Money as a Test

Another point made by Rav Mann זצ״ל regarding yesterday's Parsha is the question of how we deal with money. He quotes a Pasuk from Kohelet that says, עושר שמור לבעליו לרעתו, "Wealth is reserved for its owners to his detriment."The connection is to how Korach was ruined because of his wealth. It confused him into feeling he was entitled to more honor than he deserved. Money gives a person a sense of power that he is better than others around him.The Orchot Tzaddikim says that money comes to a person as a Bracha, a blessing, a test, or a curse. In Korach's case it was definitely a curse as it led to his ultimate downfall. When money comes too easily or too quickly, it confuses people into making bad decisions.May we all be blessed with the kind of wealth that is a Bracha where it gives us peace of mind and enables us to do more Mitzvot. Rav Elazar זצ״ל made this very point when he once said, אם אין כסף אין מצוות. If there's no money, there's no Mitzvot.

Choices

Shavua Tov.Rav Shlomo Mann זצ״ל wrote a great deal about פרשת קרח. It was difficult to understand how such a wealthy man of prominence was able to make such a bad choice to enter into conflict with Moshe Rabbeinu.Rav Mann explains that in life we make many choices. Our thought process is either categorized as coming from holiness or thoughts that come from the negative side known as the Kelipa. In the words of the Talmud, שתי כליות יועצות, our two kidneys advise us. One advises us to do good and the other to do bad.The Torah itself admonishes us to "choose life". Korach's mistake was that instead of using his faculties of holiness to make the right choice, he allowed the negative forces to rule and convince him that it was the right thing to challenge the leadership of Moshe and Aharon.We must remember that whenever we have choices to make in life, we should try to connect with Hashem and ask for guidance. This will help us greatly to make the right choices that will allow us to succeed.

Parshat Korach

The message of this week's Parsha is the problem that arises from lusting for power. Korach was the wealthiest man in the world and he had an important task in carrying the holy vessels of the Temple.Many of the commentators blame the rebellion on Korach's wife who incited him to rebel against Moshe. Many felt that he should have known better as he did not trace his lineage to Yakov Avinu. He knew that Yakov handed over the secret words, פקוד פקדתי to the true leader that Hashem had chosen.The message, as emphasized by my dear student, Herb Maltz, was the danger of pursuing honor. Although most attribute lust to sexuality, the lust for honor can be equally damaging to an individual. All logic goes out the window when one is possessed by this lust as Korach was.He rebelled against G-d and the Alshich adds that he rebelled against the authenticity of the truth of the Mitzvot. He is removed from the world like no other Jew and is remembered in infamy as the one who did not know how to be happy with his lot in life. This led to his ultimate demise. Shabbat Shalom

Purity and Impurity

A Jew really has two struggles in life. The first is the recognition that G-d Himself created evil in the world. This is proven from the Book of Isaiah 46:7 where it's written, עושה שלום ובורא רע, that Hashem created peace and evil. It is our task to recognize evil wherever it appears and separate ourselves from it. This evil can be present both among Jews and non-Jews. We are rewarded for separating from it and punished if we succumb to it. The second struggle is between טומאה and טהרה, purity and impurity. This, too, is difficult as it's often not so clear what is purity and what is impurity. Most feel that we win this struggle by way of separation. If we try to live lives of holiness and we worship Hashem and observe the Mitzvot with enthusiasm, we will be elevated to higher levels of purity. טומאה is not necessarily evil, but it does have the effect of decreasing sanctity. The awareness of our mission to stay away from evil and impurities, will allow us to conquer them.

Good and Evil

The Tanya explains that Hashem reluctantly created evil in the world. The analogy was to someone who is asked to deliver a gift to someone who he strongly dislikes. He fulfills his task without even looking at the person.The same is true of how evil became a reality. Hashem certainly would have preferred not to have evil exist. However, the Tanya explains, evil became the device necessary in order to reward the righteous for separating themselves from it. And similarly, it was going to be the cause for punishing the wicked for attaching themselves to it.We are meant to constantly be aware of the good and evil in the world. This is the role of the Jew. We achieve קדושה by separating ourselves from the profane and from the other nations. We also separate from the clean and unclean animals. When we attain this קדושה, we are elevated because we have succeeded in not allowing evil to enter our lives.

Ezra

I urge everyone to study in depth chapters nine and ten of the book of Ezra. Details are given as to how Ezra reacted when he was told that numerous Jews, including men of stature, had intermarried and brought their foreign wives and non-Jewish children with them from the exile to Israel when the second Temple was being rebuilt.Ezra is devastated at hearing the news and goes into seclusion and fasting. He cries out to Hashem and says that he is thoroughly embarrassed by the despicable behavior of the Jews in violating the Torah.He says that Hashem is the Tzaddik by allowing the house of Israel to be rebuilt. He issued an ultimatum that every Jew must divorce his non-Jewish wife and send her away with the children born to them. Otherwise, he will seize their property and excommunicate them. Miraculously, the people complied and divorced their foreign wives and sent away their children.The text goes on to list 112 Jews who were guilty of intermarriage and expressed remorse for their actions. Ezra's anger subsided and the second Temple was cleansed of its impurity.

