The Purpose of Prayer
torah.org/torah-portion/legacy-5768-korach/
Posted on June 8, 2021 (5781) By Rabbi Naftali
Reich | Series: Legacy | Level: Beginner
There was never any
question as to who was right and who was wrong. When Korach challenged Moses
for the leadership of the Jewish people, it was a brazen attempt to usurp a
position to which he had no right. Hashem had chosen Moses to be the
leader of the Jewish people, grooming him from infancy for that exalted role.
Korach had no such legitimate claim.
How did Moses react to
this challenge to his authority? In this week’s portion, we read that he prayed
to Hashem that He spurn the sacrificial offerings of Korach and his followers.
“I have not appropriated so much as a donkey from any of them,” Moses concluded
in his prayer, “nor have I done them any harm.”
The question immediately
arises: Why did Moses have to defend himself against Korach in his prayer? Even
if Moses had been less than perfect, Korach would have been rejected by Hashem
as a usurper.
Let us consider for a
moment the concept of prayer. A person is gravely ill or in serious financial
trouble. In desperation, he turns to the Creator and begs Him for relief in
this time of crisis. But surely, the crisis itself has been brought into being
by the same Creator. How then do we have the temerity to ask Him to reverse
Himself? What gives us the right to ask Hashem to heal us when He is the one
who deliberately made us ill? Are we asking him to admit that He made a
mistake, Heaven forbid? Obviously not. What then is the point of our prayer?
Let us consider one more
point. Our Sages instituted the requirement to pray to Hashem thrice daily. We
ask for his help a thousand times a year, regardless of whether or not we have
any pressing needs at the time. Clearly, there is a deeper purpose to prayer.
The commentators explain
that the overriding mission of our lives during our brief sojourn in this world
is to connect with Hashem, to develop a close relationship with Him, to bring
ourselves to transcendent levels of spirituality for all eternity. How do we
accomplish this?
One of the most direct
avenues to Hashem is prayer. Through prayer, we open our hearts to Him every
day, three times a day. We turn to Him as our loving Father in Heaven and pour
out all the pain, the fear, the yearning and, yes, the joy that floods our
hearts. If we truly engage our emotions in our prayer, if we experience an
uplifting personal connection, then our prayer connects us to Him, regardless
of whether or not we receive a positive response to our request. Prayers that
result in personal growth are successful prayers. Sometimes, that very personal
growth can effect changes in the divinely ordained order of things, but the
efficacy of the prayers does not depend on these changes.
When Korach challenged
Moses for the leadership of the Jewish people, Moses immersed himself in
prayer, seeking comfort in a deeper closeness with Hashem. This led him to
profound soul searching and, in his great humility, to a thorough examination
of his treatment of Korach’s congregation. But even so, he could not recall
doing anything to provoke this rebellion. These words then were not an argument
and a justification. They were the natural result of true prayer.
A desperate woman
approached a great sage. “My child was born with a terrible deformity. Please
help me! What shall I do?”
“I want you to pray for
your child,” said the sage. “Pray at least once every day, and for at least an
hour each time.”
“And will He then perform
a miracle for me?” asked the woman.
The sage spread his hands.
“Anything is possible. We will see.”
A month later, the woman
returned, her face wreathed in a serene smile. “The prayer has really helped,”
she said. “My child’s condition has not changed, but I have. I can accept it
now, and go on with my life.”
“Ah,” said the sage. “Then
He did indeed perform a miracle.”
In our own lives, we often
have occasion to pray to Hashem to extricate us from one crisis or another.
Hopefully, our prayers will be answered in the way we want, and we will be
spared pain and anguish. But even if Hashem decides not to grant our request,
our prayers do not have to go to waste. If we pray in the proper frame of mind,
our prayers will inevitably enrich us spiritually and bring us closer to
Hashem. They will help us rise above the vicissitudes of the transitory world
and become connected to the eternal truths of the universe.
Text Copyright © 2008
by Rabbi Naftali Reich and Torah.org.
Rabbi Reich is on the
faculty of the Ohr Somayach Tanenbaum Education Center.
To Balance
the Ego • Torah.org
torah.org/torah-portion/rabbiwein-5774-korach/
Posted on June 19, 2014 (5774) By Rabbi Berel
Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner
In the entire biblical
narrative of the sojourn of the Jewish people in the desert of Sinai, the tribe
of Levi is not mentioned as being a participant in any of the rebellions and
mutinies of the Jewish people against G-d and Moshe. The tribe of Levi
stood firm in its faith and loyalty during the disaster of the Golden Calf and
rallied to the side of Moshe to stem that tide of idolatry.
In the complaints mounted
against Moshe and G-d about water and food, the tribe of Levi is not to be
found. The tribe of Levi did not participate in the mission of the spies and
explorers of the Land of Israel and there is opinion that it was not included
in the decree that that generation would die in the desert and never see the
Land of Israel. Yet this seemingly impeccable record is tarnished by the events
described in this week’s parsha.
Here, apparently, the
tribe of Levi, through Korach and his supporters, are the leaders of a very
serious rebellion against the authority of Moshe. Moshe himself is a Levite and
when he criticizes the behavior of the tribe of Levi – “is it not enough for
you to be the chosen servants of the Lord in your Levite status that you must
insist that you will also be the priestly class of Israel?!” he certainly does
so with heavy heart and great bitterness. In effect he is demanding to know
what happened to turn the holy tribe of Levi into a rebellious group whose
punishment would be their being swallowed up by the earth.
One of my favorite truisms
in life is that one is never to underestimate the power of ego. The Great War
of 1914-18 was in a great measure caused and driven by the egotistical whims of
some of the main monarchs of Europe who were then in power.
The Talmud records for us that the evil but potentially great King of
Israel, Yeravam ben Nvat, was offered by G-d, so to speak, to stroll
in Paradise alongside King David and G-d Himself, again, so to speak.
The Talmud tells us that
Yeravam refused the offer because King David would have preference of place
over him on that walk in Heaven. The message and moral that the Talmud means to
convey with this story is how dangerous and tragic an inflated ego can be to
one’s self and, if one is in a position of leadership and authority it, may
affect others as well.
Korach and the tribe
of Levi fall victim to their inflated egos. Their sense of self is now far from
reality and responsibility. One cannot be without ego and self-pride. Yet these
attributes must be tempered by perspective, logic and a sense of loyalty and
obedience to the word of G-d. That, in my opinion. is the basic lesson of this
week’s parsha.
Moshe’s overriding sense
of modesty diminishes the drive of his own ego and he is able to say “would
that all of G-d’s congregation could join me as prophets.” Korach, consumed by
his unjustly inflated ego, destroys himself and many others in his quest for
positions that do not belong to him nor is he worthy of having.
Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein
Rabbi Berel Wein- Jewish historian, author and international lecturer offers a
complete selection of CDs, audio tapes, video tapes, DVDs, and books on Jewish
history at www.rabbiwein.com
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