"And Korach took (separated himself).” (Bamidbar/Numbers 16:1)
In this week’s Torah portion, Korach challenges Moshe
(Moses) and Aharon (Aaron). Chazal (the Sages) say that Korach had a
vision that he would have great descendants, including the prophet Shmuel
(Samuel). He falsely assumed that he was
righteous enough to be the progenitor of greatness. In fact, his sons were the
ones who merited having righteous descendants.
What lesson can we learn from Korach’s mistake?
Writes Rabbi A.L. Scheinbaum in Peninim on the Torah:
“A man may possess tremendous potential and he may even have the capacity to
see into the future, as Korach did. Yet, he can make one little mistake by not
using this gift astutely and it tragically can cause his downfall…Instead of
utilizing this prophecy as a catalyst for repentance, he [Korach] used it to
impugn the leadership of Moshe.”
As parents, we must recognize our gifts. Our children
have tremendous potential. Most of us have enough money to provide for our
families, as well as to help people in need. We must make sure we appreciate
these gifts and use them for the right purpose, the way G-d intended for us to
use them. We must scrupulously avoid using our children to satisfy our own
personal needs,or using our wealth to exert power and undue influence.
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