View the Parshah in other languages
View Booklets from other Years
Garden of Positive Thought
Part I. The Garden
The Neglected Field
InĀ Mishlei perek chaf daled, possuk lamed, Shlomo Hamelech tells us a short story: ×¢Ö·× ×©Ö°××Öµ× ×Ö“××©× ×¢Öø×¦Öµ× ×¢Öø×Ö·×ØÖ°×ŖÖ“Ö¼× ā I once passed by the field of a lazy man, ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×Ö¶Ö¼×ØÖ¶× ×Öø×Öø× ×ֲהַר ×Öµ× ā and he had a vineyard there too, this person, and I could tell that this fellow was lacking in his mind. It saysĀ leivĀ in theĀ possukĀ and inĀ lashon kodeshĀ the wordĀ leivĀ means mind.
āNow, how did I know that the owner was anĀ atzel;Ā lazy, and aĀ chasar lev;Ā lacking the right kind of mind?ā said Shlomo. ×Ö°×Ö“× ÖµÖ¼× ×¢Öø×Öø× ×Ö»×Ö¼×Ö¹ ×§Ö“×ְּשֹ×× Ö“××Ā āĀ because:behold, the entire field was overgrown with thistles,Ā ×ÖøÖ¼×”Ö¼×Ö¼ ×¤Öø× Öø×× ×ֲרֻ×Ö“Ö¼×× ā and brambles covered the entire surface.Ā And not only were thorns and weeds growing in the field but ×Ö°×Ö¶×ֶר ×Ö²×Öø× Öø×× × Ö¶×ֱרָהָ×,Ā the wall of stones surrounding the field had already begun to crumble.
Now, somebody else would have passed by and would have noticed that the owner is a negligent man and thatās all; but Shlomo Hamelech knew that nothing happens in this world perchance. Nothing is random and if such a sight came to his attention, it meant that Hakodosh Boruch Hu was trying to teach him something. āItāsĀ min hashomayimĀ that I took this route today,ā said Shlomo. āHakodosh Boruch Hu caused me to come across such a case in order that I should learn important lessons from it.ā
Recipe for Disaster
And so, ×Öø×Ö¶×Ö±×Ö¶× ×Öø× Ö¹×Ö“×,Ā I looked into it.Ā NowĀ echezehĀ is different fromĀ erāeh. ErāehĀ means to see with your eyes what is superficial and apparent, butĀ echezehĀ is a deeper insight ā likeĀ chazon Yeshayahu,Ā itās aĀ nevuah. And so,Ā ×ָש֓×××Ŗ ×Ö“×Ö“Ö¼×Ā āĀ I put my mind to this incident, רָ×Ö“××ŖÖ“× ×Öø×§Ö·×Ö°×ŖÖ“Ö¼× ××ּהָר ā I saw and I took instruction from it.
Now, the first lesson, that the owner of this field is a lazy fellow, thatās simple. Because, said Shlomo, ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×©Öµ×× ×Ö¹×Ŗ,Ā a little sleeping when youāre supposed to be at work, ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×ŖÖ°Ö¼× ×Ö¼××Ö¹×Ŗ,Ā a little bit of slumbering; it means you take off from work and take a nap now and then, ×Ö°×¢Ö·× ×Ö“×Ö»Ö¼×§ ×Öø×Ö·×Ö“× ×֓שְ××ÖøÖ¼×,Ā putting your arms together and lying down for a rest, too much of that is a recipe for disaster.
Itās like the man who has a sign on the shop door.Ā Thereās a picture of a clock and it says āWill be back in 15 minutes.ā Now anybody who means business shouldnāt have such a sign.Ā If you already have it you should take it down and forget about it ā destroy it.Ā Sometimes the shoe store or theĀ mocher sefarim,Ā the Hebrew book store, has such a sign. But you donāt want to buy books every moment of the day and so just at the time when you have a few free minutes, letās sayĀ bein hasedorim,Ā you come there and you find that sign, āWill be back in 15 minutes.ā So in the meantime you go back to the yeshiva and you sit down for a while.Ā You come back twenty minutes later and the same sign is still waiting for you, āWill be back in 15 minutes.ā
The Unhappy Surprise
Now, nothing is wrong with taking a rest.Ā But the man who is always seeking to evade his responsibilities, what is going to be the result of all of his excuses that he is tired and heāll do it later?Ā ×Ö¼×Öø× ×Ö“×ŖÖ°×Ö·×ÖµÖ¼×Ö° רֵ×שֶ××ÖøĀ ā your poverty will come like aĀ mishalech.Ā MishalechĀ means a vagabond.Ā You know, when you meet a vagabond on the road, itās not such a happy experience.Ā Youāre afraid of him; he might do something to you.
