Community Magazine June 2009

18 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Dedicated in memory of Mr. Irving Semah     Many centuries later, a man named Yeravam ben Nevat fell into this same trap. Yeravam, whom Hazal describe as a Torah scholar of the highest caliber, was chosen by Gd to become the first king o f the Northern Kingdom of Israel, a position he earned through his piety and scholarship. But the “jealousy bug” got the best of him. Every seven years, the Jewish people assembled in its entirety in Jerusalem to hear the Torah read by the king of Yehuda. Yeravam realized that at this event, he would be just an ordinary citizen, like everybody else, while Rehavam, the king of Yehuda, would stand on the stage reading the Torah. He was not prepared to compromise his honor in this way. He forbade the people of his kingdom from going to Jerusalem, and erected two idolatrous golden calves in his country to replace the Bet Hamikdash. It is truly frightening what the craving for honor could do to a person. Here was a righteous man, a distinguished rabbi, who ended up becoming one of the most grievous sinners in Jewish history – an idolater, no less – all because of his inability to control his thirst for honor. A key element to avoiding strife is curbing the urge for personal honor and respect – an urge that one can never fully satisfy . Haman rose to nearly the highest position in the Persian Empire, enjoying all the wealth and prestige a person could hope for, but still was not satisfied because one per- son – Mordechai – wouldn’t bow to him. This insatiable desire for honor ultimately led to Haman’s downfall, just as it led to Korah’s demise. The less we concern ourselves with honor and prestige, the less prone we will be to destructive and agonizing fighting with our friends and family. s n o w b a l l i n g tensions If we take a closer look at Korah’s envy, we will reveal yet another clas- sic feature of fighting. The Sages point out that Korah in fact enjoyed considerable honor and prestige. For one thing, he belonged to the tribe of Levi, which was selected to serve as the attendants in the Mishkan and to transport the Mishkan and its furnishings during travel. Moreover, Korah was a member of the special division of Kehat, which carried the most sacred articles of the Mishkan. And as if that were not enough, Korah belonged to the select group of Levites assigned with the coveted task of transporting the Ark – or, more accurately, being transported by the Ark. The Rabbis teach that the Ark did not require people to carry it; to the contrary, it lifted the Leviim assigned to “carry” it, and they floated in air during travel. Korah thus enjoyed one of the greatest privileges available to Beneh Yisrael in the wilderness. Sadly, instead of feeling grateful for the honors with which he was blessed, he was preoccupied with what he didn’t have – the position of tribal leader. This petty yet powerful sense of greed took Korah over the edge, and drove him to wage his senseless revolt against Moshe and Aharon. So often, the bitterest conflicts are ignited by the pettiest of grievances. “He deliberately took my parking space … I can’t believe she didn’t invite me…Who does he think he is telling me what to do…” Gradually, the resentment snowballs into a fierce battle of egos – one which neither side could ever win. We find in Tanach two Hebrew words used for “fight”: riv and meriva . Some have noted that these are essentially the same word, only meriva represents the feminine form of riv . Fighting begins