Parshas Korach: Jealousy, Rebellion, and the Power of Character

0:00 If you listen closely and you're in the proper location, you can hear Korach's descendants singing Moshe, you and your Torah are true. We were mistaken, us rabble-rousers. We were mistaken, us rabble-rousers. We were wrong. The end of the parasha. After Korach and his cohorts have been devoured up by this miraculous sight where the earth opens up and literally swallows the evildoers, a person is really left to wonder what happened.

0:46 How did all of this go kaput? How did a righteous, holy man make such a grievous error? Just a couple of psukkim before the whole story, the beginning of our parasha. Korach was one of the good guys, somebody that we even would put on the front of a book and aspire to be like. He was part of the Dordea. What happened that induced Korach into this craziness, to begin quarreling with Moshe?

1:27 And thank goodness for Rashi, for he asks this question and tells us where Korach went wrong, says Rashi. What did Korach see that caused him to separate himself from the assembly, from Moshe? Ratchet continues, ratchet continues. Ratchet continues that he felt envious. He was jealous of the newfound honor, the princely dignity, that was bestowed upon his cousin, elitzaphan, the son of Uziel.

2:13 Moshe had appointed him the prince over the sons of Kahas and he had skipped over Korach, who was supposed to be the one in charge. It was supposed to be his turn for the job, so he was jealous. He was Jealousy, korach's desirousness, his resentfulness. It brought everything down. Gratefulness, it brought everything down. And it's important to point out here that when you vision this story, you draw it up in your mind. Korach from our youth has already been painted as somebody that is, someone that looks like Haman he's got a three-cornered hat, somebody with maybe a scar through his right eye and a peg leg, or however.

3:10 You use your imagination to conjure up a vision of Korach. But the truth is that Korach was a big tzaddik. He was very righteous. I'll prove it to you that he was one of the best four. Rashi and just a couple Rashi's later says that Korach had a special prophecy. He was a Navi that he saw that Shmuel, the great Shmuel, who is likened to the same spiritual level as Moshe and Aaron, would be one of Korach's descendants. So it's part of the reason why he launched this mutiny.

3:53 But we see clearly that he was holy. He had Nebuah. Hashem came to him with Ruach HaKadosh. What about? He's from the forefathers. Think about his pedigree. Think of just how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and who he's coming from. He's cut from a very, very special cloth. See how big of a Lamden, how big of a Talmud Chacham and Rabbinic figure he was, as when he actually comes to jeer with Moshe or pepper him with questions, halachic questions.

4:34 Rashi says that he dressed himself up in a talis shaltcheles and asked different intricate questions about the laws of tzitzis, followed by more intricate halachic conundrums surrounding the topic of mezuzah and scrolls filling a home and the obligation to do certain mitzvot at certain times. He was a lamedin, he was a talmud chacham. He had a big, long white beard, that perfectly cereal box-like beard coming off of his face, along with the holy wrinkles above his eyes, with a long frock and big tzitzis and big payas.

5:15 That was Kairach. To my knowledge, he was one of the people in attendance at the splitting of the sea. One of the people in attendance at the splitting of the sea, qayrach, was privy to Moshe Rabbeinu's outstretched hand as the yam as the water split before him. He saw Moshe Rabbeinu with such clarity, with his exalted status. He saw Moshe Rabbeinu up there on high receiving the Torah. He saw the magical clouds and the moving well, koyrach was a huge tzaddik and he came with a tidal wave of proofs for what he was entitled to.

5:56 He was holy. He was a revered figure, part of the rabbinic dynasty, one of the rebbes. He had different rios for why he was right. He was a revered figure, part of the rabbinic dynasty, one of the rabbis. He had different rios for why he was right. Real reasons that he was wronged. And Moshe, even though we followed the word of God. It's all wrong because I am entitled to my position, but all of it, all of it, but all was wrong, all incorrect because it all was spawned from the whims of jealousy. It all began.

6:38 It began with one, two, three, four, five, six, seven words that he was jealous of his cousin, desirous, and covetous of a family member who he had felt got a position that was rightfully mine. And from that jealousy everything else blossomed Jealousy of the princely dignity that Moshe gave to his cousin and not to him.

7:18 It's Noira. It's clear as day. It shines brilliantly up in the sky, just like the sun at noon in the Sahara Desert. How glaringly clear it is. How influential and how negatively forceful and impactful bad Midos are. Bad Midos, bad character traits, bad moral, ethical values. Midos, it's Neura the Keuchan. How influential Midos are. This famous Tzadik Keurach, the famous Lamden, was taken down and even eradicated from the world, perched up on high in Gehenem, still sinking, and even eradicated from the world, perched up on high in Gehenem, still sinking.

8:05 All because of bad Midos, an inability to recognize the Midos flaw. He was Niskanen, he had Kena problems and that was it. If we ask ourselves Midos, minatora, minayan, where is the commandment of midos? Well, perhaps we found one right here. It's in plain sight. Look what happens when you have bad midos. But I'd like to take you on a little bit of a journey here to explain why it is that midos are so crucial, that we perfect them, why we obsess about developing good midos and eradicating bad midos in our lives day to day, where it is that we can also have similar Korach-like errors and how it is that we can steer ourselves clear of them.

9:10 Based on a couple great Myra McComos from some of the greatest rabbis to ever live, I urge you to just listen to a couple of these Myra McComos and some really silly stories that really bring the point home. Marmikomos and some really silly stories that really bring the point home. We begin with perhaps the most famous line. Maybe we'll call it a couple sentences, a paragraph, a short paragraph about Midas. It all comes from the Vilna Gon in his commentary to Mishle. Surely you're aware of the book of Proverbs, the brilliant analogies, the lessons of Shlomo HaMelech. So you have the wisest of all men giving us the points of life.

9:53 And then I always found it rather riveting that the Vilna Ghosn, also one of the all-time most brilliant scholars to ever live, wrote a commentary on Mishle. He put them together. And now you have the Vilna Ghosn and his commentary on Shlomo HaMalik's Mishle and you have this just big amalgamation and ball of fiery wisdom. So here it is, we're going to jump to Proverbs, parak, dalet, pasek, yud Gimel. And the Pasek says in Mishle Translates to mean with Musar, this discipline of Musar, strengthen it, grab onto it and don't let go.

10:38 Don't let go. And you should keep it, for it is your life, it tells the Vilna Gaon. If you want to know about Midos, midot Tovot, what does it mean? That it is your life, moser, midos is your life. Ki ma sheha adam chai hu k'dei lishpor ma shelo shovar adhena osa hamida. For that, for that that a person is alive is in order to break that in Midos world that you have not yet broken, shattered, that bad quality in your midos.

11:26 The entire reason that your heart is still beating is because there is still some mida that needs breaking. Interesting that graphic imagery of the shoyver, the breaking of a mida you can see it like that jealousy is a glass vase or vase and you need to smash it with a Louisville slugger. Therefore, a person must constantly strengthen himself, and if you are not strengthening yourself in your tikkun hamidos, your character, perfection, well then, what worth does your life have?

12:14 Because the entire point of life, while your heart still beats, is lishbor to break, mashaloshavar adhena osa amida to break whatever part of the mida is still not broken. Mido stand as that goal of life. It's what we're here to do, and now that that is true, and now that we understand that, we understand how important mitos are, how come, though, we must ask ourselves why? Why is it that Hashem gives us life? Just to be able to be mitak in our mitos?

12:56 Hashem gives us life, I would say, to be able to study His Torah and do His mitzvot, but the Vilna Gaon says no that God gives us life, I would say to be able to study his Torah and do his mitzvot. But the Vilna Gaon says no, that God gives us life in order to be with, taken, our Midos. Why is that? And like we've stated before that Midos, they are problematic and they got Korach in trouble, but ultimately it isn't a commandment. Ultimately they do get a person in trouble, but is that really the entire central focus of our lives, says the Vilna Goan that it is. And I ask you why, and the way that I understand it, based on the most epic talk I've ever heard from the great Yosef Elephant Shlita, one of the great rabbis in Yeshiva, esmir, as describing the Alishar, the great Rav, shlomo Volba, about what role Midos has in our lives and why it is the reason that we wake up in the morning.

