Are We Really Serving Hashem?

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.bircas.org)

In Parshas Korach, Korach leads a revolt against Moshe and Aharon. Chazal teach us that Korach, a distinguished member of the nation, envisioned himself as the true leader of the Jewish people. He argued that Moshe was using his position unfairly, for personal gain. To this day, Korach remains the primary example of the danger of unbridled envy, and he is proof of Chazal’s teaching (Avos 4:21) that “Jealousy, lust, and honor take a person out of the world.”

In the previous essay we mentioned Korach’s former spiritual greatness, and asked how it was possible that he stooped so low. We said in the name of the Slonimer Rebbe that self-centeredness was the root of his problem. Here, we discuss a different approach.

Rav Aharon Kotler says that it was Korach’s greatness that paved the way for his downfall. As a person becomes great, he begins to access and appreciate the great things that man is capable of. When he sees his own spiritual evolution, he aspires to reach even greater heights. However, the more one yearns for spiritual greatness, the greater the danger of forgetting why he yearns for it. Does he want to become great for Hashem’s glory or for his own? If a person loses perspective, he can end up committing even the most base and immoral acts. This is what happened to Korach. Though at first he desired to do his part in bringing glory to Hashem, eventually he forgot why he desired greatness.

Those of us who are trying to climb the ladder of spiritual greatness should remain aware of our motivations at all times. As great as we are becoming, we must bear in mind that it means nothing when it isn’t for the sake of Hashem. We should check to make sure that we are still on track, with our motivations remaining pure.

What else can we do to ensure that we avoid the path of Korach? We must ensure that we are not deafening ourselves to the opinions of others. Over the years, I’ve observed that when study partners don’t manage together, it’s often because they are not listening to each other. Each one states his own opinion, but sees no reason to investigate the other side’s position. This prevents them from ever knowing if they possess the truth. The Mishnah (Avos 5:17) teaches that the disputes between Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai were truly for the sake of Heaven. They were not out to prove that they were right, but rather to reach the truth. In fact, it is recorded many times that one group retracted its own view and ruled like the other one. Moreover, the Gemara (Eiruvin 13b) states that Beis Hillel’s halachic opinion was accepted over Beis Shammai’s because Beis Hillel stated its opponent’s opinion before its own. Beis Hillel valued having an understanding of the other side, showing a true determination to reach the truth at all costs. If we honestly exert ourselves to listen to and appreciate the ideas of our fellows, we can train ourselves to act sincerely for the sake of Heaven.

Once, a young student was presenting a chaburah (a presentation of Torah insight) to a group of his fellows. He developed an exciting insight that left the entire group speechless. However, a very bright fellow in the group realized that it was based on a false premise.

He did not want to embarrass his friend while the chaburah was in progress. At some point, though, when comments were requested from the listeners, he found himself presenting this difficulty to the group. Unable to answer, the presenter stepped down from the podium and said that he would have to rethink things.

The young man immediately took the presenter aside to apologize for disproving his insight. The presenter was taken aback. “Apologize? I can’t thank you enough for pointing out my error. I could have walked away from that topic with the wrong conclusion!”

It is only human to be upset with someone for causing one’s embarrassment in public. Still, this student saw only the positive side, because he was utterly focused on one thing alone: the truth. This prevented him from feeling offended.

May we be zocheh to serve Hashem, and not ourselves!

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Rabbi Krieger’s “Gedolei Yisroel on the Parashah & Yamim Tovim” is now available from the Yeshiva office, Jewish bookstores worldwide and can be ordered online at https://www.feldheim.com/gedolei-yisroel-on-Parashah-yamim-tovim-2.