Dotan & Aviram are two characters in the Torah who just want to cause trouble for Moses. They are agitators of the worst kind. They cause trouble and don’t take responsibility for their complaints.
Datan and Aviram: When Complaints Aren’t About the Problem
Early in the story of the Exodus, we are introduced to two figures who will become a recurring headache for Moshe throughout the Torah: Datan and Aviram.
We first meet them in Egypt, when Moshe intervenes to stop two Hebrews from fighting. Instead of welcoming peace, they sneer at him: “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you going to kill us like you killed the Egyptian?” From the very beginning, they have nothing constructive to say. They don’t want solutions; they want to undermine.
And sure enough, they reappear again and again—most notably at Refidim, where the people complain about the lack of water. On the surface, the complaint sounds reasonable. They’re thirsty. That’s real. But the Torah lets us see something deeper: Datan and Aviram are not interested in fixing the problem. They are agitators.
Their language is always the same:
- “Why did you take us out of Egypt?”
- “Weren’t there enough graves there?”
- “We were better off before.”
This isn’t desperation speaking. This is disruption.
What makes them especially dangerous is that their arguments sound logical. Thirst is real. Hunger is real. Fear is real. But their intent is not to improve the situation—it is to delegitimize leadership. They don’t care what happens next, as long as Moshe fails.
And this is one of the hardest lessons of leadership.
There are people who bring valid complaints. They come because something is genuinely wrong, and they want it fixed. A leader must listen to them carefully.
And then there are people who complain because that is their identity. They are against whoever is in charge. If Moshe succeeds, they lose relevance. If order is restored, they have nothing to say. So they push, provoke, and inflame—not because they want justice, but because they want collapse.
Datan and Aviram were not ordinary slaves in Egypt. Chazal tell us they were overseers—better off than most. Freedom didn’t elevate them; it threatened them. A system where everyone stands equal before God leaves no room for people who thrive on hierarchy and resentment.
That’s why they eventually resurface in the rebellion of Korach. And that’s why their story ends the way it does. A society cannot survive when disruption becomes a virtue and leadership itself is treated as illegitimate.
The Torah is warning us: not every complaint deserves the same response. Wisdom lies in discerning motive, not just content.
When we hear outrage, we must ask:
- Is this someone trying to repair the system?
- Or someone trying to break it?
That distinction matters—then, and now.
Something to think about.
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