13:52 It goes as follows Because the reason we care so much about character perfection is because Midos is what stands in the way between us and mitzvahs. See, mitzvahs are really rather easy and we're interested in them. So why do we ever fall prey to missing out on a mitzvah? Because in the maze of life, midos gets in the way. Just think about it. What stood in the way between Kor? Midos gets in the way. Just think about it. What stood in the way between Korach and his happy life? What stood in the way between Korach and doing his avodah properly?

14:33 Rather nothing, because he did have a good spot, he was cut from a good cloth, he did have a really close front row seat to all of the avodah. He was very much cherished by HaKadosh Baruch Hu. But what messed him up was the jealousy. Unable to be content with the heavenly and divine service, he already had the bad mitos, the neskane, that he was jealous. That was the destruction of the bridge that was connecting him to future mitzvos and future avodah. Mitzvos are there, but the prerequisite, the bridge to more mitzvos and more avodah, that is the bridge that we title the famous Midos Bridge.

15:20 And I beg of you that you don't laugh at these examples. But I've come up with a couple different instances with some fake names, fake characters, to try to draw out the bit of the irony of where Midos happened and how they get us into trouble. Please don't laugh, because they could very well be you and I, and just on a bad day. So let me introduce you to my friend named Johnny. Johnny lives in Yerushalayim. He actually grew up in America but he has traveled to Yerushalayim. He wants to learn in Yeshiva Asmir. He wants the real stuff.

16:02 He knows that the airspace of Eretz Yisrael makes one smarter. So after a great Elzman, he's able to shake off some of his rust, really kick it into gear and even though he is a bit lazy, he was able to push through and have a great sman. And now comes the time it's Tishrei. It was able to push through and have a great sman, and now comes the time it's Tishrei, it's time to get an Esrog. It's time to go to the Shuk and go ahead and get a Lulav, the Daladmin. And this Johnny, he knows himself. He knows that it's very hot during Tishrei. He knows that while Sukkot starts on Thursday and he needs that beautiful, pristine Estrog to be in his nice pocket, or that fancy cozy pouch that holds the Estrog, he knows he needs it by Thursday and right now it's only Sunday.

16:54 So he says I just had a longsman, but let me just go tomorrow. His laziness it makes him say I'll go Tuesday. But he's well aware of this laziness. So he actually planned for this and he knew that Tuesday he was going to wake up and he's going to go, overcome his laziness and go get that beautiful eser to shake it on Teshuvav Tishrei. But then his friends call on Tuesday and they say oh, today's the day that we want to go away On a. So he missed out on Tuesday and Wednesday, while he plans to wake up early because he knows that his parents are now coming to visit him in Eretz, yisrael. He wants to wake up at 6 am to beat the rush, to go to the Esher Shuk and buy one, but he misses his alarm, he sleeps in and eventually it's Thursday, it's Erev Sukkot.

17:44 His laziness has gotten in the way and now he finally, as the buzzer sounds, is able to walk in and buy whatever Estrog has left, probably black, dotted all over the place, misshapen, an Estrog kusi and well, barely kosher and hardly a Zek-keli v'anveyu Estrog. What stood in the way of Johnny and his beautiful Esrog, his beautiful, it was just his laziness, his atzlus and the bridge to the mitzvah that collapsed before his eyes.

18:27 Now look to the left and meet our friend named Harry. Harry, a nice fella, but he's got a temper, a real bad temper. But he's actually very alacritic. He loves davening, he loves learning, he's not lazy. The alarm goes off at 5 am. Every day he hits the gym, he runs on the treadmill. Sometimes he even does dafiyomi at 4 am. But it's just this small cost problem that can sometimes get in the treadmill. Sometimes he even does dafiyomi at 4am. It's just this small kas problem that can sometimes get in the way. But he's playing for this and he's also like our friend Johnny. They're good friends. They're living in the Mir Yeshiva area. They're all studying. They had a good zman and this Harry. He knows that he's got some anger issues, he's got some kas issues, but he's planned for it.

