, /heat, clammy or sweaty, coolness, dryness, tingling, prickly, trembling, an itch, heaviness, tension, stiffness, or perhaps numbness, relaxed.
Take a few moments now to scan your body from head to toe (or toes to head) PAUSE
And now bringing awareness to sensations in one place in your body– your face,
your chest or stomach; your back or legs…….
As you notice a sensation arising in your body, you can move your awareness to that sensation. For example, you become aware that you have an ache in your right knee. Move your awareness to the sensations in the right knee. Observing if the knee is it hot or cold?
Then maybe that sensation starts to fade, and you notice another sensation, this time an itch on the ear. Maintain your stillness and be aware of the itch. As this passes, another sensation might arise. Taking another moment and observing any and all sensations
You can widen your focus by noticing sensations coming from different places in your body, and also narrow your focus by paying attention to a specific place in your body when you notice a sensation.
Being mindful of physical sensations in the body can help you to become more connected to your body. You can start to differentiate between discomfort, and pain. It also helps with relaxing the body, as when you scan your body, you start to notice areas of tension and can start to allow yourself to relax.
Another advantage of noticing your bodily sensations is grounding yourself in the here and now -in your present reality as experienced through your body. This practice helps to achieve this groundedness in the present.
Taking a moment to appreciate taking care of yourself in this way.
While most of us don't get angry enough to incite rebellions like Korach, we can benefit from making an intention to continue with this practice.
You can listen to this on Insight Timer:
https://insighttimer.com/skeinon/guided-meditations/anger-and-rebellion
For more information about mindfulness with Susie:
HEBREW
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