Korach a Lesson from Korach’S Wealth Rabbi David Pinto Chlita It Is Written, “Korach, the Son of Itzhar, for He Even Recognized G-D’S Glory
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PARSHA The Path to Follow KORACH A LESSON FROM KORAch’s WeALTH Rabbi David Pinto Chlita It is written, “Korach, the son of Itzhar, for he even recognized G-d’s glory. However he did not TH JUNE 20 , 2015 the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, properly use his other eye, since he failed to recognize his own insignificance. He was not wise enough to yield to the RD TAMUZ 5775 separated himself” (Bamidbar 16:1). holy Torah and the Sages of Israel. It was therefore pride It is not a coincidence that Parsha Korach is found that led to his fall. This is the meaning of the expression, between the passage of the tzitzit and Parsha Chukat “His vision deceived him.” He became arrogant, mainly in the Torah. In regards to the tzitzit we read, “You shall because of his many possessions. The verse, “Yerushun 600 look upon them and remember all the commandments of became fat and kicked” (Devarim 32:15) was fulfilled in Hashem and fulfill them” (Bamidbar 15:39), and Parsha Korach, for he was blinded by wealth, which he attributed Chukat states: “This is the Torah: When a man dies in to his own efforts. a tent” (ibid. 19:14). Our Sages explain that the Torah Regrettably, there are many people today who act just cannot be acquired unless a person sacrifices himself like Korach. When we are going through a rough patch for it. What follows are two fundamental and essential or a misfortune strikes us, we usually turn to Hashem conditions for meriting the crown of Torah. and beseech Him for help. Only then does faith awaken First, “You shall look upon” – we must recognize G-d, in us. Yet when all is going well – when G-d provides us be aware of His greatness, know Him, and remember all with food in abundance – that is when we forget G-d and His commandments. turn our backs on Him, for we attribute our successes to But this is not enough. In fact we look at our tzitzit each our own efforts. This is precisely what the Torah warns day, but without sensing that it affects and influences us against: “Lest you eat and be satisfied, and you build us. Therefore how are we to understand the rest of the good houses and settle, and your cattle and sheep and verse: “You shall look upon them and remember all the goats increase, and you increase silver and gold for commandments of Hashem and fulfill them”? Hence yourselves…and your heart will grow proud and you will Parsha Chukat adds an additional condition for receiving forget Hashem your G-d” (Devarim 8:12-14). This is why the Torah: “When a man dies in a tent.” That is, we are the Torah commands us, “You shall remember Hashem obligated to sacrifice ourselves for the Torah, to yield your G-d – that it was He Who gave you the strength to before it, and to annul our desires for its glory. We must make wealth” (v.18). recognize our insignificance compared to it, and we must During one of the worst aviation disasters in history, an demonstrate tremendous humility. airplane carrying about 280 passengers, including three The mitzvah of tzitzit certainly allows us to remember Israeli Jews, crashed into the middle of the ocean. The the greatness of G-d and recognize His superiority. state of Israel therefore made every effort to find traces However we must also learn not to grow proud, and to of the airplane and recover the bodies of the victims. But rid ourselves of negative character traits. In fact if we are it was useless. The sister of one of these Jews contacted mindful of G-d’s greatness, yet filled with pride – consider- me, and in the depths of her despair she tearfully asked ing ourselves to be honorable – then we will not try to fulfill me: “What do you think? Is my brother still alive?” I said His commandments. Hence recognizing the supremacy to her, “What are you hoping to hear me say? Rational of the Shechinah must go hand-in-hand with submitting people all understand that there’s no hope of finding ourselves before the Torah and those who study it. survivors at this point, since the plane crashed into the Publication of This was Korach’s mistake: He was among those who middle of the ocean.” However she replied with faith, “But carried the Holy Ark, and therefore he was aware of G-d’s Rabbi, as a Jew I’ve always had hope and faith that my HEVRAT PINTO greatness. Yet on the other hand, he did not know how to brother is still alive!” Under the Direction of humble himself and recognize man’s frail state. He did not Her response stunned me, and I realized that this is want to fulfill the verse, “When a man dies in a tent,” for it what the faith of every Jew should resemble: We must Rabbi David Hanania was difficult for him to kill his own desires before the Torah believe in G-d; we must believe that nothing can prevent Pinto Shlita and Moshe, the leader of all Israel. Korach was filled with Him from saving us. Our Sages have affirmed this by pride and said, “Why should Moshe lead us, rather than saying, “Even if a sharp sword rests upon a man’s neck, CHEVRAT PINTO I?” Since he lacked humility and failed to submit himself he should not desist from prayer” (Berachot 10a). How- to the Torah and the Sages, he ended up rebelling against ever we have to ask ourselves: Do we only demonstrate 207 West 78th Street the Torah and even denying G-d. This happened because such faith when confronted by worries and misfortunes New York - NY 10024 anyone who rebels against the tzaddikim and despises that make us look to G-d and depend on Him? Yet when Tel: 1 212 721 0230 them is considered to be rebelling against G-d Himself. things are good, do we recognize that everything comes www.hevratpinto.org Rashi says the following: “But what did Korach, who from Him, that we have an abundance of things, and that was intelligent, see [that pushed him to commit] this folly? we are in good health? Otherwise (G-d forbid), in times of [email protected] His vision deceived him” (Rashi on Bamidbar 16:7). We success we may distance ourselves from faith in G-d and Editor-in-Chief: have been given two eyes: One to recognize the great- declare, “My strength and the might of my hand has made ness of G-d, and the other to recognize our own insig- me all this wealth” (Devarim 8:17). Whoever we may be, Hanania Soussan nificance and lowliness. Korach properly used one eye, we are obligated to heed this warning and reflect on it. but instead to stay completely out of it. To make them realize the gravity The Words of Our Sages of a dispute, he told them the following story: A lion was strolling in the forest and stopping animals that crossed Even the Smallest Dispute its path. He asked the first animal, “Do I have bad breath?” The animal The Torah is strewn with advice designed to guide each Jew along life’s cringed in response, for a horrendous odor was emanating from the lion’s path. Included in this advice is a warning that follows from the incident mouth on account of its hunger. Considering its reaction as an affront to described in this week’s parsha, namely: “Be not like Korach and his as- the honor of the king of the beasts, the lion was enraged with the poor sembly” (Bamidbar 17:5). The Ramban cites the Yereyim (345) in stating animal and ate it. The lion then continued and encountered another ani- that this warning prohibits us in general from contesting the priesthood mal and asked, “How is the odor from my mouth?” Learning from the or thinking that we can also perform the service in the Temple, rather mistake of the first animal, it replied: “An excellent odor, a divine and than a kohen. delicate fragrance.” The lion then roared: “What insolence! Lying with Nevertheless, our Sages point out that every conflict is covered by this such brazenness to the king of the beasts!” It then ate the second animal warning, as the Yereyim states: “We must never contest the honor that as well. Afterwards, once its hunger was satiated, the lion came across is accorded to others for a mitzvah, this on account of the prohibition the fox. It opened it mouth wide and asked it, “And you, what do you against acting like Korach and his assembly, who contested the authority think: What odor is coming from my mouth?” Crafty, the fox prostrated of Moshe and Aaron by saying: ‘Why do you exalt yourselves over the itself and replied: “Excuse me, my majesty the king, but my nose has been congregation of Hashem?’ [Bamidbar 16:3].” blocked for three days now, and I can’t smell anything for the moment.” The Gemara (Sanhedrin 110a) affirms that anyone who involves him- The Rebbe of Chekov concluded by saying, “It is preferable to distance self in a conflict is transgressing a Torah prohibition and deserves to be ourselves from this sad conflict. In fact our noses are blocked – we are struck by leprosy (tzara’at). From where do we learn this? It is written, unable to make sense of things and decide.