19:11 He's going to beat the rush and try to not have to argue with any taxi cabs on the way. He's not going to have to engage in any someone getting him upset when he needs to get his esrug for l'kach tamochem, for getting an esrug for sukkahs, to shake it. But then, totally unplanned for, as he's on the bus, it's hot, it's muggy someone just elbowed him right in the head. They didn't even say sorry. He's able to look past it Because he knows that he's got to be on his game. He needs a proper estrog and all of a sudden, as he's walking down into the estrog shlok, someone calls out here I have the best chazanish estrogs.

19:55 It's beautiful. Come and take a look. He runs over and he's about to purchase it, but then somebody knocks it out of his hands and takes it for himself, because he also has chavshivos and chavivos, hamitzvos, and that guy's also not that well worked on. But this is how sometimes goes, when everyone is rushing and things are exciting and everyone has that excitement about the mitzvah, and he gets knocked out of his hands and his friend takes the ester. Now he's really fuming. And then the next ester is one that's only been called out by the next vendor who says this is an even better ester, and he's about to go and buy it before. That vendor gives him an absolutely exorbitant price, and now he's really angry. Bender gives him an absolutely exorbitant price, and now he's really angry. You want to rip me off? Oh you rotten Jews.

20:35 And he storms out, only to come back a couple days later, when he's finally cooled off, to buy again an Esrog Kusi, a black-dotted, ripped-up, super-schwach, poor, rotten-looking Esrog. Because what got in the way was bad Midos was his kas was his temper. And have you met the holy rabbits in Sara and her quest for that beautiful Shabasuda? All week long she just waits that her husband should finally come home and spend some time with her, that they should be able to gather around the table and hear how the kids have prepared the parasha. They should sing songs.

21:17 She loves the most. She loves the Shabbos candy that she gives to her children. She loves the nachas that she gets. She loves to light her Shabbos candles. She loves to go in B'menucha with peace to finally get a break from the hustle and bustle that is the whole entire long, exhausting week. Then, as she's covering her eyes to light Neiros, she kind of thinks about her husband, who's sitting over there on the couch and he's learning the little measure, says. He's trying to learn but he isn't that smart and he's struggling to learn.

21:58 And she feels sad that her husband isn't as big of a Torah scholar as she'd hoped. Not only that, she's a little bit jealous because Maishalah crossed the street, her friend's spouse. He learns many blat kimara, many folios of Talmud, even with Rashi and Tosfos, by the minute, by the hour, making siyumen. What's worse, as she's covering her eyes to say, she starts to lose that sense of joy and that sense of peace and that sense of calm when she notices that her husband, sitting there learning the little medrash says, is also short, overweight and has a lot of pimples on his face.

22:49 And her spouse isn't like her friend's spouse. That is tall, dark and handsome. Jealousy, it eats away at her heart, it rots her bones. So she can't even enjoy the peace, the happiness, the tranquility that is Shabbos Kodesh, the Menuchas shoaling the Shalva. She can't even enjoy the peace, the happiness, the tranquility that is Shabbos Kodesh, the Menuchas sholing v'shalva. She can't enjoy it. Rebetzin Sauer, because, kinah, because jealousy gets in the way. Oh, we're not done. We're not done. We still need to meet our good friends Flavius and our good friend Shlomo.

23:33 Let me tell you quickly about them. You know Flavius, I just wanted to pick a fun name, why not here? Flavius, he absolutely loves mitzvos. He absolutely is a lacritus. He's worked on his cause. He isn't even that lustful. He isn't jealous of anyone else. He lustful, he isn't jealous of anyone else. He learns well. He steigs the kid's just a bit impulsive. He rushes into things. He's pachaz kamayim. He jumps at things. He isn't king-like, he isn't regal, he isn't proper, he isn't methodical about things. But as soon as he hears that something's good, he immediately jumps on it. And sure enough, when he's on the quest for his perfect eser when he's also hanging out with our friends, harry and our friends whoever. The first one was Johnny trying to get his ester while living in the Shook.