And so, a man who doesnāt attend to his business, he doesnāt manage his affairs, heāll encounter unhappy surprises in life. āYouāll encounter poverty,ā Shlomo said, ālike you encounter a bum on the street.ā Thatās the firstĀ peirush;Ā theĀ possukĀ is telling you that if you have a field or a shoe store or even if youāre aĀ rebbiĀ in the yeshiva, whatever it is youāre doing you have to be a hustler.
Cultivate Your Estate
But thereās another explanation. Not that the firstĀ pshatĀ is wrong but weāre going to talk now about the other lesson ā the more important lesson that Shlomo Hamelech learned when he saw the field. Shlomo said as follows: Every person in this world is endowed with another field ā you have up here in your mind an estate given to you by Hashem for a purpose, and the purpose is to cultivate it, to cultivate it with good ideals and good attitudes.
Now you have to know something right away. If youāll just wait, if youāll just let your mind remain, donāt think it will lay dormant, an empty field waiting for you to begin planting. Oh no! It will produce the things that grow naturally.Ā And naturally means youāll have thorns and weeds. Even on a city street if you leave things alone, ifĀ traffic would stop for ten years, the whole street would begin to change. The weeds and grass would begin to sprout and trees would drop seeds into the cracks and new trees would begin to grow.Ā It would lift up the sidewalk.Ā In fifty years, it would be a jungle.
Now I understand that today the jungle is admired.Ā The environmentalists love the forests, but you have to know that forests are good for snakes and bears, for chimpanzees. But despite all the propaganda, human beings must have cultivated land.
The Worst Tragedy
And so when Shlomo passed that overgrown field he reminded himself about this great function we have in this world.Ā Raāisi āĀ I saw,Ā lakachti mussar āĀ and I took instruction from that. Shlomo was thinking, āA man with an uncultivated field like this, so you can be sure that just like his fields are neglected because of his laziness, his mind surely is neglected.Ā After all, itās easier to plow a field of earth than the field up here and so if his field is full of thorns and brambles, so this lazy manās mind must be a wilderness too.ā Thatās why he called him anĀ adam chasar lev,Ā a man lacking in mind.
Now, when a man fails to grow fruits and vegetables in his garden, or he doesnāt plant wheat in his fields, no question itās a big pity.Ā After all, itās a shame to waste good real estate like that; he might even become poor because of his negligence. But you must know that if a man is poor in his mind, thatās the worst of all tragedies.Ā To not haveĀ parnasah,Ā thatās terrible; itās a big sin to be lazy and not fulfill your obligations in theĀ kesubah.Ā But after all thereās always welfare; maybe you have a rich uncle who will bail you out āĀ somethingĀ youāll find. But if you have a poor mind, nobody is going to save you.
A Field of Orchards
Now, when we talk about planting good things in our mind, about uprooting weeds and planting beautiful saplings, you have to know that there are very many different kinds of orchards a person can have up here. When you have such real estate you donāt just grow grapes and youāre finished. You have to plant cherries too. And apples and pears. The mind of a Jew has many compartments, many orchards, and each one has to be tended to with the utmost care.
Thereās one orchard ofĀ ahavas HashemĀ and another ofĀ yiras Hashem. Thereās an orchard of Shas and an orchard of Chumash. ThereāsĀ bechinaĀ ā that means to see Hashem in the world around you ā and thereāsĀ emunah.Ā You have to tend to your orchard ofĀ bitachonĀ and to a separate orchard ofĀ chesed.Ā Thereās very much cultivating to do. Thatās why youāll have to listen to these tapes for many years ā not only me; you can go to better places too ā but wherever you go, thereās a lot of planting to do.
Root Out The Weeds
But one of the most important ā and overlooked ā orchards that a Jew must plant in his mind is the function of how to look favorably at your fellow Jews. Itās aĀ mitzvahĀ of the Torah: ×ְּצֶ×Ö¶×§ תּ֓שְ××¤Ö¹Ö¼× ×¢Ö²×Ö“××ŖÖ¶×Öø. It means that itās your Torah duty to form righteous opinions about your fellowĀ frumĀ Jew (Shavuos 30a).
Now donāt think itās something you can ignore ā whether you like it or not, your mind is always forming opinions of others. It canāt be helped; youāre always making judgements. A cow,Ā lāhavdil,Ā is able to go through life without thinking, without judging; but if youāre anĀ adamĀ then youāre a judge ā as soon as you see somebody, youāre already forming opinions.
And so you have to get busy tending your orchard ofĀ bitzedek tishpot amisechaĀ because if you donāt labor in cultivating the orchard ofĀ dan lākaf zechus,Ā only weeds will grow there. All types of weeds; jealousy, anger, frustration, haughtiness and other things too. And once your mind is filled with weeds,Ā uva mishalech,Ā a vagabond might come along and grab you unexpectedly. Youād be surprised ā the wrong seeds that grow wild in your mind might someday confront you with aĀ nisayon; suddenly a test will come up and youāre vulnerable ā who knows what can happenĀ chas veshalomĀ because youāre not prepared. Sometimes a person is ruined entirely in hisĀ ruchniyusĀ ā his entire life is ruined because of the poisonous seeds that slowly grew in his head.
The Weeds Take Over
I know a story.Ā There was aĀ bochurĀ in ourĀ yeshivahĀ who came from a very good home, veryĀ frumĀ people. His father was aĀ rebbeĀ who had aĀ shtiebel.Ā Ā He was a goodĀ bochurĀ in learning ā he had a beautiful orchard of exquisiteĀ peirosĀ when it came to learning Gemara ā but he didnāt have an interest in cultivating the other orchards; when it came to studyingĀ yiras shamayimĀ every day a half hour inĀ yeshivah, he never bothered. He wasnāt interested.
Well, when I left the yeshiva he also left and I lost track of him.Ā Years later I hear heās out west someplace.Ā Out west?Ā He threw away hisĀ yiddishkeit. Ayy!Ā Such a home!Ā I left him aĀ bochurĀ from aĀ chassidisheĀ house.Ā Now heās a psychologist and he is divested, he isĀ ois getun.Ā I was shocked! I knew him in the yeshiva.Ā He was a goodĀ bochur.
What happened? He had never cultivated the garden of his mind! He wore a nice black velour hat but you canāt rely on that ā what matters most is whatās under the hat. Unless you put something here in your garden and you cultivate it all the time you wonāt be ready for aĀ yom tzarah,Ā for the tests of life, and who knows what could happen?
Seeding The Weeds
InĀ MishleiĀ (14:22) we read anotherĀ possukĀ connected with this subject.Ā TheĀ possukĀ is talking about the subject of thoughts and it states:Ā ×Ö²ā××Ö¹× ×Ö“×ŖÖ°×¢×Ö¼ ×ֹרְשֵ×× ×ØÖø×¢Ā ā Wonāt they go lost, those who plow wrong thoughts into the field of the mind?Ā When people start thinking bad about others, when they like to see faults in other people, their thoughts are like seeds which will grow into bigger thoughts until eventually theyāll go lost entirely.
Letās say thereās somebody who sits in theĀ beis hakenessesĀ and talks and talksĀ lashon haraĀ on everybody ā this person is this and that person is that. His head is full of suspicion about others. Everyone is wrong! He sits at home and talks with his wifeĀ lashon haraĀ on everybody.Ā Visitors come and when they leave they talkĀ lashon haraĀ on the visitors.Ā Heās always looking for faults.
So Hashem says: thatās what youāre looking for? Youāre looking to inject poison into your mind?Ā Haba letamei poschim lo,Ā Iāll let you succeed.Ā Youāll succeed and your mind will become poisoned by the very worst kind ofĀ rosh velaāanah.Ā Youāll become better and better at finding faults in other people ā the more a person looks for whatās wrong in others, the more people will become worse and worse in his eyes, untilĀ yisāu,Ā until he goes lost altogether.
Part II. Korachās Garden
The Great and Tragic Personality
It happened many times in our history to very great men. Weāll take one example, from this weekās parsha. Everybody remembers what happened to Korach, how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed him and he went lost forever.
Itās a tragic story and weāll take the time to study it in some detail because thatās the reason the Torah took the trouble to write about it at length. Itās expected to be a model for us in our daily lives so that we should see now how dangerous it is to have a mind that is not cultivated with the utmost care.
Now donāt misunderstand me; Korach was a great man. First of all, nobody who wasnāt good was able to leave Mitzrayim.Ā Remember in theĀ haggadahĀ of Pesach we say to theĀ rasha, ×Ö“×Ö¼×Ö¼ ×Öø×Öø× ×©Öø××, ×Ö¹× ×Öø×Öø× × Ö“×Ö°×Öø× ā had he been there, he wouldnāt have been redeemed.Ā Itās a principle that those who werenāt worthy did not leave Mitzrayim.Ā And so if Korach left Mitzrayim you can be sure he deserved it. Korach went through what everybody else experienced. He passed through theĀ Yam SufĀ with everyone else and as he walked he sangĀ Az Yashir. I imagine he had a beautiful voice and that he sang as loud as anyone else.
But not only was Korach worthy of leaving Mitzrayim and experiencing all theĀ nissimĀ of theĀ midbarĀ but he stood at Har Sinai with the whole Klal Yisrael and accepted the Torah. ×Ö·×Ö“Ö¼×Ö·× ×©Öø×× ×֓שְ×רָ×Öµ× × Ö¶×Ö¶× ×Öø×ָר āĀ And the nation encamped in front of Har SinaiĀ (Shemos 19:2).Ā It doesnāt say,Ā vayachanu, and they encamped. It saysĀ vayichan, loshon yachidĀ ā andĀ heĀ encamped, which means the whole nation spoke upĀ kāish echad. It means that Korach and his congregation also stood at the foot of Har Sinai and together with everyone else they shoutedĀ naaseh vānishmaĀ with the greatest enthusiasm.
The Tragedy
So you can be certain that Korach was a good frum Jew. And so itās a big question ā what happened? How could such a great personality fall so far?
The answer is that he allowed brambles to grow in his mind. It was a result of being aĀ choreish ra āĀ Korach was plowing wickedness; he began to think wrong about others, he planted seeds in his mind of beingĀ dan lekaf chovĀ and those little seeds grew into big trees, trees of poisonous fruit.
You remember that glorious day of theĀ hakamas hamishkan,Ā when the Sanctuary was finally erected in this world and the Am Yisroel would now claim the exclusive glory of having Hashem reside among them? There were very few days ā we could even say no day ever ā in the history of the world when there was so much rejoicing.
The whole nation was celebrating. ×Ö·×ÖµÖ¼×ØÖø× ×Ö°Ö¼××Ö¹× ×ַשֵּ×× ×Ö¶× ×ÖøÖ¼× ×Öø×¢Öø× āĀ And the Glory of Hashem appeared to all the people,Ā ×Ö·×ŖÖµÖ¼×¦Öµ× ×Öµ×©× ×Ö“×Ö“Ö¼×¤Ö°× Öµ× ×ַשֵּ××⦠×Ö·×Ö·Ö¼×ØÖ°× ×ÖøÖ¼× ×Öø×¢Öø× ×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼×ØÖ¹× Ö¼×ּ and a fire came forth from before Hashemā¦and all the people saw, and they shouted in joyĀ (Vayikra 9:23-24). Imagine such a thing! A whole nation; millions of men, women and children shouting in great ecstasy at the sight of the Shechina.
And then suddenly a tragedy took place. ×Ö·×ŖÖµÖ¼×¦Öµ× ×Öµ×©× ×Ö“×Ö“Ö¼×¤Ö°× Öµ× ×ַשֵּ×× ×Ö·×ŖÖ¹Ö¼××Ö·× ××Ö¹×ŖÖø× āĀ A fire went forth from Hashem and it consumed Nadav and Avihu, the two sons of Aharon who had entered the Sanctuary to officiate as the newly appointed kohanim,Ā ×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼×Ö»×Ŗ×Ö¼ ×Ö“×¤Ö°× Öµ× ×ַשֵּ××,Ā and they perished there before HashemĀ (ibid. 10:2).
Making Sense of Tragedy
Now, the whole nation when they saw that tragedy, they were overwhelmed with shock and sadness. On the happiest day such an event should occur?! It was unimaginable! And Korach was there too along with everyone else; he was standing there, watching, and he was troubled too: āHow could such a thing happen that the two sons of Aharon should die in the Mishkan by the Hand of Hashem?! Such nice young men,Ā tzadikim, should fall dead in the middle of such a great celebration?!ā
Now Korach understood that Hashem doesnāt do things for no reason ā particularly a tragedy as great as this ā and so we understand that he began to suspect Moshe Rabeinu. Korach was thinking, āMaybe itās because they shouldnāt have been there in the first place! Itās what I thought all along ā itās true they were great men but were they the only ones worthy of being chosen? Was itĀ yashrusĀ that Moshe should appoint his brother and his brotherās sons as theĀ kohanim?Ā Why should they be chosen instead of me and my sons? Iām also a Levi, after all.ā
One of The Best
Now Korach wouldnāt have said that if he had been a nobody or an ordinary Levi.Ā The truth is that Korach was one of the best Leviāim; he was aĀ lamdanĀ and aĀ tzadikĀ and he had very good sons too, just like Aharon.Ā ×Ö·×Ö°× Ö·×¦ÖµÖ¼×Ö· ×Ö“×Ö°× Öµ× ×§Ö¹×ØÖ·× ×Ö“×Ö°××ֹר ā The children of Korach have beautifulĀ tefillosĀ in the sefer Tehillim.Ā Hakodosh Boruch Hu put his spirit into them and they sang beautiful songs to Hashem; they were glorious prototypes of the Leviāim who sangĀ shirei kodeshĀ to Hashem. You see later (Bamidbar 26:11) that ×Ö¼×Ö°× Öµ× ×§Ö¹×ØÖ·× ×Ö¹× ×Öµ×Ŗ×Ö¼ ā they didnāt die in what happened to Korach, because they wereĀ tzaddikim gemurim. And their father was certainly somebody ā a man is notĀ zochehĀ to such children unless he himself has worked in his lifetime to acquire certain great attributes of character.
āSo if I have such good sons,ā Korach had thought all along, āwhy werenāt we chosen?ā And so already at the time that Aharonās children were appointed a seed of suspicion began to grow in his mind; seeds ofĀ dan lekaf chovĀ was planted in Korachās head in his mind and he began to suspect that maybe Aharon didnāt have the right to be a Kohen.
And now, when he witnessed what happened at theĀ chanukas hamishkan, all of those brambles of suspicion that had taken root in his mind began to release their poisonous fruit. āNow you see that I was right. Hakodosh Boruch Hu showed his displeasure ā they werenāt really fit for it. It was Moshe Rabeinu who gave theĀ kehunaĀ to his brotherās family, not Hashem.Ā
A Favor for Moshe
Now Korach knew just like we do that Hakodosh Boruch Hu had said to Moshe, āTake your brother Aharon andĀ hakreiv,Ā bring him near.ā Korach also knew that it was the word of Hashem but he began to reason like this:Ā This, Iām repeating what I heard from myĀ rebbiĀ zichrono levrachah.Ā Korach was thinking, āMoshe Rabbeinu did so many good things for Hakodosh Boruch Hu.Ā He served Him so loyally, he organized the Bnei Yisrael, he took them out of Mitzrayim, he brought them together to Matan Torah ā He lived completely for Hashem and Hakodosh Boruch Hu felt a certain indebtedness, aĀ hakaras hatov, to Moshe Rabbeinu.
And so when Moshe Rabbeinu put in a good word for his brother, āCan you make my brother, Aharon, the Kohen Gadol, and his sons should be theĀ kohanim,ā Hakodosh Boruch Hu wouldnāt refuse. רְצ×Ö¹× ×ְרֵ×Öø×× ×ַעֲשֶ×× ā Hashem does the will of those who fear him (Tehillim 145:19)Ā Like we say,Ā tzaddik gozer vāHakodosh Boruch Hu mekayemĀ ā when aĀ tzaddikĀ wills something so Hakadosh Baruch Hu fulfills his will.Ā Thatās a principle, that independent of what Hakodosh Boruch Hu would have done anyhow, one of His considerations is to fulfill the will of theĀ tzaddikim. Heāll change the course of history in order to demonstrate His favor for His chosen ones, so that the world should see that He favors them.
Thatās what Korach reasoned: āItās only because Hakodosh Boruch Hu yielded to Mosheās will.Ā But who said that it was best for the Am Yisroel? Why didnāt he put in a good word for me?Ā Am I worse than his brother?Ā Could be Iām even better for the job than his brother. If Moshe Rabeinu would have been perfect without any flaws in character, without any desire at all to domineer the people, if he would have been completely humble then he wouldnāt have desired such a situation.Ā And therefore because of him, we suffered this great tragedy on what was supposed to be the happiest day in our history.ā
Self Obliteration
Now the truth is that it wasnāt so. Moshe Rabbeinu said, āWhat do you want of me?Ā I didnāt sayĀ anythingĀ to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. ×Öø×Öµ× ×Ö·×ŖÖøÖ¼×,Ā you, Korach, ×Ö°×Öø× ×¢Ö²×Öø×ŖÖ°×Öø,Ā and all of your congregation, ×Ö·× Ö¹Ö¼×¢Öø×Ö“××,Ā that are gathered together,Ā ×¢Ö·× ×ַשֵּ××,Ā youāre gathered against Hashem.Ā Not against me.Ā ×Ö°×Ö·×Ö²×ØÖ¹× ×Ö·× ××Ö¼× ×Ö“Ö¼× ×ŖÖ·×Ö“Ö¼×× ×Ö¼ ×¢Öø×Öø××āĀ What is Aharon that you should complain against him? (Korach 16:11). ×Ö·×Ö²×ØÖ¹× ×Ö·× ××Ö¼×,Ā Aharon is nothing.Ā Aharon doesnāt have any desires. He didnāt want anything in the world; he didnāt even have the slightest inkling of being chosen.Ā Ā Mah hu! MahĀ means nothing at all.Ā Nachnu mah,Ā Moshe Rabeinu said, āWho are we?Ā Weāre nothing.Ā Aharon and I are nothing at all. Itās only Hashem.ā
Itās like in the Kelmer Talmud Torah, people were sitting there listening, and the oldĀ rosh yeshivahĀ who was saying theĀ schmuessĀ sat in the back seat.Ā He spoke in the back seat so that you didnāt see anybody.Ā All you heard was the voice.Ā He effaced himself entirely.Ā He didnāt exist.Ā A man is sitting in the back seat and heās talking.Ā Everybody is sitting and looking to the front and listening. Thatās how our leaders used to be.
Now, itās true that Moshe had tremendous power, but he had the ability to submerge his personality so entirely that nothing of his own desire stood in the way. Thatās how great leaders are.Ā They can nullify their personality.Ā They erase all their desires in order there shouldnāt be anyĀ mechitzosĀ that intervene between Hashem and the people.
The Unhappy Ending
But Korach wouldnāt listen to that. It was hard for him to believe such a thing because he had already plowed the seeds of evil for so long; Korach wasnāt a brute, a ruffian who could be misled so easily by partisan rivalry. He was a great man.Ā We have the statements of theĀ gemaraĀ to certify the importance of Korach.Ā But thatās what happens in the mind that isnāt cultivated with the utmost care.
Korach had already plowed and sowed and tended to these shoots ofĀ dan lekaf chovĀ and now they sprouted forth poisonous fruit: āWhat do you mean youāre nothing?Ā Do you mean to say you can erase from yourselves all the tendencies that human beings have? Donāt you have at least a little bit of love for yourself? Itās just because of you! You twisted it so that Hashem should choose your brother. You were able to finagle it out of Hashem so to speak.ā
And it was those seeds in Korachās mind that eventually led to his downfall. ×Ö·×ŖÖ“Ö¼×¤Ö°×ŖÖ·Ö¼× ×Öø×ָרֶׄ ×Ö¶×Ŗ פּ֓××Öø. Because Korach opened his big mouth, the earth opened its big mouth and swallowed him into Gehenom forever. He was a good man, Korach; a very good man. But ×Ö²ā××Ö¹× ×Ö“×ŖÖ°×¢×Ö¼ ×ֹרְשֵ×× ×ØÖø×¢Ā ā Wonāt they go lost, those who plow wrong thoughts into the field of the mind?Ā As good as you are, if youāre too lazy to cultivate the orchard of good thoughts about others, then those seeds produce weeds and brambles and something bad is sure to happen.
Part III. Your Garden
Purpose of the Story
Now, itās important to understand that this incident wasnāt put in the Torah just to fill space, to tell us a story of something that happened in the wilderness. The Torah took the trouble to describe the story of Korach at length ×Ö°××Ö¹×Ŗ ×Ö“×Ö°× Öµ× ×ֶר֓×, as a sign for people who like to make troubleĀ (Korach 17:25)
It says it openly: ×Ö°×Ö¹× ×Ö“×Ö°×Ö¶× ×Ö°×§Ö¹×ØÖ·× ×Ö°×Ö·×¢Ö²×Öø×Ŗ×ֹ ā You shouldnāt be like Korach and his congregationĀ (ibid.Ā 17:5).Ā Ā SomeĀ poskimĀ even say itās a Torah law, you shouldnāt follow in the ways of Korach; it doesnāt only mean that you shouldnāt makeĀ machlokesĀ ā it means that you should be careful not to plant the same seeds that Korach planted in his, the seeds of beingĀ dan lekaf chovĀ that lead toĀ machlokes.
Now, it doesnāt mean that if youāreĀ dan lekaf chov,Ā you should expect that today or tomorrow the earth will open up its mouth and swallow you. Thatās not how Hashem works in this world but Korach is aĀ mashalĀ for where youāre headed. ×Ö²ā××Ö¹× ×Ö“×ŖÖ°×¢×Ö¼ ×ֹרְשֵ×× ×ØÖø×¢Ā āĀ Surely they will go lost, those who plow seeds of evil thoughts in their minds.
A Dangerous Proposition
Of course, Korach got it over the head right away because he started up with the wrong person. He chose the very worst man to start up with!Ā Had he been suspicious, letās say of some ordinary Jew in the wilderness, it wouldnāt be aĀ mitzvah,Ā but he wouldnāt have ended up in the ground right away. Korach started up with Moshe Rabbeinu, however ā thatās like touching an electric wire of 100,000 volts.
