Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parasha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell ”

Korach, Datan and Aviram, and 250 leaders of Israel rebel against the authority of Moshe and Aharon. The rebellion results in their being swallowed by the earth. Many resent their death and blame Moshe. G-d’s “anger” is manifest by a plague that besets the nation, and many thousands died. Moshe intercedes once again for the people. He instructs Aharon to atone for them and the plague stops. Then G-d commands that staffs of all the tribes, be placed in the Mishkan. In the morning the staff of Levi, bearing Aharon’s name, sprouts, buds, blossoms and yields ripe almonds which proves that Levi’s tribe is chosen for priesthood and verifies Aharon’s position as the High Priest.

The specific duties of the levi’im and kohanim are stated. The kohanim were not to be landowners, but were to receive their sustenance from the tithes and other mandated gifts brought by the people to the Mishkan.

” Dvar Torah ”

Humility, is defined as the quality of being humble. Oxford dictionary defines it as having a feeling of insignificant, inferiority, low in rank and not “proud”. It denounces superiority and promotes equality. In every society, humility is respected as one of the greatest characteristic anyone could have. The beauty of this characteristic is that you should not be able to see it in yourself, but rather, it should be seen by others in you. It’s a characteristic that you can not claim; it’s a characteristic that you have to earn!

In this week’s parsha, however, we see a different definition of humility. The story starts with Korach gathering two hundred and fifty men, all of them leaders of tribes, men of renown and G-d fearing people, and they came and challenged Moshe and Aaron’s authority in front of the whole congregation. And they said to Moshe and Aaron: ” It is too much for you! For the entire assembly, ALL of them are holy and Hashem is among them. Why do you elevate yourselves over the congregation of Hashem?”

At first Moshe tried to reason with them but was unable to succeed. So, he decided to have a contest for the leadership. Moshe said to Korach, ” tomorrow, let each man take his fire-pan and you shall place incense on them and you shall bring your fire-pans before Hashem, 250 fire-pans, and yours and Aaron’s. ” And G-d shall decide who is the chosen one!

But just before the contest, the Torah relates to us something very peculiar. It says that ” Moshe was exceedingly distressed, and he said to the L-rd, “Do not accept the offering [of Korach and his cohorts]. I have not taken a donkey from a single one of them, and I have not harmed a single one of them.” And eventually Moshe prayed for their destruction in such a terrified way that the ground opened its mouth and they all got buried alive!

Wow, this is a very strange statement by Moshe if you ask me! The immediate question that comes to my mind is as follows: Is this the same Moshe that we all know? Is this the same Moshe who has always prayed for his people’s survival, and now he prays for their destruction? The Torah claims that Moshe was the most humble man on the face of the earth. Is this what you expect from the most humble person?! A humble person should not be offended when criticized or challenged for leadership in this matter! One would have expected Moshe to turn to G-d and say, “Almighty, perhaps You should consider allowing Korach to assume my position—he is far more qualified than me! I am more than happy to give up my position to the worthier candidate!” This is what you expect from the most humble man to say and not to pray for the destruction of the opposition! So how do you explain Moshe’s dis-humble reaction here? Is Moshe truly a humble person or not?!

As I was reading the commentaries, I came across the following explanation given by Rabbi Berel Wein which really touched me. He says, in Judaism, true humility is not a result of an undervaluation of one’s talents and accomplishments. Such is a false humility, for it is built on a false foundation. Rather, the truly humble individual is keenly aware of all his strengths and qualities—but simultaneously recognizes that all these talents are G-d-given, and therefore do not constitute a reason to feel superior to another whom G-d has not bestowed such talents. “Perhaps,” the humble person thinks, “if the other person had been blessed with the same gifts, he would have accomplished the same as me—or perhaps even more!”

Moshe recognized that G-d had blessed him with tremendous leadership qualities, and he therefore absolutely rejected the notion of giving up his position to anyone, since that would disrespect G-d’s decision. What really upset Moshe was not Korach’s challenge for his leadership, but rather, it was Korach’s inability to see that it was G-d who had chosen Moshe and has given him the leadership qualities. So, he felt that Korach’s argument was not against him, but against G-d Himself. And that’s what ticked him off. Moshe could have tolerated someone disrespecting him, but he could have never tolerated someone disrespecting G-d!! And that is a true sign of humility; acknowledging G-d and standing up for G-d!

Moshe was truly the most humble person on the face of the earth. What Korach failed to see was that Moshe never elevated himself above others, he just did what Hashem commanded him to do. In Judaism, a leader does not stand above the people. He serves the people, and he serves G-d, and that’s what Moshe did at its best!!

