Thursday, July 7, 2016

How Far Must Our Love Go

In this week's parsha, Korach, we read about the rebellion of Korach and his cohorts Dasan and Aviram. At one point, Hashem commanded Moshe "Speak to the congregation saying, 'withdraw from the dwellings of Korach, Dasan and Aviram.'" Then it says "And Moshe arose and went to Dasan and Aviram, and all the elders of Israel followed him." It continues, "And he spoke to the congregation..."

The Torah doesn't say anything extra. Why then does it say that Moshe arose, and that all the elders followed him? It could have just said that Moshe went to Dasan and Aviram. What moved the elders to follow him?

Rashi explains, "And Moshe arose" because he thought that Dasan and Aviram would show him respect, but they didn't.

This was already after Hashem gave the command to separate from Korach, Dasan and Aviram. At this point their fate was, so to speak, sealed. It was beyond the point of reconciliation and repentance. For that matter, going to talk to them, would be going against Hashem's command, to separate from them. And even more, Moshe was on a mission from Hashem to warn the people to separate themselves from Korach, Dasan and Aviram, it would be highly inappropriate for him to do anything before completing his mission.

Even though Dasan and Aviram's fate was sealed, and even though they acted brazenly against Moshe and were instigators of the rebellion, still Moshe, out of his great love for every Jew, sought to find a way to save Dasan and Aviram from their looming fate.

He couldn't go talk to them nor do anything that would interfere with his mission. This is why Moshe arose, meaning, he used his position and stature, as king and leader of the Jewish people in the hope that it would affect Dasan and Aviram to at least show respect, saving them from being swallowed by the earth.

This is also why the elders followed him, because Moshe was acting in the capacity of the king, and where the king goes, so do the elders. This added to the prestige of the event, but unfortunately it still didn't have the desired affect on the conspirators.

If Moshe found love in his heart to try and find ways to save these evil people, how much more so must we find ways to include Jewish people who are less knowledgeable in Torah, especially when it is no fault of their own.

We have many brothers and sisters who were not granted a proper Jewish education, for what ever reason. We must take a page of Moshe's play book and Moshe's love, and seek to find ways to include these Jews as well into the life of Torah which is an everlasting life.

More than anything else, it is our love of every Jew, that is the key to bringing Moshiach, which all Jews will experience together. May he come soon.

5 comments:

  1. R' Yitzi - Thank you does not even begin to express the hakaros hatov I have towards you. Dvarim Hayotzim Min Halev...I was drawn to your blog after following from the "Shine a Little Light" video. I continue to draw unbelievable chizuk and inspiration from your words and the person that they are coming from. Chazak V'amatz!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for this insightful Dvar Torah. May we all be able to apply this mussar in our lives.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rav Yitzi, we get so much inspiration from you and your weekly divrei torah! There's rarely a day that goes by that we don't mention your name in our office! We've made it our practice now to print up your blog vort every Friday and read it by the Shabbos table! It's only right that if Rav Yitzi goes through so much trouble to type it up every Thursday that we should read it straight from his print and not just "say it over"! Your every word is laced with sweet, sweet holiness! May Hashem bless you with a miraculous recovery soon so we may all sing to His great Name in pure joy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This was beautiful to read.
    Thank you for that.
    Thank you for all that you do for others.

    Quoting:
    " Could we with ink the ocean fill,
    And were the skies of parchment made,
    Were every stalk on earth a quill,
    And every man a scribe by trade;
    To write the love of G-d above,
    Would drain the ocean dry;
    Nor could the scroll contain the whole
    Though stretched from sky to sky "
    Limitless Love......................................
    I remember you and your family, very often.
    Martha

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chelek 28 sicha 1 parshas korach

    ReplyDelete