But you can be sure that itās still a very great peril to suspectĀ anyĀ Jew. EveryĀ frumĀ Jew, even if heās not Moshe Rabeinu, is beloved by Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Which Jew? The most foolish fellow. The fellow with all faults. Heās ugly. Heās rude. Heās mean. He doesnāt smile at you. He blocks your driveway. He wonāt give you a raise. Still, Hakodosh Boruch Hu loves him with an intense and fiery love.
And therefore maybe heās not Moshe Rabeinu ā so heās not a 100,000 volt live wire ā but itās still a very dangerous proposition to be suspicious of anyĀ frumĀ Jew. Iām not talking now about theĀ reshaim;Ā Iām not talking about beingĀ melamed zechusĀ on wicked people ā that Iāll leave to somebody else bigger than I am.Ā TheĀ frumĀ Jews, theĀ shomer mitzvos,Ā those are the ones Hashem loves and therefore one of your big jobs in this world is to be anĀ oheiv tzedek,Ā to want to find the good in your fellow Jew and to always judge him favorably.
You Canāt Get Lazy
And that means we have to get busy because itās impossible to do this if you donāt work at it. It wonāt happen if youāre a lazy man.Ā ×¢Ö·× ×©Ö°××Öµ× ×Ö“××©× ×¢Öø×¦Öµ× ×¢Öø×ַרְתּ֓×Ā āĀ I passed by a lazy manās garden, said Shlomo. He didnāt pull out the weeds as soon as he saw them growing and so what grew in his mind? ×ÖøÖ¼×”Ö¼×Ö¼ ×¤Öø× Öø×× ×ֲרֻ×Ö“Ö¼××,Ā brambles are growing, and all manner of poisonous roots.
It means that unless you are always busy weeding out, then poison is growing. And so, as soon as the thought comes into your mind that you donāt like that person, so you must do something about it.Ā You canāt be anĀ ish atzel!Ā Instead of letting that seed sprout, right away you have to try to uproot it. And therefore, whenever you have some grudge against somebody, if you wish to emulate Hashem, you must try to be like a lawyer and find every kind of excuse to justify him.
Even if you know that he did something wrong, you could say as follows:Ā āIt could be he didnāt realize it was wrong.āĀ You can say, āHe didnāt know how serious it was. Maybe heās ignorant.Ā Maybe he doesnāt know how great the sin is.ā If he did something to bother you, so you have to get busy weeding ā āMaybe his boss yelled at him today.ā āCould be heās worried aboutĀ parnassah, about his children.ā You overlook whatever it is and you wipe it from your mind. Instead of being lazy and letting it grow poisonous roots, you exert your imagination to transform what seems to be an act of irresponsibility, an act of sin, and you interpret it in the very best way.
Thatās an extremely important function among Jews. We have to beĀ misgaberĀ on thisĀ Yetzer HaraĀ of trying to find faults in our neighbors and in ourĀ mechutanim, in our daughters-in-law and sons-in-law, and everyone else we come in contact with.
You Canāt Understand
You canāt think of any excuse? Maybe you donāt know how to think. Among the requirements of beingĀ dan lākaf zchusĀ is, ×Ö·× ×ŖÖøÖ¼×Ö“×× ×Ö¶×Ŗ ×Ö²×ֵרְ×Öø ×¢Ö·× ×©Ö¶××ŖÖ·Ö¼×Ö“Ö¼××¢Ö· ×Ö“×Ö°×§×Ö¹××Ö¹ ā donāt judge the fellowman until youāre in his shoes. If a child makes a mistake and breaks something, donāt get excited too much, because if you were a child, you would also break things.
So letās say your wife likes to talk.Ā So you say, āWhy does she talk so much? It gets on my nerves.āĀ So wait until youāre a woman, then youāll judge her.Ā Every person should be judged according to his condition and youāll never understand his condition.
Planting Flowers
Now, besides for pulling out the weeds, a person has to get busy planting flowers; planting fruit saplings and all good things. Instead of beingĀ chorshei ra,Ā people who are plowing bad thoughts, theĀ possukĀ continues,Ā chesed vāemes chorshei tov,Ā those who think good thoughts will be rewarded with even more good thoughts. Those who want to walk in the ways of Hashem ā Hashem is always thinking good about us ā and make an attempt to think the right thoughts about fellow Jews, theyāll succeed;Ā habo litaher poschin loĀ and it will become easier and easier.
Weāre not talking aboutĀ maāasimĀ now ā weāre talking about correcting the mental attitudes, to learn how to think good thoughts about your fellow man. Itās a big job and Iām far away from that myself. Iām saying this not for you; IāmĀ listeningĀ to it myself as Iām saying it. But letās listen and maybe a little bit of it will stick to us.
