Transcript
Okay, good morning. We continue with our parsha class, a study of פרשת קרח Parshas Korach this week. This week is my grandfather's יאָרצײַט Yahrtzeit, so we'll dedicate our learning לעילוי נשמת שמואל בן יונה גדליה le'ilui nishmas Shmuel ben Yona Gedalia. The נשמה neshama should have an עליה aliyah.פרשת קרח Parshas Korach continues, ספר במדבר Sefer Bamidbar as a whole has not been the most heartwarming, elevating experience. We went from the birth of our people in a miraculous fashion, feeling the love and affection of the רבונו של עולם Ribono Shel Olam, to the adolescence of the Jewish people in ספר במדבר Sefer Bamidbar, a group of people who feel entitled, who are complaining, despite the incredible, unparalleled ברכה bracha and lifestyle they have in their lives. Nevertheless, they only see the negativity. And that continues this week now with the sense of rebelliousness, with the rebellion of קרח Korach himself. So the parsha begins ויקח קרח Vayikach Korach, קרח Korach took. And all the מפרשים meforshim jump on the fact that קרח Korach, we know, is going to be a villain of the Jewish people, is the instigator of a great rebellion and a division he tries to introduce, a division within the Jewish people, a real sense of מחלוקת machlokes. Maybe since the birth of our people, this is the first attempt at a nationwide מחלוקת machlokes, a sense of debate, a fight of division. So all the מפרשים meforshim jump, it says ויקח קרח Vayikach Korach, קרח Korach took. But it never tells us what he took. ויקח קרח בן יצהר בן קהת בן לוי ודתן ואבירם בני אליאב ואון בן פלת בני ראובן Vayikach Korach ben Yitzhar ben Kehas ben Levi ve'Dasan va'Aviram bnei Eliav ve'On ben Peles bnei Reuven. קרח Korach and these other individuals, דתן Dasan and אבירם Aviram, און בן פלת On ben Peles, they all got up ויקומו לפני משה ואנשים מבני ישראל Vayakumu lifnei Moshe va'anashim mi'Bnei Yisrael. And they got up in front of 250 people and very eloquently and very compellingly, they made their case. It's often not hard throughout history. History is full of charismatic individuals who who pray on the most vulnerable or underprivileged and convince them, you know, you deserve more, you deserve better. This isn't right. You're being disrespected. Follow me. Could bring a better reality for you. History is filled with such individuals. They don't go to the aristocracy and the wealthy and those in power. That's not the source of the backing of a rebellion. You always find those who are vulnerable, who will participate, who don't have a lot to lose but in instigating the rebellion. That's what קרח Korach does. But in introducing it, ויקח Vayikach, what exactly, who exactly did קרח Korach take? רש״י Rashi in the beginning of our פרשה parsha jumps on this. And רש״י Rashi says ויקח קרח Vayikach Korach, לקח את עצמו לצד אחד lakach es atzmo letzad echad, להיות נחלק מתוך העדה לעורר על הכהונה lehiyos nechlack mi'toch ha'eida le'orer al ha'kehuna. He took himself. He took himself and placed himself on the wrong side of the issue. He took himself out of the ציבור tzibbur. Right, one of the one of the ideas, one of the critical values of the Jewish people is to be מעורב עם הבריות me'urav im habriyos, to be somebody who is integrated, who is beloved, somebody who is appreciated by and appreciates others. And here קרח Korach removes, extracts himself from being מעורב me'urav with everyone and puts himself on the other side of the issue. That's ויקח Vayikach. He took himself out of the very pleasant communal lifestyle, and as an instigator, placed himself at the forefront of trying to start a fight, a מחלוקת machlokes over the כהונה kehuna. But I want to read to you from the new רב Rav חומש Chumash what the רב Rav says. Says רב סולובייצ׳יק Rav Soloveitchik, רש״י Rashi offers two interpretations of ויקח קרח Vayikach Korach, literally קרח Korach took. The first, לקח את עצמו lakach es atzmo, he took himself on one side with the intention of separating himself from the community so that he could raise a protest regarding the priesthood. Until then, no one had dared to impugn Moshe's authority. קרח Korach was the first to separate himself from a community which was committed to Moshe and revered him. רש״י's Rashi's phrase לקח את עצמו lakach es atzmo also indicates that קרח Korach dedicated himself completely to that task. There was only one goal in קרח's Korach's life: to unseat Moshe. He dedicated his whole self to this diabolical plan of undermining Moshe's exalted position. So says the רב Rav, ויקח Vayikach suggests not that this was a hobby of קרח Korach, not that it was an issue that he raised on the side, not that he had a concern that he shared in an appropriate legitimate forum, but that קרח Korach became single-mindedly focused, his only mission in life at the cost, at the risk and later the cost of everything including his life itself. His single-minded focus was, he became משוגע לדבר אחד meshuga l'davar echad. He became obsessed. It became personal. And this whole פרשה parsha is the סוגיא sugya of מחלוקת machlokes. You know, in גמרא Gemara you learn up a סוגיא sugya, you want to know the הלכה halacha. If you want to understand the סוגיא sugya of how does מחלוקת machlokes ferment, how does מחלוקת machlokes breed, how does מחלוקת machlokes, how does, what's how do you translate מחלוקת machlokes, strife? It's not debate, debate has a positive tone to it. Argument, strife, disagreement, division. מחלוקת Machlokes, you all know what we mean when we say the word מחלוקת machlokes from now on. This is, סוגיא sugya means this is the topic. This is, if you're learning a סוגיא sugya of הלכה halacha, you say, where is that in the גמרא Gemara? Where's the סוגיא sugya on? This is the סוגיא sugya, this is the topic. If you want to study where מחלוקת machlokes comes from, how it's mishandled, how it's properly handled. By the way, how do you know that? The משנה Mishna in אבות Avos, our Rabbis certainly viewed it that way, because the משנה Mishna in אבות Avos said, a מחלוקת לשם שמים סופה להתקיים machlokes l'shem shamayim sofah l'hiskayem. When you have a מחלוקת machlokes, when you have a debate which is had the proper motivation and intention, סופה להתקיים sofah l'hiskayem, then the debate will be honored, it's an elevated debate, it's going to be captured. There's some positive growth that'll be stimulated by it. And a מחלוקת שלא לשם שמים, אינו סופה להתקיים machlokes shelo l'shem shamayim, eino sofah l'hiskayem. If a debate is personal, a debate is not really for the best intentions, then it will not be something which is recorded, which is captured, which will offer progress. And the משנה Mishna lists, what's a מחלוקת לשם שמים machlokes l'shem shamayim? מחלוקת Machlokes between שמאי Shammai and הלל Hillel. We studied on שבועות Shavuos about אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים eilu v'eilu divrei Elokim chaim. The concept that you could have שמאי Shammai and הלל Hillel, two interpretations and equal truths, even though they're polar opposite, even though they're diametrically opposed. We can't have two truths. How is that possible? We talked all about it in the שיעור shiur on שבועות Shavuos. But the משנה Mishna contrasts it. If שמאי Shammai and הלל Hillel represent a מחלוקת לשם שמים machlokes l'shem shamayim with pure intent, then who is the מחלוקת שלא לשם שמים machlokes shelo l'shem shamayim? קרח ועדתו Korach ve'adaso, which, by the way, is a question everyone asks on the משנה Mishna. What should the משנה Mishna have said? What's the parallel? A מחלוקת machlokes, a debate that is not pure, or that is pure rather, is שמאי Shammai and הלל Hillel. A debate that's impure is קרח Korach and משה Moshe. But the משנה Mishna doesn't say that. The משנה Mishna gives the example of the impure debate is קרח ועדתו Korach ve'adaso, and his, קרח Korach and his cohort. So the commentaries all struggle with that. One of them that's offered, and I like this the most, is it takes two sides to have a real מחלוקת machlokes. משה Moshe wasn't engaged in a מחלוקת machlokes. This is קרח'ס Korach's מחלוקת machlokes. קרח Korach picked a fight. קרח Korach instigated something that had no basis, that was not legitimate, that was not valid. Torah is not suggesting that leadership is about squashing opposition. Torah welcomes opposition. We've always had opposition. The בית מדרש beis medrash is filled with the מלחמתה של תורה milchamtah shel Torah. The truth is revealed because there's opposition and protest and debate, lively and rigorous debate. The מלחמתה של תורה milchamtah shel Torah. It's a war, the debate. It's rigorous, it's vocal, it can sometimes get personal, but that's how truth is revealed. We welcome it. But it has to come from a genuine place and it has to be driven by the motivation of discovering truth, of revealing the will, the רצון השם ratzon Hashem, the will of the Almighty. קרח Korach was for his personal benefit. He was driven by ego. He was driven by his own sense of self. He was driven by his own craving of כבוד kavod. But it takes two to have a מחלוקת machlokes. I think the first lesson of מחלוקת machlokes here is that משה Moshe refused to enter it. קרח Korach tried to draw him in, which is also how מחלוקת machlokes works. The instigator presses the button. They find the soft spot of the other person. Where are they vulnerable? How will they be particularly insulted? How can I drag them in so that it'll be publicly on display and escalate this? And קרח Korach does that with משה Moshe. משה Moshe, we'll talk about in a second, who is the most humble of all men, says קרח Korach, \"Who is משה Moshe to think he's in charge? What an ego.