24:16 He goes early, bright and early, right away. But he buys the first ester that he can find because the guy told him it's the Chazanish and it's perfect, it's fat, it's juicy, it's an amazing ester and he's so excited about it. He's so impulsive that he jumps on it speedily, impetuous like water. He takes it, he brings it back to washock. He's so excited and when he opens it up to go and shake it on first day of circus, he realizes that there is a big, fat, juicy, nickel sized black dot. That makes his ester puzzle. But because of his impetuousness he didn't see it or even care to check what the vendor, the esteric vendor, was telling him.

25:02 Midos, get in the way of us fulfilling our obligations in the world of Torah and mitzvos Just because we got to finish on a high note. Maybe you've met my other friend named Shlomo, who's lustful. He loves food but he isn't like super lustful. He likes a good schnitzel sandwich. He likes his hamburgers not the original hamburger, but he likes it with, you know, the crispy beef or the pulled meat on top. He likes a good sandwich. Sometimes he can be a little bit lustful in this area, sometimes he eats a bit too much. But he's well aware of this and he knows that.

25:45 I want to be a bent Torah and I really know that nighttime is the best time to study, because that's when the world's asleep, I don't need to work, that's when I have peace, that's when I have tranquility, that's when people are asleep and I have just endless hours to sit and study one-on-one with Hashem, to get deep into the Chachma of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. And so Shlomo's well aware that if he wants to sit down and learn that night, he needs to go easy at the khasna that he has to attend of his friend and not hit the smorgasbord so hard. But sure enough, even though he had prepared, when they do bring out the sushi, the pepper-crusted salmon tartare, the pretzel-crusted schnitzel, along with the perfectly grilled and saut sauteed riblets and lamb, a la mode, I think a la mode means with ice cream.

26:39 So you know we'll back that one up. But he can't hold himself back and with a full belly of schnitzel he barely brings himself back to his house, hardly enthusiastic, hardly enthused about the idea of sitting down to study, sitting down to learn, because his belly is packed, his midos, his lust, his taivas, achila, his cravings. Once again it got in the way. The bridge that connects us to Torah and mitzvos are midos. Hopefully you've seen it from these friends, these made-up characters, that very well.

27:27 Their stories parallel certain experiences that we have in our lives and hopefully you also see how this is exactly what was the Achilles heel, literally the Achilles heel for Korach, because he had it all. He was a big tzaddik, he had a prestigious position, but he was niskane, he was jealous. That's what induced the whole thing, and when there are bad midos you cannot make it over the bridge to the other side of Torah and mitzvos For us.

28:09 We must understand the importance of midos. We must understand how we should chart our way to Torah and mitzvahs and that goes through good midos. We should understand our struggles with midos and be honest with ourselves, for where it is that we do see ourselves, it's that dead giveaway of unable to do certain mitzvos because we're either sleeping in or busy with other things, acting impetuously or just losing ourselves with anger. Don't be like Korach. Bad mitos takes people down daily.

28:49 Like Korach, bad Midos takes people down daily. Don't be like Korach and therefore take the steps to declare war, all-out war, against the identified Midos struggles that one has. Learn to bend your iron pole, which is slanted towards one negative midah, towards the other end of the spectrum, so that it should be right there in the derech hayashah, in the middle, and that you should find your peaceful, tranquil, perfect measurements of each midah, aka midah shalima. You should have good midos, the perfect amount of excitement.

29:31 Learn to take a small step. Instead of 10 pieces of schnitzel, you'll only have nine. Learn to check your estrogim twice. Learn to only hit the snooze once. Learn to wait 10 seconds before you erupt. And, with a small step, one small tiny step forward over the bridge of Midos, you become one step closer to locking in another fantastic mitzvah opportunity. Learn from Johnny, learn from Flavius.

30:11 Learn from Sarah, who didn't have any peace as she was bringing in the Holy Shabbos because of some unworked on midos issues. Take the steps to improve your midos and don't lose out on your next great mitzvah opportunity.