This past week I had a true nachas experience of attending the graduations of three of my grandchildren from elementary school. During the exercises I heard insightful messages from a number of graduates. The main theme that was repeated was ‘Dream of a Glorious Future’. They expressed their appreciation to their respective families and teachers encouraging them to pursue their dreams to make them a reality.
As I listened I was reminded of an idea I once suggested about ‘Dreams.’ When life gets hectic, it can be hard to remember what our dreams are. We need to take a little time each day visualizing our dreams. Not only will they start to feel possible, they will become possible. To achieve this motivational directive we must act with truth and sincerity.
This idea was poignantly suggested in our Parsha this week when Moshe was faced with the controversy with Korach, a man who may have dreamed of being a leader and went about fulfilling his dreams in an insincere and dissenting fashion.
As we read in Pirkey Avos
כל מחלוקת שהיא לשם שמים סופה להתקים ושאינה לשם שמים אין סופה להתקים ,איזו היא מחלוקת שהיא לשם שמים זו מחלוקת הלל ושמי,ושאינה לשם שמים זו מחלוקת קרח וכל עדתו
The flaw in Korach’s personality was not that he differed with Moshe, but that he was not motivated by sincerity and honest dissent. He utilized unworthy and unscrupulous methods. In a word ‘He spread lies and falsehoods to achieve his goals in life.’
Judaism does not shy away from controversy and differing opinions as long as they are לשם שמים ,for the betterment of Yiddishkeit. However, if they are merely used as a means to destroy our Judaic way of life then they must be obliterated for the sake of our survival as an Am Kadosh.
Our Gemara records, many times, the Machlokes between Hillel and Shamai, Interestingly, they always did so with mutual respect and were always open to the other’s opinion and never were they stubborn and resolute in their opinions. They were not relentless and incorruptible in their ways.
As long as our controversies and opinions are L’shem Shamayim and we do so with the idea that we are motivated towards the goal of Sofo L’Hitkayem, to assure the future of Am Yisrael, then and only then is differences of opinion acceptable. This was not true for Korach. His goal was self aggrandizement and the defeat of Moshe and for such a demoralizing attitude defeat is the only answer.
I recall the legend of the wise man who watched the building of the Temple at work. He approached one of the masons and asked “What are you doing?” To which the mason replied, “Foolish man, can’t you see I am cutting stone”.
The wise man approached a second worker and asked the same question, to which the reply was, “I am working for 10 shekels a day to feed my family”.
The wise man then asked a third worker “What are you doing?”
His reply was “What am I doing? Why, I am helping to build the Temple of G-D”.
This is our lesson of the day. Korach was destroying the Judaic way of life while Moshe was building for the future, and it was for this reason his dreams were fulfilled.
“Happiness is the state of consciousness, which proceeds from the achievement of our values”
Let us dream of a better tomorrow and let us do so with respect and menshlechkeit .Then and only then will we see the Jewish People in all their glory.
It is at this time we pray for the safe return of the three young boys, who were abducted, to their families and K’lal Yisrael; Eyal Yifrach and Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel.ושבו בנים לגבולם.
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