The portion of Korah is named for the rebellious Levite Korah who started a dispute over the issue of kedushah. The concept of kedushah is central in Judaism, and its meaning can have profound impact on the environment today. Kedushah or the corresponding adjective, kadosh, are usually translated obscurely as "sanctity" or "holy"; its real meaning is: devotion to a sublime ideal.     

In our portion the Torah tells us that, following his demagogic presentation, there was no longer room on earth for Korah; the earth swallowed him up. At the core of his claims was the statement: "The whole community is kadosh (Numbers 16:3)." That does not sound so terrible-does it? After all, we need go back only four verses from here to read God's demand ". . . you shall be kadosh," But really it is terrible. The obligation to be kadosh is central to the teachings of the Torah and should guide us in all aspects of our lives to strive toward kedushah. But if you are already kadosh, there is no more need to strive. Thus Korah's complacency pulled the rug from under the Torah, and his arguments were rejected.

What does it mean to strive constantly for kedushah? The first time the commandment to "be kadosh" appears in the Torah, Nahmanides quotes the Midrash which explains that most of the body of Torah law 'hangs on' this commandment (Leviticus 19:1). He explains further that the idea of being kadosh follows the specifications of what foods and relationships are forbidden in the Torah. He teaches that we may be fooled into thinking that as long as what we are consuming is permissible, the amount that we consume doesn't matter.

According to Nahmanides, one who abuses the resources of the world with the rationale that these 

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