Yes my friends, it’s a great thing to be humble, but humility does not mean to lower your self-esteem. Whenever you are blessed with some qualities, whether it is beauty, intelligence, leadership quality or any other talents, there is no need to deny your talents, but you should always remember that it is G-d who has given you such qualities. This way you would never feel proud of yourself and brag about it to others, since you know that if Hashem would had given these qualities to others, they would be as good as you, or even better! And that’s what humility is all about.

In Judaism, a humble person is defined as someone who does not honor himself, but rather, he has respect for others and respects G-d. Those who are humble do not elevate themselves above others…… they lift others to be high!!!

Shabbat Shalom and Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parasha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell ”

Aaron is commanded to raise light in the lamps of the menorah, and the tribe of Levi is initiated into the service in the Sanctuary.

A “Second Passover” is instituted in response to the petition “Why should we be deprived?” by a group of Jews who were unable to bring the Passover offering in its appointed time because they were ritually impure. G-d instructs Moshe on the procedures for Israel’s journeys and encampments in the desert.

The people are dissatisfied with their “Heavenly Bread” (the manna) and demand that Moses supply them with meat. Moshe appoints 70 elders, by divine order, to assist him in the burden of governing the people.

Miriam speaks negatively of Moshe and is punished with “Tzaraat”; Moshe prays for her healing with the famous expression: “El Na Refa Na Lah”, which means:”Please G-d, heal her now.” The entire community waits seven days for her recovery.

” Dvar Torah ”

It always made me wonder about the motivation of someone who runs a marathon and comes in last. The charming couple in their sixties, strolling together towards the finish line–what made them do it? Each year, some 36,000 people line up to participate in the New York City Marathon, a grueling 26-mile route that runs through all five Boroughs of the city. Of those thousands, only one will come in first. Why do people run the marathon, knowing that they have no chance of coming in one of the top ten, top hundred or even the top thousand? Why do we still see the great joy on the face of the person who finishes at 35,898th position?! What’s the difference between the person who finishes last and the spectator who is just standing on the sideline?

Well, the answer is quite simple. The people who run the marathon race, their aim is not to finish first, but rather, their aim is just to be a part of the race. For them, just completing the marathon itself is a badge of honor and pride, even if they finish last in the race.

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah describes the encampment of the Benei Yisrael in the desert. After hearing the sounds of the silver trumpets, the twelve tribes of Israel packed up their camp, lined up in designated order, and marched forth to their next destination. The tribe of Dan always marched last.

Their job was to bring up the rear and gather up any objects left behind; from missing socks, perhaps, all the way to lost children. They cleaned up after everyone else. It was not a very glorious role. Not nearly as impressive as leading the tribes, like Judah, or carrying the holy vessels like the Levites. But it was a job that needed to get done. They were dedicated to their job and they did never complain. They were just happy to be part the “race”, the race to serve Hashem!

And in addition to run a baggage claim department, the Danites also acted as a role model to the rest of the tribes. They were respected by the rest of the tribes because they never lost perspective. They showed everyone the importance of caring about other people’s property and be sensitive towards others. Those tribes who were the leaders or had an important job such as carrying the Mishkan, sometimes would have become “baalei gaava”–haughty and they could have lost perspective. They would forget that it is Hashem who has given them their leadership positions. But by looking at the tribe of Dan and seeing how dedicated they are to their jobs, they learned to be humble again. The Danites, although were in last place, but they stayed focus to their job and were happy with what they were assigned to. They did what needed to be done and took care of the needs of others. With a wonderful blend of self-esteem, they felt no need to get ahead. They took pride in what they did and they were extremely happy just to be part of Hashem’s army!

Yes my friends, life is just like a marathon race! The aim is not to finish first, but rather, the aim is to just be part of the race. And let’s not lose perspective. The race for “life” is not about who can accumulate more capital in their lifetime, nor is it about who can take the leadership positions, but the race is all about who can serve Hashem and be part of Hashem’s army. We are the Chosen people and we need to stay the Chosen people! This means that we have to follow Hashem’s commandments. But it doesn’t mean that we all have to lead the race! Not everyone has to become Rabbis and great Talmid Chachams. Everyone can run at its own pace! As long as we try to do the best we can and we stay focused to our responsibilities as a Jew, we are doing fine. We started the race as a Jew and we have to finish the race as a Jew. Let’s not stop in the middle!

So my friends, take pride in being a Jew, and be proud to be part of the Hashem’s race and be happy that you are not a spectator on the sideline just like the other nations the world!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin