There are different ways to deal with traumatic memories or souvenirs of sorrow. One ritual way is to repurpose objects and recycle their meaning. This is what happens with the charred remains of the monumental failed revolt of Korach - they become a ritual monument. The height of the drama in chapter 16 included a showdown between the contenders for priestly role - 250 of them had to show up with copper fire pans containing lit coals and incense, letting God choose who among them is worthy. The earth opened up to swallow one group and fire consumed the rest. But the fire pans were left behind, consecrated and conspicuous. Now what?
“Eleazar the priest took the copper fire pans which had been used for offering by those who died in the fire; and they were hammered as covering for the altar”
This is one of the first public tasks of Aaron’s heir, Elazar, commanded to reuse the copper pans as eternal so that all will remember who’s in charge and who not to mess with. Erica Brown, a contemporary Jewish scholar comments on this choice:
“Korach's rebellion left its physical and historical mark in a place of continued ritual use. The incorporation of physical pieces of the past on the stage of forgiveness and expiation, thankfulness and devotion, creates a much fuller picture of the altar's significance. The altar was not merely a place where Israelites offered sacrifices to mark personal events and emotional states; it was a place that offered individuals meaning precisely because it carried the past of an entire nation: the joys, the deep pain, and the tears....failures were not ignored; they were memorialized through a permanent structure. The complicated, hammered past is part of the ongoing present when past evil is blended with the continuing spirit of goodness and optimism.”
That’s powerful. But there is a problem. Back in Exodus, when the Tabernacle is constructed, the altar is already designed, with copper on all sides - a reasonable choice for a ritual object handling nonstop fire. Why would Elazar cover the altar - again? It’s possible that what’s really happening here is the collage of different traditions about this story, a theory that supports the academic claim that this bit about the altar is a much later historical insertion, echoing priestly rivalries in Jerusalem, centuries after Korach challenged the regime. I suspect that what’s at core here is another layer in historical cover up, literally, establishing a religious narrative of authority whose origins stem from love but grounded in fear.
How would we recycle such loaded ritual relics today?
Thank you so much for highlighting a transformative event in Torah’s story of the Jewish people . This is truly the beating of swords into plowshares. This is what it takes to become a nation of priests. I’m so aware of this today as I take in the horror of The US sanctioned and praised bombing of apartment buildings in Gaza. Where are the leaders, where are the priests, who will take the bombs and transform them into offerings on an altar of peace?
Thank you so much for highlighting a transformative event in Torah’s story of the Jewish people . This is truly the beating of swords into plowshares. This is what it takes to become a nation of priests. I’m so aware of this today as I take in the horror of The US sanctioned and praised bombing of apartment buildings in Gaza. Where are the leaders, where are the priests, who will take the bombs and transform them into offerings on an altar of peace?