Korach: The Premature Flow

Korach 5786 – David Lemmer

“Yidden, come together, the day of your redemption has come!” “Yidden, sons of Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov, the One you have yearned for has shown!”

These are the words you will hear in the near future. And when you finally hear them for real you will feel a sense of Deja-vu. This is the definition of (Tehillim 126:1) “Hayinu Kecholmim.” Being like the dreamers who saw the future way before its time came. How did they see ahead?

Korach, our holy brother, as Rashi (Bamidbar 16:7) points out, “Eino Hita’ato, his eye deceived him.” What future did he dream of, or did he even see that far?

You see, with many fights and arguments, the ones involved don’t truly have a plan. All they have is the desire for triumph. Their desired future is not built on a solid framework of how to achieve it. Rather it relies solely on the belief that we will be strong enough to punch back every time. Without a plan, and a solid one, the loss may come at any moment and there is nothing to show for it afterwards. All that is left is to continue blaming and crying over the defeat, or a bow of admittance.

One with a plan will have tangible effects over time. Their desire is strong and they want to kiss the trophy already, but they want to place it so high that everyone can see it. They are willing to delay their gratification for the chance of expanding it to be even greater. It is like wanting to live in a penthouse. You can either steal one or you can build your building either physically or metaphorically by gaining wealth or influence to attain it. What will happen if you never make it to the top? At least you have 50 floors to speak for you. But by breaking and entering, the joy will pass as fast as it came, and leave you with a dark hole. Either you will get caught and sit in prison, or metaphorically you will be clutched by the guards of the dark side.

Those are the two ways to a goal. What they both have in common is a thing called action. “What kind of action will you take?”

What we must remember is that we cannot rush a result. There may be those who need to be pushed when they are slacking, but look at it this way. Your desire is to get the result you asked for, but you can only motivate the person, not the result. How can you convince the result to come faster? You can only convince the one with the ability to make it a reality to work harder. So how will you ask them? Will you force them to work for the result, meaning, that they won’t eat or sleep until it is done? Or will you motivate them by teaching them to find purpose in their action?

Once we understand this we come to a conclusion that all we truly do in this world is try. Look at it from this point of view. We want to say something, anything. In our minds we have a structure of words that we would like to articulate. Along the way, as we will speak we can blend in some connection to the conversation being had, throw in a joke, an inside joke, a personal story, knowledge, thoughts, advice… you know, the regular typical conversation. You want to speak, but 1) you need them to listen, 2) you need them not to interrupt, and 3) you need to believe that they are taking you seriously. If these three are not present in the moment before speech, the desire to say the words is blocked from becoming a reality.

It takes someone who is determined to open their mouth albeit the struggle. Someone who really needs to get this off their chest. Someone who feels that they must be heard for the good of mankind. A determined will that shatters the bars of imprisonment. “This is a vision that must come true, and nothing will hold me back from reality.”

Those of you familiar with drinking understand that it leads to the opening of the gates. You start thinking and then saying things that you would not dare think or say while sober. The bars are removed and now the words can spill. This is the power of wine. We drink it as is customary for Kiddush, Kiddushin, Brachot, Brissim, Pidyon Haben. The properties of the wine remove the prison guards and let the flow run forth. What is on the heart will flow upward and what is on the mind will pass through. That is why we drink wine at happy occasions so that we can allow good feelings to be released even at the disdain of the guards.

This is akin to our earthly desires. We are blocked by various forces from achieving our goal. These forces were given names to blame, like “This one did this to me and that one did that!” But if you truly want to let your flow go and pour your heart out to the world, you must be determined to do it without the consent of the prison guards. You must remember that the only reason you are behind those bars is because you stopped trusting yourself. It was in the past that you have messed up really badly and were sucked into the clutches of the dark. You have built a prison around yourself, not only to keep you in, but also to not let yourself out. You remember that time when you had a desire and stole it prematurely. You remember that time you tried to claim what was not yours. It hurts to say that “I got nothing to show for it,” but it hurts even more that I caused myself so much pain for letting my flow go to waste.

So back to Korach, his eye deceived him. Did he have a plan? How far did his eye see? What did he see in the future? What Deja-vu was he wishing to witness?

Korach was no simple man, that we must agree. 

Firstly, when the Yidden left Egypt he was the one who emptied the vaults of the palace! Think about the broad daylight walk-in and just loading it all up. Willingly of the guards!

Secondly, he was from the family of Kehat, those who flew in the air while holding the Aron. Think about the holy thrill. Pure thoughts of holding Hashem’s holiest of holy artifacts, spiraling across plains like thoughts in brains.

Thirdly, he was first cousins with Moshe and Aharon. His prestige among the people was one of a prince, one who had unlimited access to the king! A relationship that bent all the rules and allowed for humor and grace.

He was no wise guy, for sure. So what got into him? עינו הטעתו Eino Hita’ato, His עין (eye) deceived him.

Let’s cross over to Gematria.

קרח = 308

ע’ = 70

His “Ein” deceived him.

When deducing 70 of 308 we are left with 238 the equivalent of רחל.

He remembered mother Rachel as Leah came back from the fields with (Bereishit 30:14) Yasmin Dudaim. She said to Leah, “Would you give me your flowers so that I too can bear a child?” To which Leah answered, (ibid 30:15) “Hame’at Kachteich,” is it a little thing that you have stolen my husband and you still want my flowers?” That night was fruitful to Leah and she bore two more children.

In this entire episode this same word “Hame’at” is mentioned twice. Once as Moshe speaks to Korach, and another as Dathan and Aviram speak to Moshe. Korach, in his eyes, was Leah and Moshe was Rachel. He saw himself superior with his Ein, with his 70 more. He saw a reward, one where he wears the Kohen Gadol’s garments in the holiest of holies. He saw this as being a proper step in the direction of his desire. This was not theft or ill gotten in his view. He saw Leah giving birth and being triumphant in this argument, and decided to try.

He allowed his flow to go. But this was his grave mistake. He wanted it now. Unlike Pinchas who had his desires to become a Kohein and stuck around long enough to receive it and much more.

All that was left for him was the admittance at the end. And that is what we sing, (Baba Batra 74a) Moshe Vetorato Emet! When his eyes were finally seeing straight again he saw that Rachel actually got the long term reward, where her children will finally come back home. As the Prophet Jeremiah (31:15-16:) stated,

כה אמר ה’ מנעי קולך מבכי ועיניך מדמעה כי יש שכר לפעלתך נאם ה’ ושבו מארץ אויב: ויש תקוה לאחריתך נאם ה’ ושבו בנים לגבולם.

Oh what Deja-vu she will have! Amen!

Shabbat Shalom

David Lemmer

LemmerHypnotherapy.com