Thursday, June 6, 2013

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Korach

The following is a brief summary of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
 
R' Frand began his parsha vort this evening by making reference to the damage done by machlokes. He first quoted R' Chaim Palagi who writes that from the time that he was a young man, he saw that any person or community or city or country which had a machlokes - neither side came out unscathed - whether physically or monetarily. No side ever wins an argument, there are casualties on both sides. So he suggests that if you are involved in an argument, whether it relates to your money, or honor, or personally- just walk away and you will gain more than you have lost.
 
Similarly, R' Frand quoted R' Shach who says that no one ever lost for being m'vater - for conceding.
 
R' Frand then asked - in the dispute between Moshe and Korach & Co, how could you tell who was right? It was 250 great people who stood with Korach to ask on Moshe. R' Frand answered by quoting R' Schteinman who says - whoever keeps quiet is the one who is right.
 
R' Frand next quoted in the name of the Chasam Sofer on the pasuk in Tehillim 147 - "Hasam Gevuleich Shalom, Cheilev Chittim Yasbe'aich" - every person has their red line which they will not cross. But if your red line is shalom, you will have a bounty of the fat of the wheat - you will win.
 
R' Frand also noted that the parsha begins with a pasuk which explicitly mentions Dasan and Aviram as being part of Korach's band. This is the first time that Dasan and Aviram are actually mentioned, even though they had been alluded to numerous times in the Torah prior to Parshas Korach. They were mentioned was in Parshas Shemos when they said that Moshe had ruined their reputation with Pharaoh. Dasan was also a figure earlier in Shemos as he was the man that Moshe saved from being killed by the Mitzri, before he then turned on Moshe the following day. Another story involving Dasan and Aviram without mentioning their names was the rebellion at Yam Suf where people said - lets turn back. The speakers were Dasan and Aviram. Yet another story involved the people who tried to make it appear as if the manna had fallen on Shabbos (before the birds came and ate the manna). Yes, this was also Dasan and Aviram - but they were never mentioned by name.
 
So why did Dasan and Aviram finally merit being mentioned here? Because here they jumped into a machlokes where they did not even have anything to gain!
 
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