"Rabah bar bar Chana said:  That arab merchant said to me, 'Come, I will show you the place where Korach and his followers were swallowed up.'  I went and saw two faults in the earth that were smoking.  He (the arab) took wool shearings and soaked them in water, stuck them on a spear and placed them inside.  When he pulled it out, the wet wool was singed.  He said to me, 'Listen closely, what do you hear?'  And I heard it being said, "MOSHE IS TRUE AND HIS TORAH IS TRUE, and they are LIARS. "

Why is the spot where Korach was swallowed up perpetually smoking and echoing the words Moshe Emes v'Toraso Emes???
 

The story of Korach is a sequel to the story of the meraglim.  As we recall, in Parashas Shlach, there was a major weakening of allegiance to Torah sheb'al peh in the community.
Emunah in Torah sheb'al peh, we saw, goes hand in hand with Emunas Chachamim, faith in Moshe Rabbainu as the Ro'eh Ne'eman, the faithful shepherd, the transmitter of Dvar Hashem.

The story of Korach is the story of an individual, who allowed his ego, his visions of personal greatness to lead him to his wild end.  It is also the story of the soil which nurtured him.  He had a vision of his offspring who were destined to greatness, and therefore was confident and sure, super-sure that he was infallible.

Korach, it would seem, had it made.

He was super-talented, super-wealthy  and a spiritual giant.  Materially speaking, Chazal  tell us, he was the richest of men on earth. Spiritually speaking, he was of the greatest of Shevet Levi, he actually carried the Aron !!   Charisma, genius, leadership, personality.. in short, the sum total of perfection, holding the reigns to the best of all worlds.

Korach lost his way. It started out with a minor issue that gave him no rest.  Why did Moshe Rabbainu choose Elitzafan as Nasi of Shevet Levi, and not himself, Korach?  Wasn't he superior to Elitzafan?  So, jealousy burned in Korach's heart.  Instead of unquestioningly accepting Moshe Rabbainu's choice as the Divine choice, Korach accused Moshe of petty favouritism.  His "minor" questioning of Moshe Rabbainu's behaviour led to a major mutiny and denial of just about the entire Torah.

Korach allowed visions of his greatness to fuel his ego and to lead him and his followers to doom.

The hole in the earth smoulders to this very day.

What is the message?

Are there still the likes of Korach around?  How can we identify them?  What is the soil upon which they are nurtured?

From the words of Rabah bar bar Chana, it is clear that Am Yisrael must still beware of the Korachs of today.

Yes, there are still such persons around today in positions of power and control who exert influence on the community in all spheres.  They are carried away by personal visions of greatness, they are convinced that they are from the select few who deserve to make the crucial decisions ( how to distribute community funds, whom to hire, whom to fire, whom not to fire, religious policy and standards, school curriculum, etc.). What gives them their clout is their money, their connections.. They use abusive and manipulative methods to accumulate ground for themselves. The Torah HaKedosha is watered down by their whims, and the entire communal infrastructure becomes severely handicapped by their capricious value system, by the incongruent mantle which they assume for themselves. In short, they are very dangerous, destructive, a major menace, like Korach.

What does all this have to do with you and with me?  It is accurate to presume that no one affiliated with realbrisk.com has anything in common with the above description.
So what IS the message??

Remember, Korach was part of a community.  They had just rejected the authority of Moshe, and shunned his leadership.  Moshe Rabbainu represents Mesorah and all of its values.  MOSHE EMES V'TORASO EMES.  Emes, truth, defines everything in the context of its Torah value.  (Is this behaviour permitted or forbidden?  How can I serve Hashem with this vessel?  How can I bring my self closer to Hashem, improve myself through this situation?)  There are no imaginary illusions of human grandeur, imposed upon objects and situations which distort them of their rightful proportions.  It is a life where money and power and talent and opportunities have no intrinsic value when not totally surrendered to the command of the Torah, as instruments for Kiyum Hamitzvos, Yir'as Shomayim, Avodas Hashem; their usage meticulously regulated by Halacha.  It is a lifestyle in which the entire system is batel, in surrender to Torah, and to those who authentically represent Torah. The ones with the most bitul are the leaders, the Talmidei Chachamim, the Moshe and Aharon, vanachnu ma, "and we are non-entities"..  So it is with the true gadol b'Yisrael.  While we are commanded to humble ourselves to Da'as Torah, our bitul is a tiny fraction, compared to the total surrender with which the authentic Gedolei Torah live their lives.

Let us investigate a community which admires foreign values (with a Kippa on) and their ambassadors.  They are dazzled by groups who boast of backing of large numbers, by large campuses, by "cool personalities", by fancy resumes and accomplishments, by sharp, glib talk (there is a whole language), by fast-paced lifestyles. FAMILIAR WORDS, these are all sophisticated labels for thin facades, superficial coverings-over of emptiness.  They are deluded by imaginary visions of glory and eminence and "impact", and of course, top priority,  financial considerations;  a far cry from Moshe Emes v'Toraso Emes.. The system is typically propped up  by power hungry "sponsors" with vested interests that essentially are selfish expressions of their struggle for limelight, and worse yet, control and other sorts of payoff.  Such a community indirectly or directly tills the soil that produces leaders the likes of Korach and FALLS PREY TO THEIR MISGUIDED RULE..    The small-time layman has disparaged or questioned Moshe Rabbainu and Moshe Rabbainu's lifestyle by the ideals towards which he aspires in private and in public.  What is the surprise when chas veshalom a more talented big timer with money and connections and popular support, in short, a Korach appears on the scene, shocking all with his scandalous behaviour and with the damage that is caused???

As we can see, it is so very important that we constantly examine our hearts and check, what are our goals and aspirations, whom do we admire and wish to emulate?  Are our deepest aspirations for Torah and Mitzvos and Yiras Shomayim, Tikun Hamiddos (perfection of character)  for ourselves, for our children?  Are they properly and consistently expressed in our thoughts, speech and actions???

It is unrealistic to expect and demand from the community at large to be where they are not holding, spiritually.  This is not a call for the masses to start learning full-time, to drastically reduce their standard of living or other such measures.  The point is that we need to clarify to ourselves, all of us, just what is superior and what is ideal.  It is alright to say, I am not learning full-time, because circumstances do not allow, or because I lack the personal strength.  There is nothing at all wrong.  Our personal decisions are between ourselves and G-d, no one else.  As long as we have aspirations in the right direction, as long as we are ready to acknowledge, to humble ourselves before and revere those greater than us, as long as we know which values to disparage and to despise in our hearts, then we are part and we are on track, and b'ezras Hashem we open ourselves to be influenced by Kedusha.

There was a time when the big question was Torah or money.  Today, the question is much more subtle, much more tricky.  Today the question is Torah used to aquire power and money and glory, or Torah without all that, which endures?

Moshe Emes v'Toraso Emes.

It echoes on.

A gutten Erev Shabbos
from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh
 

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