\" Tried to push משה'ס Moshe's button, but did משה Moshe take the bait? Absolutely not. It was the רבונו של עולם Ribono Shel Olam who responded. And boy did he respond. The רבונו של עולם Ribono Shel Olam responds in no less than three ways. The ground opens up and swallows up קרח, דתן, ואבירם Korach, Dasan, va'Aviram and the 250 men. Then a great fire comes out and consumes those who align themselves. Then a plague strikes, and even then it's not enough. Then we have the story of the staffs, why they're placed in the משכן mishkan. אהרן'ס Aharon's staff blossoms and flourishes and the others don't. And finally we see that אהרן Aharon is indeed the chosen as the כהן גדול kohen gadol. So הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu intercedes. There's no question he sets the record straight. But maybe the reason the Rabbis describe it as a מחלוקת קרח ועדתו machlokes Korach ve'adaso and not קרח Korach and משה Moshe is the first lesson for us. It takes two to tango. To have a מחלוקת machlokes you need two participants. If you sit it out and you say, you know what, you can try to be in a fight with me, you could not talk to me, you could malign me, you could have all kinds of accusations. I'm going about my business. I refuse to be dragged into this מחלוקת machlokes. I'm still going to talk to you, still going to treat you as I always do. I'm going to go about what I have to do as long as I can live with myself. I refuse. The first way to avoid מחלוקת machlokes is avoid מחלוקת machlokes. Don't get dragged into the מחלוקת machlokes. And make no mistake that the person who's trying to do so is looking to leverage, is looking to pull the lever or push the button exactly where it's going to bother you the most. So לקח את עצמו lakach es atzmo says the רב Rav that the לשון lashon, the language of לקח את עצמו lakach es atzmo means קרח Korach was משוגע לדבר אחד meshuga l'davar echad. This is all he cared about. It no longer was about what's the רצון השם ratzon Hashem, what does God want, who does God want to lead his people? It became personal, ego. קרח Korach set aside everything. He took a hiatus from his job. You didn't have a job, they were in the מדבר midbar. But he כאילו ke'ilu took a hiatus from his job, a sabbatical from his job. He told his family, I'm sorry you're not going to be seeing me much. He told his friends, I'm sorry I'm not around. He told his team in the basketball league, I'm sorry I can't play this season. He liquidated all of his assets so he wouldn't have to manage his portfolio. He put his entire life on hold and dedicated himself exclusively to the one mission of taking קרח Korach down. And when a person becomes so insanely devoted and dedicated in such an exclusive way, that already reveals what kind of intentions they have. Are they good or are they bad? But a רב סולובייצ׳יק Rav Soloveitchik continues. This is the part I wanted to share with you. The קרח Korach rebellion was a unique event. Prior to it, the people complained, protested and murmured, but always in response to a physical need, a biological pressure like hunger or thirst, a primitive fear of an enemy or fiend, be it Amalek, a serpent or simply the wilderness itself. There were no political disagreements with Moshe, no ideological controversies, no rebellions. There were only protests, complaints and quarrels, consequences of the discomfort and hardship to which the people were subjected during the first and second years that they sojourned in the desert. They wanted food and water, they were afraid and they protested. Even the golden calf episode was not precipitated by idolatrous ideas that corroded the moral fiber of the people and influenced their philosophy. The חטא העגל cheis ha'Eigel was precipitated by the primitive, instinctual horror that befalls a lost sheep in wide open spaces. It was a spontaneous reaction to the primordial terror of being lost, leaderless in the wilderness. They thought Moshe would not return and how could they survive. All the previous quarrels were unorganized, unplanned, spontaneous reactions to situations they confronted and did not know how to handle. The quarrels were generated by a mob mentality, which easily gets excited, but also easily regains its equilibrium. רש\"י's Rashi's second interpretation of the words ויקח קרח Vayikach Korach is that קרח Korach took others with him. In the beginning, he did not reveal anything to his prospective co-conspirators. But when the divine decree condemning the Jews to the 40 years sojourn in the wilderness was announced, he saw a golden opportunity presented itself and he revealed his plan to דתן, אבירם Dasan, Aviram and others. So what precipitates פרשת קרח Parshas Korach? It comes on the heels of פרשת שלח Parshas Shelach. Since they left Egypt, קרח Korach has been laying in wait, waiting for this opportunity. Since they left, קרח Korach has been jealous, has been craving the distinction, but he knew how could he take on משה Moshe? I mean, you also see so many political, right? קרח Korach is the candidate who's been dying to run against, but how is he going to unseat the incumbent? The incumbent משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu is beloved. Ten plagues, splitting of the sea, clouds of glory, pillar of fire, man from heaven. There's no way, look at משה'ס Moshe's popularity rating. משה'ס Moshe's approval rating is is as high as anything. There's no way he can unseat him. When does he see the golden opportunity? A scandal, a crisis arises and within that crisis קרח Korach sees, now I got to strike. This is when he's vulnerable. And what was the crisis? The מרגלים meraglim. And why did the מרגלים meraglim present that crisis? Because what was the consequence for the מרגלים meraglim? All of you, the generation here, you're not going into the land. What do you mean that's the only reason you took us out of Egypt? The whole reason that you changed our reality and liberated us from slavery is to go into Israel. Now you're telling all of us at this generation no one's going to enter the land. קרח Korach says, boom, this is it. This is my moment. They're going to all join me because משה Moshe has failed them as a leader. And that's the ויקח קרח Vayikach Korach, he took advantage of the moment. He took followers and he said this is it. I can unseat the incumbent. This is my chance to strike. He began to conspire, to criticize משה Moshe, to attack, to ridicule. He used all the weapons in his arsenal. In conversation with some he was serious, in conversation with others he was humorous. With some he played the role of prosecutor, with other the role of champion of justice. What's the way that you incite מחלוקת machlokes? You don't get up after דאווענען davening and bang on the בימה bimah and all of a sudden say I think there's a problem with so and so, because who's going to join you at that moment? You look isolated, you look alone. You look like a crazy person. What's the way that it has always happened and unfortunately continues to happen? You sit next to this person in שול shul and you talk to them and you point this out. Then you move for the next part of דאווענען davening next to that person. At the קידוש kiddush you chew the ear off of the third person. At the water cooler you find the next person and little by little you try to win people to your side. This one needed to be needed to be elevated, you had to tell them that they're also disrespected, you've got a great position for them if they support you. This one, you say, you know what, I got tickets to the great game, I'd love for you to come with me, something I want to talk to you about. This one, and that's what קרח Korach does, one by one. That's the ויקח קרח Vayikach Korach. The second פשט pshat. So the first interpretation is he was so driven, it was all his exclusive focus. The second פשט pshat is ויקח קרח Vayikach Korach, one by one, he takes them away. You can't just get up out of nowhere and try to tell an entire crowd. One by one and when you've won over people in the crowd, then when you get up, the next person says he's right, he's right, we're with him. And all of a sudden you have a full-blown, full-fledged rebellion on your hands. רש\"י Rashi says that ראובן Ruven, the tribe of ראובן Ruven became involved because they live next door to קרח Korach. In fact, the tribe of ראובן Ruven who didn't stand to gain in this rebellion. Right, קרח's Korach's argument was, we're also from לוי Levi. Why is אהרן Aharon having the distinction of being the כהנים kohanim? We should be the priests. Why is משה Moshe the leader? I should be the leader. Tribe of ראובן Ruven didn't stand to gain from that argument. They were ראובן Ruven was obviously distinct from לוי Levi, and yet ראובן Ruven lost more casualties in this rebellion than לוי Levi. How did that happen? Because the tribe of ראובן Ruven encamped next to קרח Korach. And you see from here, חז״ל Chazal say from here, אוי לרשע אוי לשכנו oy l'rasha oy l'shcheno. You see that when the wicked go down, they bring their neighbors with them. You want one always has to be vigilant, one always has to be on guard and not think that they are immune. Even if you're from a different tribe, but the influence of a neighbor can be very, very strong. We've talked about this in the past, an insight of רב נבנצל Rav Neventhal on this subject. ראובן Ruven had the right to say to God, wait a minute, God, I didn't just buy this house. It wasn't a realtor who put me here. How did ראובן Ruven end up next to קרח Korach? How'd they end up next to each other? They went to college together? They got a good deal on the houses, two for, how'd they end up next to each other? The רבונו של עולם Ribono Shel Olam assigned the encampments. God put them there. ראובן Ruven can't say to God, you put, I assume you put me here because this was a good place to raise my kids. Next thing you know, we're getting killed in a plague. Says רב נבנצל Rav Neventhal, because God would say back, even when you think that you've been divinely placed somewhere, you can never let down your guard from realizing the influence of those around you. You know, a שכן shachen, a bad neighbor can be worse than a bad person. Because a bad neighbor is not so bad. They're a neighbor and you think they're a good person so you don't realize the insidious influence they have on you. A bad person you stay far away from. You realize they're a bad person, you want nothing to do with them. But a neighbor can seem like a good neighbor, but nevertheless have a negative, have a negative influence. Okay, so that's the ויקח קרח Vayikach Korach and we see this מחלוקת machlokes. Another lesson you see about מחלוקת machlokes. So we talked about the methodology of מחלוקת machlokes, that קרח Korach becomes exclusively focused, which itself reveals that he was in it for the wrong reasons. We see that קרח Korach tries to peel people off one by one till he has enough of a backing. He's created enough of a nucleus to be able to incite. Then he's ready to ignite this מחלוקת machlokes to a full-blown מחלוקת machlokes. We saw that חז״ל Chazal saw that משה Moshe never entered it. It's קרח ועדתו Korach ve'adaso. משה Moshe says you could be in a fight, I'm not in a fight. It takes two people to be in a fight. You're not talking to me, you're maligning me, you're badmouthing me, you're you're, you know, taking back certain things that you promised because so it takes two people. I'm just not in a fight with you. I won't get dragged into it. משה Moshe avoids the fight and that's the best way to dissipate a מחלוקת machlokes. But says רב אשר וייס Rav Asher Weiss, another the מנחת אשר Minchas Asher, another insight. First of all about just about how horrible מחלוקת machlokes is, the impact, the effects of מחלוקת machlokes, how terrifying they are. The חז״ל Chazal say, רש\"י Rashi quotes, בא וראה כמה קשה מחלוקת Bo u're'eh kama kasha machlokes, שבית דין של מטה אינם עונשין אלא עד שיביא שתי שערות, ובית דין של מעלה עד עשרים שנה, וכאן אבדו אף יונקי שדים she'beis din shel mata einam onshin ela ad sheyavi shtei se'aros, u'beis din shel ma'ala ad esrim shana, v'chan avdu af yonkei shadayim. From here we learn the severity of a מחלוקת machlokes, of a bitter conflict because בֵּית דִּין beis din, an earthly court, only punishes a person for his sins until he reaches the age of physical maturity. And the heavenly court, the בֵּית דִּין beis din שֶׁל מַעְלָה shel ma'ala doesn't hold someone accountable until they're the age of 20. And here is a punishment for the מחלוקת machlokes, even nursing infants were lost. They went down in the plague because that's the impact when מחלוקת machlokes spreads. גמרא Gemara has a לשון lashon that when a מחלוקת machlokes spreads, it takes all kinds of casualties. Innocent people go down with it. And we've also seen that true. You know, friendships that are broken up, circles, people are isolated, communities fall, institutions fall, all because of an unnecessary מחלוקת machlokes that nobody even knows about, nobody even understands where it began. I don't want to reference any specific. ישיבות Yeshivas that are broken down, there was a who should be the ראש ישיבה rosh yeshiva, millions of dollars are transferred, a big debate. What was the fight about? No one knows. Nobody remembers. All they know is they're not talking. Families. How often I counsel families with מחלוקת machlokes that they're not talking. No, we don't talk to that uncle. We're not invited to those שמחות simchos. We don't get together. Why, what happened? Honestly, I don't even know. But that's the מנהג minhag in our family is that I know from my parents that we don't talk to that cousin. Something the grandparents were in business, but we don't talk to them. מחלוקת Machlokes can destroy families, it can destroy businesses, it can destroy, it can destroy community. It's a horrible, horrible thing. So, רב אשר וייס Rav Asher Weiss says the following, that קרח's Korach's followers were not punished as individuals, but as a community. Because when a community allows the flames of מחלוקת machlokes to rage in its midst, the guilty and the innocent suffer together. Men, women and innocent children. And the terrible punishment incurred by the מחלוקת machlokes was expressed by by the אריז״ל Arizal to explain the following פסוק pasuk. כי יפלא ממך דבר למשפט, בין דם לדם, בין דין לדין ובין נגע לנגע, דברי ריבות בשעריך Ki yipaleh mimcha davar la'mishpat, bein dam l'dam, bein din l'din, u'vein nega la'nega, divrei rivos bish'arecha. Later in ספר דברים Sefer Devarim, the Torah says, if you're unable to understand an issue, it's talking in פרשת שופטים Parshas Shoftim, I think it's פרשת שופטים Parshas Shoftim, about when you go to the judge in your days and you bring him an issue and he's supposed to adjudicate an area, have a question or a comment, if you're unable to understand between blood and blood, דם לדם dam l'dam, between דין ודין din v'din, judgment and judgment, between נגע ונגע nega l'nega, plague and plague, there are דברי ריבות בשעריך divrei rivos bish'arecha, there's a debate within your gates. So the אריז״ל Arizal explained it as follows, says רב אשר Rav Asher. Following the destruction of the בית המקדש beis hamikdash and the terrible calamities that befell כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael, the angels were unable to understand השם's Hashem's judgment. The angels saw the בית המקדש beis hamikdash was destroyed, Jews are dead, their blood is running in the streets, and they challenged the Almighty, רבונו של עולם Ribono Shel Olam, master of the universe. You wrote in your Torah that there's a מצוה mitzva of כיסוי הדם kisui hadam, you have to cover the blood when you שחט shecht an animal, and yet the blood of כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael is running through the street. It's neither covered nor buried. You wrote in your