Lustful Thoughts

The Tanya was written for the common man even though it has many lofty ideas. There is also a great deal of Kabbalah in the Tanya. The book was written to elevate people and encourage them.One such idea of the Tanya is in regards to a person having sinful or lustful thoughts. If one has such thoughts and does not act on them, he should feel very proud of himself.On the other hand, if that same person expresses feelings of sadness or disappointment for even having those thoughts in the first place, the Tanya calls that individual conceited! The reason for this is that he thinks of himself as a Tzaddik. For only a Tzaddik is on such a level that he never even entertains sinful or lustful thoughts.For the majority or for us "Beinoni's", we should be content that we overcome temptation.

Ingratitude

Shavua Tov. Another important point learned from today's Parsha is that one must never be an ingrate. One is always obligated to be appreciative of any kindness that one does for him.This was exactly the speech that Kalev made after hearing the evil report of the spies. After tearing his clothes as a sign of mourning, he reminded the people that it was Moshe Rabbeinu who split the Red Sea and gave the Manna and the quails.When Kalev said עלה נעלה, that we shall surely go up, Rashi says that Kalev further said that if Moshe told us to build ladders to go heavenward, we should believe him for he fulfills whatever he says.Rav Mann זצ״ל wrote that Kalev was telling the people to elevate themselves to a spiritual level and rise up their low level of fears and doubts. Ingratitude is a terrible trait.

פרשת שלח

This week's Parsha has the tragic story of the spies and their bad mouthing the Land of Israel. They complained that the land devours its inhabitants. The Alshich says that they blamed the destructive nature of the land on its climate. Only the supermen who lived there could handle the challenges presented by the land. They cut clusters of grapes to show how massive the fruits were in Canaan.The report of the spies demoralized the people and they cried bitterly on the ninth of Av. Hashem said that because they cried for nothing, this would be a day of crying for generations.Kalev was particularly effective in silencing the spies. He insisted that they no longer had any protection and they were לחמינו, like bread. The Alshich says that they were like the Manna, which was the bread of the day. Just as the Manna melted after no use, the inhabitants of the land would also melt.The sin of the spies was one of the most grievous in our history. One needs to be very careful before ever speaking badly about Israel in any way. Shabbat Shalom

Positive and Negative Sadness

The Tanya addresses the issue of sadness and says that there is positive sadness and negative sadness.Positive sadness comes from remorse of our having sinned or having made bad decisions that we might regret. After temporarily getting past this sadness, we are left with a strong resolve to be stronger and wiser in the future.Negative sadness comes mainly from worrying about material things such as wealth, health, and our children. When we worry about any of these items, it is a reflection on our being disconnected from Hashem's love and protection.Is such worries overtake us, we are left with a feeling of lethargy and a lack of enthusiasm in facing the world. Laziness and depression is not far behind.Feeling G-d's love and protection gives us the alacrity and excitement and joy necessary in coping with life in a positive way.

Oaths and vows

There is a great deal written about making oaths and vows. The book of Kohelet says that it's far better not to make a vow than to vow and not fulfill it. The revoking of a vow needed to be done in front of a Beit Din or Jewish court. Oaths, or a שבועה, is considered even more severe and should be avoided at all costs. A שבועה from the Torah involved taking hold of a Torah scroll or Tefillin and swearing by using one of G-d's holy names. A Rabbinic oath is less severe but is something for which we are accountable.The Rambam lists various commandments in terms of their severity. He writes that violating an oath by swearing falsely, even though it is not punishable by death by the court or Karet, is still considered very severe. We must be very careful with our speech.

Two Shemas

The Tanya makes a claim that the Jewish soul has a built in mechanism of love for G-d that he may not be consciously aware of. It becomes manifested if a Jew is confronted with a life and death situation of risking his life rather than worship idols.The Tanya believes that this hidden love that is found in the soul of every Jew will shine through. Any Jew of any background will be prepared to die rather than violate idols.The Tanya goes on to explain that we recite the Shema, which is actually a prayer of martyrdom, both in the morning and evening, in order to read for this commitment of love that we all have for Hashem.The recitation of Shema is to serve as a reminder that this hidden love exists and it should cause us to bring it from the hidden to the revealed. It is this love for Hashem that gives our lives purpose and meaning.The next time we recite the Shema, we should try to keep in mind this idea of our hidden love of G-d.

בהעלותך

Parshat בהעלותך has many interesting subjects such as the commandment to אהרון to light the Menorah, the traveling in the desert in an orderly fashion, the making of silver trumpets, and the לשון הרע spoken by Miriam against Moshe.The Alshich spends the most emphasis on the story of the complainers of the lack of meat. This complaint was instigated by the ערב רב and the real complaint was that they were unhappy with all of the sexual restrictions of the Torah. They complained that the Manna was constipating and did not have enough protein to give strength.The positive side of these complaints is that it led to the formation of the first Sanhedrin that lasted until 358 of the Common Era.We also learn a great deal about prophecy in this Parsha. Eldad and Meidad were given the gift of prophecy. Yehoshua was upset that they predicted that Moshe would die and he would lead the nation into Israel. Moshe showed his humility by saying that he wished everyone would reach the spiritual high of Eldad and Meidad.