Torah concerning a a house with צרעת tzara'as that you empty the house, and only then the כהן kohen will inspect the house. Yet the בית המקדש beis hamikdash and all its contents were consumed by fire. You wrote in your Torah with שחיטה shechita, you cannot אותו ואת בנו לא תשחטו ביום אחד oso v'es bno lo tishchatu b'yom echad, you can't שחט shecht an animal and its child the same day, and חנה Chana and her seven sons were killed the same day. Challenge the מלאכים malachim to the Almighty, you are violating the very rules you gave to your people. How could you do it? They couldn't distinguish between דם לדם dam l'dam. How could it be the rules you gave them about דם dam and how you're treating their דם dam? Between דין ודין din v'din, the judgment rules you gave them and the way that you're executing judgment? Why were the Jews subjected to a punishment more severe than the Torah? And השם Hashem said, you know what the answer is? כי יפלא ממך דבר Ki yipaleh mimcha davar. When the angels have a פלא pela, they have this question, דם לדם dam l'dam, you're not treating them the way you told them they have to treat, בין דין לדין bein din l'din, you're not having judging them the way they have to judge. And what's השם'ס Hashem's answer? דברי ריבות בשעריך Divrei rivos bish'arecha. You know why? Because there's מחלוקת machlokes. כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael was punished with a heavy hand because of the מחלוקת machlokes. It drives away השם'ס Hashem's mercy. It invites strict justice in its place. And that was the that's what the מלאכים malachim couldn't understand. דברי ריבות בשעריך Divrei rivos bish'arecha. When there's מחלוקת machlokes, השם Hashem says all the rules change. All the rules I have no mercy. I have no pity on people who pursue and live with מחלוקת machlokes. Peace, we know, שלום Shalom is the highest value. But רב אשר וייס Rav Asher Weiss points out, he quotes the חידושי הרי״ם Chidushei HaRim, who notes the amazing irony, and then we got to start with the פרשה parsha. He notes the amazing irony of this accusation. What did קרח Korach and his say? He says כי כל העדה כלם קדושים, ומדוע תתנשאו על קהל השם ki kol ha'eida kulam kedoshim, u'madua tisnasu al kahal Hashem. We're all equally holy. What's going on? It's a פינטעלע ייד pintel yid, we're all equally holy. By the way, more cabalistic leaders see, and there is a tradition that קרח Korach was not this villain we depict him to be, that קרח Korach had a very holy soul and he had a very legitimate point of view. There is a holiness within every single Jew. כל העדה כלם קדושים Kol ha'eida kulam kedoshim. We should see that spark of holiness, the equality of all people. But yet, the way he expressed it and pursued it was of course wrong. But what's his challenge? Why do you think you're better than us? You have such an ego, משה Moshe? You have to raise yourself above others. So the חידושי הרי״ם Chidushei HaRim notes the irony of this accusation. If you want to ask that of others, ask it of others. If there is anyone in the world that you cannot accuse of being driven by their ego, it's whom? It's משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu. And how do we know that? Because God himself testifies on משה's Moshe's behalf. והאיש משה עניו מאד מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה V'ha'ish Moshe anav me'od mi'kol ha'adam asher al pnei ha'adama. משה Moshe is the most humble of all men. So קרח Korach, the source of קרח's Korach's rebellion doesn't have teeth. It can't stick. It was such a lie. Says רב אשר Rav Asher, it says משה Moshe is עניו מכל האדם aniv mi'kol ha'adam. אדם Adam stands for אברהם, דוד, ומשה Avraham, David, v'Moshe, the first letters of their names. All three of them were praised for their humility, and yet משה Moshe was the most humble of all. משה Moshe is the one who says ואנחנו מה v'anachnu mah, while אברהם Avraham said ואנכי עפר ואפר v'anochi afar va'efer. So קרח Korach was no fool. How could קרח Korach have made such a an inaccurate accusation? He gets up and he says, משה Moshe, you egomaniac. What do you mean? It was just, השם Hashem just told the Jewish people, just punished מרים Miriam and said to אהרן Aharon, one thing I'll tell you about my משה Moshe, he's the most humble person. He has no ego, zero. God himself testified that. So how is it that קרח Korach was able to incite a מחלוקת machlokes with an accusation that should have had zero credibility? And רב אשר וייס Rav Asher Weiss answers, I think so insightfully and accurately, that that's the nature of מחלוקת machlokes. When people want to enter מחלוקת machlokes, when מחלוקת machlokes is escalating, then it doesn't matter whether there's any truth to it. People don't stop and say to themselves, does that make sense? Does that, what they're saying about so-and-so, what I know of them, does that make sense? Is that what I've seen or experienced with my own eyes? As the מחלוקת machlokes rises, as it escalates, as it's fed, as it grows, people just jump on board because they like the excitement, they like the the action. They're somehow stimulated by this reality show unfolding before their eyes and they don't stop and say to themselves, does that make any sense? And you see that, says רב אשר וייס Rav Asher Weiss, in this very מחלוקת machlokes, because what קרח Korach accused משה Moshe of is if anything, the last thing משה Moshe could be guilty of. And yet, the מחלוקת machlokes took root because that's how how vulnerable we are to that kind of, to that kind of מחלוקת machlokes. Okay. Let's get through some פסוקים pesukim here. Let's look at the text that I wanted to get to. Um, we should actually finish our overview of the of the parsha. So דתן ואבירם Dasan va'Aviram, און בן פלת On ben Peles, 250 men, God responds. Yet, ironically, we're going to see this again. God says, you know what, Moshe, let me at him. We had just had this in last week's parsha. Right? That same image. God's like, enough, let me destroy him, let me at him. Moshe's holding God back and God's like, let me at him. And Moshe wins over God again. And God says, fine, you win again. I won't destroy all of them. But let's at least eradicate from the midst the negativity, the toxic cancer. So the ground opens and swallows קרח Korach and his followers. We talked about the fire, which is followed by the plague, which is followed by the blossoming staff. We've talked about in the past, the notion of an insight of Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rabbi JJ Schachter's father, עליו השלום alav hashalom, who said that the first three are all about knocking down the opponent. A מחלוקת machlokes should not just be about defeating the opponent because you've knocked them down. The last statement was אהרן's Aharon's staff blossoming, it should be that we blossom, that we rise up. The fear remains, אהרן's Aharon's duty as the כהן גדול kohen gadol is reiterated. We have the role of the כהנים kohanim and the לויים Leviim, the gifts that are given to each of them, and that is the פרשה parsha. We're going to look at פרק טז perek tes zayin, פסוק ח pasuk ches. פרק טז Perek tes zayin, פסוק ח pasuk ches. Chapter 16, verse 8. On page 822. 822, 823, in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. And this is where I think we last left off at the last parsha shiur on פרשת קרח Parshas Korach. ויאמר משה אל קרח Vayomer Moshe el Korach, שמעו נא בני לוי shimu na bnei Levi. משה Moshe says to קרח Korach, right, he's been unsuccessful. קרח Korach raises the rebellion, the challenge. משה Moshe says, look, everyone offer an offering, we'll see which one השם Hashem accepts. And now he turns to קרח Korach. ויאמר משה אל קרח שמעו נא בני לוי Vayomer Moshe el Korach shimu na bnei Levi. Listen, you child of לוי Levi, offspring of לוי Levi. Why does he refer to him that way? Listen, you fellow Levite. המעט מכם כי הבדיל אלוקי ישראל אתכם מעדת ישראל להקריב אתכם אליו Ha'me'at mikem ki hivdil Elokei Yisrael etchem me'adat Yisrael le'hakriv etchem eilav, לעבוד את עבודת משכן השם ולעמוד לפני העדה לשרתם la'avod et avodat mishkan Hashem ve'la'amod lifnei ha'eidah le'sharsam. Isn't that enough for you that you've been distinguished to be a member of the tribe of Levi, that you've been drawn close to Hashem, לעבודת משכן השם la'avodat mishkan Hashem? You have a distinguished role, a place of service, לעמוד לפני העדה לשרתם la'amod lifnei ha'eidah le'sharsam. You serve before the people. You're just not one of the crowd. You're not a lowly ישראל Yisrael. I mean ישראל Yisrael, I could say that. You're not just a lowly Israelite third עליה aliyah guy. You're a second עליה aliyah guy. You get number two. You have to get the first עליה aliyah? You know, it's a very limited pool who get the second עליה aliyah. The whole world can get the third עליה aliyah. You're a second עליה aliyah guy. You get to walk out during מוסף musaf on יום טוב Yom Tov and wash the hands of the כהנים kohanim. The rest of the ישראל Yisrael have to sit there and hear the חזן chazan go on. You get to walk out, take a break and wash the hands of the, you have a position of distinction. Listen here, you בני לוי Bnei Levi, you fellow לוי Levi. You have a role. Is that not good enough for you? You need to be number one?ויקרב אתך ואת כל אחיך בני לוי אתך ובקשתם גם כהונה Va'yakrev otcha ve'et kol achecha Bnei Levi itach u'vikashtem gam kehunah. Hashem drew you near and all of your family. It's not enough? You got to be number one, you got to be the כהן kohen? Therefore לכן אתה וכל עדתך הנועדים על השם lachen atah ve'chol adascha ha'noadim al Hashem. ואהרן מה הוא כי תלינו עליו ve'Aharon mah hu ki salinu alav. Therefore you and the entire assembly that are joining you, that are going against Hashem. And for אהרן Aharon? What has he done that you're protesting him? My poor brother אהרן Aharon. Is there a nicer guy in the world than אהרן Aharon? אוהב שלום ורודף שלום Ohev shalom ve'rodef shalom, מקרבן לתורה mekarvan la'Torah. אהרן Aharon. He's the first *kiruv* person of all time. He's the peacemaker of the entire people. אהרן'ס Aharon's beloved by everybody. אהרן Aharon? That's who you're picking on? So Moshe appeals directly to Korach, which is again part of the lesson of מחלוקת machlokes, we'll see it in a moment. But Moshe doesn't stand on ceremony. Who should have come to whom? Korach should say, \"Listen to Moshe, can I meet with you?\" Before we take to social media and make this a public fight. Before we try to, you see right now is a rabbi in London, a rabbi in England who's being attacked, who had to actually step down from his role with בית דין Beis Din and I can relate to him because I was attacked from a similar source. Let's just say it like that. But social media is filled with petitions and campaigns and attacks and it's having an impact on פרנסה parnassah, on family, on institutions, because it takes to the public. Moshe doesn't stand on ceremony. You know Korach should come talk to me. I'm going to get up. I've got the bully pulpit, Moshe could say. I'm the leader of the people and I'm going to tell them all he's crazy. Moshe doesn't do that. ויאמר משה אל קרח Vayomer Moshe el Korach. He talks to Korach. He appeals to Korach. Why should this escalate to a מחלוקת קרח machlokes Korach? Let's deal with this like two בני תורה Bnei Torah. Rashi says, ויאמר משה אל קרח Vayomer Moshe el Korach, התחיל לדבר עמו בדברים רכים hischil le'daber imo b'dvarim rakim. He spoke to him softly at first. Korach, my brother, my fellow Levi, what's going on? כיוון שראהו קשה עורף keivan she'ra'ahu kasheh oref, when he saw the stubbornness, the intransigence of Korach, אמר עד שלא ישתתפו שאר השבטים ויאבדו עמו אדבר גם על כולם amar ad she'lo yishtatfu she'ar ha'shvatim ve'yovdu imo adaber gam al kulam. When he saw he was not making any headway, and in fact the opposite, Korach was making headway by recruiting others, he realized he had to go public. התחיל לזארז בהם שמעו נא בני לוי Hischil le'zarez bahem shimu na Bnei Levi. And that's when he talks to בני לוי Bnei Levi. So ויאמר משה Vayomer Moshe, he's first to Korach, and then בני לוי Bnei Levi, now he's got to take his comments public because he realizes that Korach was making headway with the, with the public. לעמוד לפני העדה la'amod lifnei ha'eidah. I'm going through Rashi first, then we'll go through the other מפרשים mefarshim. Says Rashi, he tells him, לעמוד לפני העדה la'amod lifnei ha'eidah. You לוי Levi, you've got a front and center position. You get to stand publicly, where? לשיר על הדוכן la'shir al ha'duchan. You get to sing when the קרבנות korbanos are being offered, they have to be accompanied by the song of the לויים Leviim. ויקרב אתך Va'yakrev otcha, Hashem drew you close, לו לעשות שירות lo la'asot sheirus for that job. שהרחיק ממנו שאר עדת ישראל she'hirchik mimenu she'ar adat Yisrael. The rest of the, the rest of the Jewish people they've got to stay outside. You've got a seat at the table. You get to come in, you have a distinguished position, you have a special service and role. לכן Lachen, says Rashi on פסוק י\"א pasuk yud aleph, לכן בשביל כך lachen bishvil kach. This is the payback. אתה וכל עדתך הנועדים עמך על השם atah ve'chol adascha ha'noadim imcha al Hashem. כי בשליחותו עשיתי ועשיתי כהונה לאהרן ולבניו הוא מחלוקת הזאת ki b'shlichuso asisi ve'asisi kehunah l'Aharon u'le'vanav hu machlokes ha'zos. For that, for giving you that role, for giving you that position, for elevating you, that's your payback. לכן Lachen. Now your payback is this rebellion. Come on. Are you kidding me? So what does Moshe do? וישלח Va'yishlach, פסוק י\"ב pasuk yud beis. וישלח משה לקרוא לדתן ולאבירם בני אליאב ויאמרו לא נעלה Va'yishlach Moshe likro l'Dasan u'le'Aviram bnei Eliav va'yomru lo na'aleh. Moshe now tries to recruit. He tried talking to Korach directly, didn't work. He addressed בני לוי Bnei Levi, the masses, he wasn't getting anywhere. So who else is involved in this rebellion? דתן ואבירם Dasan ve'Aviram, who are professional instigators. We've seen them before. They live off of, you have those people, the קיצוני kitsoni personalities who just, they don't really care what the מחלוקת machlokes is, I'm in. They see there's a mob forming, they see, they hate authority. Anyone challenging authority, I'm in. Last week this was my grievance, next week that'll be my grievance, they're they're actually contradictory grievances, doesn't matter. Challenging authority. I hated my third grade רבי rebbe, so for the rest of my life I hate rabbis. Anyone who's against a rabbi, I'm in. Could be you don't like the egg salad at the קידוש kiddush, or it could be because he's too much to the right or too much to the left or innovating, whatever reason you don't like the rabbi, I'm in. דתן ואבירם Dasan ve'Aviram are professional instigators.So what happens? Moshe calls them. וישלח משה לקרוא לדתן ואבירם בני אליאב ויאמרו לא נעלה Va'yishlach Moshe likro l'Dasan ve'Aviram bnei Eliav va'yomru lo na'aleh. They call them but they said, \"Not interested. No meeting, Moshe. Not going.\" המעט כי העליתנו מארץ זבת חלב ודבש להמיתנו במדבר Ha'me'at ki he'elisanu me'eretz zavas chalav u'dvash la'hamisenu ba'midbar. We should meet with you? We should reconcile with you? Was it not enough you took us out from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? You understand obviously the reference. Moshe made a promise to bring them where? To a land flowing with milk and honey. And they say, \"You took us out from a land flowing with milk and honey to die here.\" כי תשתרר עלינו גם השתרר ki tistarer aleinu gam histarer. Why? So you could dominate us? You want to dominate us even more? Not going. אף לא אל ארץ זבת חלב ודבש הביאותנו Af lo el eretz zavas chalav u'dvash havi'osanu. You took us out from the land that was promised, a promised land. You didn't even bring us to one. You couldn't get the job done, Moshe. As a leader, you had one mission. Take us out of Egypt, why? To take us into the land. You failed. I should meet with you, I should vote for you, I should get behind you. ותתן לנו נחלת שדה וכרם Va'titen lanu nachalas sadeh va'kerem. You gave us a land of heritage, a field of vineyard. העיני האנשים ההם תנקר לא נעלה Ha'einei ha'anashim ha'hem tenaker lo na'aleh. Even if you would gouge out the eyes, even if you'd gouge out our eyes, לא נעלה lo na'aleh, we're not coming. How does Moshe react? So Datan and Aviram now challenge Moshe personally. Not only are we behind Korach, that כל העדה כולם קדושים kol ha'eidah kulam kedoshim, everybody's equally holy and so on. Not only are we behind Korach, but Moshe, you're a failure, you're a failure of a leader. You can't get it done. What does Moshe react? How does he react? We see a little defense from Moshe. ויחר למשה מאוד Va'yichar l'Moshe me'od. He gets very angry. Rashi says, נצטער עד למאוד nitzta'er ad l'me'od. He was pained. He was anguished. Why was he anguished? Because he couldn't get them to the land of Israel? No. Because that was the people's failure. That was the רבונו של עולם Ribono shel Olam's decision. Why was he anguished? ויאמר אל השם אל תפן אל מנחתם Vayomer el Hashem al tefen el minchasam. He hears Datan and Aviram and he turns and he says, \"אל תפן אל מנחתם al tefen el minchasam.\" Do not accept their קרבן karban. Are you kidding me? Hashem, they are so unworthy. Done. You know these people I always defend, I always come to their, I have their back, done. That's it. And he says לא חמור אחד מהם נשאתי ולא הרעותי את אחד מהם lo chamor echad mehem nasasi ve'lo harei'osi es echad mehem. And you kidding me that they're accusing me of personal gain? They're they're challenging my personal leadership? Do you know that I didn't even take one donkey of theirs? I've not wronged one of them. I haven't been reimbursed for one donkey ride I took as the leader of this people. I haven't taken one donkey per diem as the leader of this people. Forget about it. Forget about it.So let's go back and look at these פסוקים pesukim. What's going on here? Rashi, פסוק י\"ב pasuk yud beis. Moshe calls for דתן ואבירם Dasan ve'Aviram. וישלח משה Va'yishlach Moshe. מכאן שאין מחזיקין במחלוקת שהיה משה מחזר אחריהם להשלימם בדברי שלום mikan she'ein machzikin b'machlokes she'hayah Moshe mechazer achareihem le'hashlimam b'divrei shalom. He's trying everything. Again, the חז\"ל Chazal say, Rashi's quoting the מדרש תנחומא Midrash Tanchuma, that Moshe does not stand on ceremony. He's so eager to deflate and to reconcile the מחלוקת machlokes that he's not saying, \"Hashem destroy them, show who's in charge, how dare they.\" He's not writing on Facebook, \"Can you believe these low-lives?\" He's meeting with them directly. The way to diffuse מחלוקת machlokes is face-to-face. It's very, very easy to paint somebody horribly when you don't have to look them in the eye, to say all kinds of things about them, to post all kinds of things about them. When you have what's called the courage of the keyboard. The courage of the keyboard. But you know, if you had to look someone in the face, standing right next to them, would you say those things to the public? If you had to look them in the eye, could you say those things that aren't entirely true, that are not at all true? So Moshe understands that the best methodology to diffuse the מחלוקת machlokes is a face-to-face meeting. And Rashi quotes חז\"ל Chazal, אין מחזיקין במחלוקת Ein machzikin b'machlokes. Don't embrace מחלוקת machlokes. Don't contribute to מחלוקת machlokes, don't escalate מחלוקת machlokes. Meet with the other person in the effort and the attempt to bring a sense of שלום shalom. That's what the אור החיים Or HaChaim also elaborates. Look at the אור החיים הקדוש Or HaChaim HaKadosh on פסוק י\"ב pasuk yud beis. Says the אור החיים Or HaChaim, נסכחים בזה לדבר עמם ביחוד שלא בשעת עבד niskachim b'zeh l'daber imam b'yichud shelo b'sha'as avad. When Moshe has this idea to call דתן ואבירם Dasan ve'Aviram, says the אור החיים Or HaChaim, it occurred to Moshe, you know what? The same way, how did Korach instigate the rebellion? By picking people off one by one. How can you undo the rebellion? By winning them over, winning them back one by one. Once there's a mob mentality, it's hard to diffuse it. But if you can go and find some of the opinion shapers within the mob, and you can turn them, then you can win it back. What was when I went to Kellogg for one summer, we had a class on on reconciliation negotiation, and they showed us a famous old black and white movie about the power of persuasion. It was a hung jury and the one guy decided to win them all over. *Twelve Angry Men*. Yeah, that's what it was. *Twelve Angry Men*. It's an incredible film. Right? They're all against him. And in fact, that was the the course at Kellogg, that particular class was for a few classes long, was analyzing and taking apart that movie to understand exactly what he did. What was the methodology that one by one turned the entire jury. Bill Cosby hopes won't happen to him. But what was the methodology that one by one turned the entire jury into his to vote with him? So that's Moshe realizes. If they were picked off one by one to join, till ultimately they formed a mob, the way to take apart and dissolve the mob is to pick them off one by one and to win them over. And that's the וישלח Va'yishlach, that's why he's sending for דתן ואבירם Dasan ve'Aviram. אולי ירביח דעתם אחד לאחד U'lai yirviach da'atam echad l'echad. He'll win over their opinion one by one. גם באמצעת חשיבות אשר מחשיבם לדבר עליהם בכלל עשונו עדים gam b'emtza'as chashivus asher machshivim l'daber aleihem b'chlal asnu hadim. You know, what's the first way that you do it? The great Moshe says, \"You know, can I meet with you?\" Listen, why are you why are you identifying with them? You're better than that. You're better than that. You know there's no truth to this. Why are you doing that? So the first thing is they'll be honored and flattered that Moshe wanted to speak to them. יתרכך לבם להטות אוזן yitrakech libam lehatot ozen. So that'll soften their ear to listen. ודקדק הכתוב לומר וישלח משה לקרוא ve'dikdek ha'katuv lomar va'yishlach Moshe likro. Moshe sent to call them. שלא יצטרך לזכור משה ויסמך על זכרונם בסמך shelo yitzarech l'zkor Moshe ve'yismoch al zichronam b'samach. אלא להראות מי הוא השולח משה מלך ישראל ונביא השם לקרוא לשני הדיוטות אולי בזה ישחטו אזנם אליו ella lehar'ot mi hu ha'sholeach Moshe melech Yisrael ve'navi Hashem likro l'shnei hedyotos u'lai b'zeh yish'chatu oznam eilav. Moshe doesn't go to them directly, he does it through an intermediary. Why? To remind them that Moshe is the man, that Moshe has a chief of staff, an assistant, a secretary. Moshe doesn't appeal to them directly, and here he's not standing on ceremony, but says the אור החיים הקדוש Or HaChaim HaKadosh, he's doing it strategically through someone else, he is proposing a meeting to feel it out to see whether דתן ואבירם Dasan ve'Aviram will be open, will be open to to having a conversation. The רמב\"ן Ramban is bothered. If you look at the רמב\"ן Ramban on פסוק י\"ב pasuk yud beis, וישלח משה לקרוא לדתן ולאבירם va'yishlach Moshe likro l'Dasan u'le'Aviram. הנה דתן ואבירם היו בעלי מחלוקת הזאת כי קרח hinei Dasan ve'Aviram hayu ba'alei machlokes ha'zos ki Korach. They are as much the instigators of this like Korach. כמו שאמר ויקח קרח ודתן ואבירם k'mo she'amar va'yikach Korach ve'Dasan ve'Aviram. ויקומו לפני משה ואנשים מבני ישראל שמי רקילי מוסד משה ואל אהרן va'yakumu lifnei Moshe ve'anashim mi'Bnei Yisrael shmei r'kili mo'ed Moshe ve'el Aharon. They as much were the leaders of this rebellion as Korach. והנה משה דיבר אל קרח ועל כל עדתו ואמר להם עוד אתה וכל עדתך כי לא דיבר תחילה לכך רצה לדבר גם עמהם להזהיר על עצמם ועל כל העדים שהם אדסם לפייס אותם בדברים טובים בדברי גמולי ישראל תם וישלח ve'hinei Moshe diber el Korach ve'al kol adaso ve'amar lahem od atah ve'chol adascha ki lo diber techilah lechach ratzah adaber gam imam le'hazhir al atzmam ve'al kol ha'no'adim she'hem adasam le'fayes osam b'dvarim tovim b'dvarim g'mulei Yisrael tam va'yishlach. So here Moshe is appealing, he spoke to Korach, and now דתן ואבירם Dasan ve'Aviram, because all three together were the leaders. But if you look at the next paragraph, which is what I wanted to draw your attention to. ויתכן שהיו דתן ואבירם נשואי עדה חשובים מאוד מאון בן פלת ve'yitachen she'hayu Dasan ve'Aviram nesu'ei eidah chashuvim me'od me'On ben Peles. Where is און בן פלת On ben Peles? The פרשה parsha began by listing a few names. ויקח קרח Va'yikach Korach. Korach takes who? Look at the second half of the first פסוק pasuk. דתן Dasan, ואבירם ve'Aviram, ואון בן פלת ve'On ben Peles, וחמישים ומאתיים ve'chamishim u'matayim. 250 men. And now we have the rest of the story. We have דתן Dasan, we have אבירם Aviram, we have the 250 men. What happened to און בן פלת On ben Peles? Where did he go? We don't find he's punished, we don't find he dies, we don't find he's swallowed up. We don't find he's mentioned again. So he's named as one of the heads of this rebellion, and then while all the other names we find again, און בן פלת On ben Peles goes missing. He's on the back back of a milk carton. והיו מתרצים ve'hayu metartsim. So first says the רמב\"ן Ramban, the possibility is he wasn't as חשוב chashuv. Somehow he got mentioned, but he wasn't nearly as significant or as important. על כן לא שלח אליו Al ken lo shalach eilav. So Moshe is trying to identify who are the opinion shapers here. Who are the personalities with charm and charisma that others will follow? And if און בן פלת On ben Peles is not the man, he's not going to waste his time trying to win over און בן פלת On ben Peles. That's the first possibility. But there's another possibility. What's the second possibility? He changed his mind. Why did he change his mind? Gigi, you're going to love this. לא היה עמהם ולא עמד אז קרח כי הלך מלפניהם כאשר נשלחו להם דתן ואבירם כאשר נתווכח עם קרח והוא שב שם Lo hayah imam ve'lo amad az Korach ki halach milifneihem ka'asher nishlechu lahem Dasan ve'Aviram ka'asher nitvake'ach im Korach ve'hu shav sham. He changed his mind. He backed out. He disappeared from the rebellion. Anyone know why? גמרא סנהדרין ק\"ט Gemara Sanhedrin kuf tes tells us. שפרחזו בו באשת אישתו שהצילתו כמאמר רבותינו shefarchazu bo b'eshes ishto she'hatzilto k'ma'amar rabboseinu. Because his wife knocked some sense into him. Mrs. בן פלת Ben Peles, whose name we don't know, I don't know if she was Mrs. Ben Peles or Mrs. Peles. I don't know how it went exactly, or what was on her driver's license. But she says to her husband, \"On, On, buddy, On, my dear, what in the world are you doing?\" And what was her argument? What was her great argument to On? On, buddy, you don't stand to gain. Korach is the one vying for the position of Aharon. You're still going to be low on the totem pole. So you're entering this rebellion and you don't know which way it's going to turn out, and you might be choosing the losing side and be swallowed up by the ground, all for what? The risk reward here in this for your role in this rebellion is just not worth it. You don't stand and gain enough from what you're going to risk. So you're out of your mind. Did he listen? No. So what did she do? What women throughout Tanach do, it's a brilliant method. What did she do? She gave him a hard drink and he got tired and sleepy. חז\"ל Chazal says she gave him a hard drink, she lay with him, he fell asleep. And then what did she do? She stood at the entrance to the tent and she uncovered her hair. Why did she uncover her hair? Because Korach and Datan and Aviram and all the 250 people of the rebellion kept coming to get On. \"On, buddy, you're missing it. It's unfolding. The big fight. Got this big debate. Come on, we need you.\" And every time they came near her tent, they saw her immodest and, \"Whoa, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mrs. Ben Peles. We'll come back later. Sorry, didn't mean to walk in with your hair uncovered or immodesty.\" So she intentionally made herself immodest, says the Gemara, as a barrier. So it tells you that even those who were rebellion still had a level of modesty to them. One area they were trying to preserve. And in that way she protected her husband. And חז\"ל Chazal contrast the role of the wife of On with the wife of Korach. Korach only got into this because his wife's the one who pushed him in. Where else do we see that in Tanach? Haman's wife. \"Come on, Mordechai won't bow down to you. Are you kidding? You deserve better, you're the number one, you're the man.\" Korach's wife is saying, \"Korach, what are you talking about? You're also from Levi. What's your cousin Moshe? Your cousin Moshe is taking all the power, the other cousin Aharon is the Kohen Gadol. Come on, it's enough. I'm embarrassed. I go to family parties, you're not the guy, the cousin is the guy, come on, you deserve it, take them down.\" She pushes Korach into this. Whereas the wife of On kept On back, and that's why we don't see his name again. חז\"ל Chazal understand from here, I just shared this at a sheva brachos last night, חז\"ל Chazal see from here that when the Torah designates in marriage, that the goal of marriage is to be an עזר כנגדו ezer k'negdo. It's a funny formulation, עזר כנגדו ezer k'negdo, a helpmate opposite him. What does that mean, an עזר כנגדו ezer k'negdo? So sometimes when you're an עזר ezer, you're acting כנגדו k'negdo. And sometimes in order to be an עזר ezer, you need to be כנגדו k'negdo. Sometimes being the עזר ezer is כנגדו k'negdo, and sometimes being כנגדו k'negdo you're being an עזר ezer. What does that mean? So if marriage is just, you know, \"Yes, sir,\" yessing the other person, \"You're right, you're all that, you're great, you could do no wrong, you're perfect, the world mistreats you,\" then you're acting כנגדו k'negdo. You're acting against the best interests of your spouse. And sometimes if you go כנגדו k'negdo, if you explain to them, \"I think this is a bad idea, and trust me I have your best interests in mind, I love you, so you can trust me when I tell you I think this is a bad idea,\" then you're really acting as an עזר ezer. To always be an עזר ezer is not a good marriage. To always be כנגדו k'negdo is certainly not a good marriage. The secret to marriage is knowing when to be an עזר ezer and when being an עזר ezer is acting כנגדו k'negdo. When to not be כנגדו k'negdo, and when being כנגדו k'negdo is acting as an עזר ezer. That's the עזר כנגדו ezer k'negdo. So Korach's wife thought she was being an עזר ezer by pushing and urging him on, but in that way she was acting כנגדו k'negdo against his best interests. On's wife was כנגדו k'negdo. \"You're not leaving this tent, buddy. Have another drink, לחיים l'chaim. You're not leaving.\" She was acting כנגדו k'negdo and in that doing so doing was acting as an עזר ezer, was really preserving his his best interest. So that's why On ben Peles disappears, we don't see On back again.So what happens? He sends for דתן ואבירם Dasan ve'Aviram, he's trying to win him over one by one. And what's דתן ואבירם Dasan ve'Aviram's reaction? So insulting. First of all, they say לא נעלה lo na'aleh. Maybe there was something prophetic in their words, לא נעלה lo na'aleh. Rashi says, לא נעלה lo na'aleh. פיהם הכשילם pihem hichshilam. Their mouth failed them. שאין להם אלא ירידה she'ein lahem ella yeridah. They were right. לא נעלה lo na'aleh, we're not coming up to you. It was prophetic. We're not going up, we're going down. Now where did they go down? Not just to like, \"You're going down, buddy.\" But where did they go down? When the ground opened up, they went all the way down to China. I don't know, they came out on the other end, I don't know. But they went all the way all the way down, it was prophetic. Says the קלי יקר Kli Yakar, ויאמרו לא נעלה va'yomru lo na'aleh. לאיזה הר קרא להם לעלות l'eizeh har kara lahem la'alos. Moshe didn't ask them to meet him on the top of a mountain. Why does it say לא נעלה lo na'aleh? Moshe didn't say, \"We'll have a showdown on the top of a mountain.\" ומה הוא שאמרו העיני האנשים ההם תנקר u'mah hu she'amru ha'einei ha'anashim ha'hem tenaker. And what was this accusation? Even if you come and gouge out our eyes, we're not coming. What a funny response. Even if you were to pluck out our eyes, we're not coming. Why didn't they say even if you cut off our arm, cut off our leg, even if you punch me in the stomach, what did they come up with, \"Even if you gouge out our eyes\"? Rashi there said, \"אפילו אתה שולח לנקר את עינינו לא נעלה אליך ולא נעלה *Afilu atah sholeach lenaker es eineinu lo na'aleh eilecha ve'lo na'aleh*.\" I don't care how you threaten us. You could threaten us with with gouging out our eyes, we are not coming. But the ספורנו Sforno understands these words differently. They weren't saying if you gouge out our eyes, what are they saying says the ספורנו Sforno? התחשוב לנקר עינינו באופן שלא נכיר תכליתך hischashov lenaker eineinu b'ofen she'lo nakir tachlischa. You can't pull the wool over our eyes. The charade is up, Moshe. You think you're better than us? You think God wants you in charge? You think that you can make us fall in line behind you? You can't gouge out our... you can't blind us to the truth. We're opening up their eyes, we're showing them the light. You've been blinding everybody, and we're giving them sight again. Even you can't blind us anymore. That's the Rashi and the ספורנו Sforno it disagree. So says the קלי יקר Kli Yakar, back to our קלי יקר Kli Yakar. What why does it say לא נעלה lo na'aleh? We're not going up. What mountain did Moshe invite them up to? וביאר עניין שמשה שלח אחריהם לדבר על לבם דברי שלום והמה חשדו את משה שלקח שלח אחריהם לפי שהם גדולים ועקר במחלוקת זה ורוצה משה לתת להם איזה מינוי של שררה דרך שוחד כדי שיסתלקו מן המחלוקת u'v'yar inyan she'Moshe shalach achareihem l'daber al libam divrei shalom ve'heimah chashdu es Moshe she'lakach shalach achareihem lefi she'hem gedolim ve'ikar b'machlokes zeh ve'rotzeh Moshe le'tes lahem eizeh minuy shel serarah derech shochad kedei she'yistalku min ha'machlokes. They thought Moshe was going to bribe them. Oh, you crave honor? Listen, I got it. You're using this as a negotiating tactic. You want a bigger salary, you want a better job, I got it. You're using this for leverage. Done, fine, you won, you beat me. I'll give it to you. על כן השיבו למשה לא נעלה Al ken heishivu l'Moshe lo na'aleh. We're not going up. This isn't about our having a better title, our making more money. לא נקבל ממנו דרך שוחד שום מעלה ושררה Lo nekabel mimenu derech shochad shum ma'alah u'serarah. We are not susceptible to being bribed. We're not taking it. ועל זה אמרו העיני האנשים ההם תנקר ve'al zeh amru ha'einei ha'anashim ha'hem tenaker. כי השוחד יעוור ki ha'shochad ye'aver. Cause bribes blind. The language of the Torah is of the Torah, is that a bribe blinds the person. So that's why they said לא תנקר lo tenaker. We're not going to... לא נעלה lo na'aleh, we're not going up, meaning we're not accepting your bribe, and therefore we won't be blinded by it. That's really what's going on over here says the קלי יקר Kli Yakar. נראה שלא על עצמם אמרו כן אלא על כל האנשים אשר אתם כי אף אם אנחנו נשד בבור שאתה תתן לנו איזה שררה מכל מקום אנשים אשר אתם כוסקין ופתותם העיני אנשים ההם תנקר שהם כולם עיוורים עברים nir'eh shelo al atzmam amru kein ella al kol ha'anashim asher itam ki af im anachnu nishod b'avur she'atah titen lanu eizeh serarah mikol makom anashim asher itam kochakin u'ftusam ha'einei ha'anashim ha'hem tenaker she'hem kulam ivrim avirim. You're not going to blind everyone who's with us just because you gave us a promotion. It's not going to work Moshe. We're not going up. We have no we have no interest. Right, instead they're actually about to go down. Exactly. And the קלי יקר Kli Yakar goes on, but we're going to run out of time. So they say, \"You failed to bring us... you took us out of the land of milk and honey and you failed to bring us into a land of milk and honey.\"And how does Moshe react? ויחר למשה Va'yichar l'Moshe. פסוק ט\"ו Pasuk tes vav. Look at Rashi. Moshe says he objects. God, don't you dare accept their קרבן karban. Don't do it. Don't accept their קרבן karban. Which קרבן karban? What is it that Moshe was appealing to God not to accept from these low lives? So Rashi says לפי פשוטו הקטרת שהם מקריבים לפניך מחר l'fi pshuto ha'ketores she'hem makrivim lefanecha machar. Remember the next day they're all bringing incense offerings to be able to prove which one is accepted and therefore which one God which one God supports. So that's what Moshe is saying. Hashem, they've stooped so low, whatever you do, don't accept them as leaders. I beg of you. ומדרשו אמר יודע אני שיש להם חלק בתמיד ציבור חלקם לא יקובל לפניך לרצון U'midrasho amar yode'a ani she'yesh lahem chelek b'tamid tzibur chelkam lo yekubel lefanecha l'ratzon. That he wasn't talking about the ketores, but he was talking about the קרבן תמיד karban tamid, the daily sacrifice. Every individual has a part of the daily sacrifice, don't accept their part of it. That's how the רמב\"ן Ramban understands as well. The רמב\"ן Ramban says איני נכון בעיני שיהיה הכל על הקטרת שאמר דוסם ואבירם הוא אומר כן שחרה לו על דבריהם והם לא היו בסוך עידן ענווים להקריב קטרת eini nachon b'einai she'yehei ha'kol al ha'ketores she'amar Datan ve'Aviram hu omer kein she'charah lo al divreihem ve'hem lo hayu b'soch eidan anavim le'hakriv ketores. Datan and Aviram are not lined up to bring a ketores the next day. They're not among the candidates to submit their ketores. Says the רמב\"ן Ramban. פשוטו כי בעבור שהיו רוצים בכהונה להקריב קרבן Pshuto ki ba'avur she'hayu rotzim b'kehunah lehakriv korban. What Moshe was saying was they're vying to be kohanim. They want to be the ones to offer sacrifices. That's what Moshe is saying, אל תפן אל מנחתם al tefen el minchasam. Do not turn to their קרבן korban. Nothing to do with the ketores, מחלוקת רש\"י ורמב\"ן machlokes Rashi ve'Ramban. What is Moshe arguing to Hashem, \"Don't accept their ketores.\" לא חמור אחד Lo chamor echad. How does Moshe react? You think this is personal for me? You're accusing me of my ego? says Moshe. Do you understand the sacrifices I've made? Forget that I had to separate from my wife. Forget look at my children whom I've neglected and couldn't spend time with. But do you understand that I didn't take a reimbursement for one donkey ride? לא חמור אחד מהם נשאתי Lo chamor echad mehem nasasi, says Rashi. לא חמורו של אחד מהם נטלתי אפילו כשהלכתי ממדין למצרים lo chamoro shel echad mehem natalti afilu k'she'halachti mi'Midyan l'Mitzrayim. The donkey I rode from Midyan down to Egypt in order to save all of you, I didn't ask to be reimbursed. כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael didn't cover the mileage on my donkey, the gas. הרכבתי את אשתי ואת בני על החמור והיה לי טולס החמור משלהם לא נטלתי אלא משלי Hirkavti es ishti v'es banai al ha'chamor ve'hayah li tulos ha'chamor mishe'lahem lo natalti ella mi'sheli. True, I took my family down on the donkey, so true, I wasn't eligible to be reimbursed for the portion of the donkey ride for my wife and children. What about for me? So Moshe Rabbeinu is is is infuriated. He's insulted. He cannot believe it. Look at the ספורנו Sforno. לא חמור אחד מהם נשאתי Lo chamor echad mehem nasasi, says the ספורנו Sforno. אפילו במה שנהנה הדיוט מחברו לא נהניתי מהם שלא קבלתי מהם אפילו חמור בשאלה afilu b'mah she'neheneh hedyot mei'chaveiro lo nehenisi mehem shelo kibalti mehem afilu chamor b'she'elah. I didn't even borrow a donkey. What normal people do interpersonally, to borrow one from the other, even though it was for the purpose of this mission and this job and saving all of you, I didn't even borrow one donkey. ואם כן סרתי עליהם כולם לתועלתם לסכן ענייניהם לא לתועלתי כלל ve'im ken sarti aleihem kulam le'to'alasam lesaken inyaneihem lo le'to'alti klal. This wasn't for me. If it were for me, I would have gotten rich out of this job. I didn't get rich off this job. All I got was misery, your complaints, your negativity. All I got was having to save you over and over again. I didn't benefit. I didn't get a job, I don't have benefits, I don't have a pension. I didn't even get reimbursed for one lousy donkey ride. And you're going to accuse me that I'm in this all for me, that this is about my ego? What are you crazy? What are you out of your mind? And that's when they lose Moshe's support. And then Moshe turns to Korach and says, \"All right.\" I'm going to leave you with a question. It's a question which occurred to me just this morning, and I don't have a good answer. And maybe you do, and if you do, I would love to hear it. But when Moshe says to them, \"Look, you're challenging me, you're challenging Aharon, here's the deal. Tomorrow everyone's going to offer incense and a pan and light a fire and we'll see if Hashem accepts it or doesn't accept it.\" And Korach says, \"Okay.\" Why in the world did he say okay? How was it in his best interest to participate in that competition? If I'm Korach, I say, \"Who are you to tell me what to do? We're not doing this on your terms, we're doing this on my terms. This is exactly the problem, that you think you can tell me what to do, that we're going to settle this your way by offering this incense. Absolutely not. I'm not doing it your way, we're doing it my way.\" Why did Korach go along? I genuinely have this question, I don't have a good answer. Why did Korach go along with it at the moment? Unless Korach was so egotistical and so distorted in his thinking that he thought, \"You know what? I'm gonna beat.\" Because you know in a מחלוקת machlokes, when you repeat the lie enough times, you really start to believe it. It's true. Especially the other participant in the מחלוקת machlokes. You repeat it over and over and over again till you actually believe it. So Korach started to believe that really God wanted him to be the leader. So maybe that's the answer. He was willing to do it because that's how confident he was he would be chosen, even though he had no reason. Again, you you act when you're driven by your ego and you're in a מחלוקת machlokes, you can sometimes act in a self-destructive fashion. Which is exactly what Korach did. He acted in a self-destructive fashion because this wasn't in his best interest to participate in this. All right, anyway, we do not have, I will not be here next week. I'll be in Poland. We have a mission to Poland, a bus from our shul. Rabbi Maskowitz will be teaching next week I think both the parsha class and his malachim class. So there will be a parsha class next week, but wishing everyone a wonderful week.