Look And Youāll Find
I had aĀ rebbeĀ once, a greatĀ rebbeĀ and he once told us that a person is not one thing ā heās a bundle of things.Ā I remember it like yesterday; I heard him say that sixty years ago.Ā āA person is not oneĀ middah,ā he said, āheās a bundle ofĀ middos.ā So one thing might be not good, but something else is good in him.Ā And therefore, if weāll look, weāll find.Ā But if weāre busy looking only for whatās wrong, weāll find that too and weāll be failures.
Hereās a man who isĀ roidef achar hakavod, he lovesĀ kavod. HeāsĀ baāal gaāavah, he thinks much of himself. You want to judge him? Weed out those thoughts and look for good things; he has good things, I guarantee it.
Today I hear that husbands and wives are fighting all the time today.Ā And in some parts of town people are going crazy ā in certain modern neighborhoods itās divorces and divorces and divorces. A tragedy! Whatās going on here?Ā The world is going crazy!
Tragedy of Divorce
So a man said to me, āWell, after all, thereās aĀ dinĀ ofĀ getĀ in the Torah, isnāt there?āĀ Meshugeneh!Ā Thereās alsoĀ misahĀ in the Torah and funerals in the Torah.Ā Ā MisahĀ is a tragedy andĀ gittinĀ are a tragedy.
Now when you speak to couples ā I spoke today to a couple of women today.Ā They called me up to tell me their husbands are no good at all. āItās his fault. Thereās no other way out.ā
āWhatās the trouble?ā I asked.
āHeās so mean to me,ā she says, āHeās inhuman.ā
Now, if I ask him, Iām sure heāll give me a report about his wife.Ā She doesnāt do her work.Ā She looks for trouble.Ā Sheās criticizing me, nagging, this and that.
Everybody thinks theyāre right! And theyāre all wrong because they are all sinning against this great quality which Hashem said you should try to gain, to judge your fellowmanĀ lākaf zchus, to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Donāt Be Wicked
Youāre going to say, you canāt find good in your wife? You canāt find good in your husband?Ā Come on, come on.Ā Thatās nothing but wickedness! Itās not true at all!
A wife does many things for her husband and he should think about that and appreciate her to no end. And even if your wife said something that seems wrong to you, so what? You can say itās because she doesnāt feel well today.Ā Maybe she didnāt sleep well or some other trouble she has thatās bothering her, thatās why sheās letting it out on you; but she doesnāt really mean any harm, so beĀ melamedĀ zchus.
And your husband too. When a husband comes home from work and says something nasty, the wife should say to herself, āHe worked very hard today.Ā There was competition; maybe the gentile supervisor was persecuting him. My husband didnāt mean any harm.ā
And then after she pulls out the weeds, she begins to plant. āLook, my husband is anĀ ish neāeman.ā She reminds herself that he goes to work every day.Ā Now, heād like to sit home.Ā Heād like to go theĀ Beis HaMedrashĀ and learn.Ā He feels like heās wasting his life in the shop where heās working but heās doing it out of loyalty to his family.
There are so many loafers today in the world, unfortunately.Ā Some people go to Atlantic City and loaf.Ā Some people go toĀ shtiblachĀ and loaf; they sit inĀ shtiblachĀ and they donāt learn a word.Ā And your husband is a decent man.Ā Heās working, supporting his family, giving away his life.Ā His life!Ā Every week he comes home and he gives her money.Ā She thinks about that and appreciates her husband. Thatās how married people must live. They should always try to give each other the benefit of the doubt and always attempt to explain that the other party meant well.
A Good Deal
So we come back now to one of the great lessons we learn from Korach. That great tragedy was the result of this error of Korach beingĀ danĀ Moshe RabbeinuĀ lākaf chovah; to the side of guilt.Ā Instead of giving him the benefit of the doubt, Korach let that seed of suspicion and distrust grow wild and you know what happened at the end ā it was a tragedy of tragedies. ×Ö·×ŖÖ“Ö¼×¤Ö°×ŖÖ·Ö¼× ×Öø×ָרֶׄ ×Ö¶×Ŗ פּ֓××Öø ā And the the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up Korach. It was a stunning blow for the whole Am Yisrael! Korach!Ā āIfĀ thatĀ can happen to such a man, it can happen to us too!ā
And the entire nation got busy learning the great lesson that one of our functions in life now is to take this garden of our mind and to develop it to the best of our ability by planting seeds of beingĀ dan es chaveiro lākaf zechus,Ā of trying our utmost to judge your fellow man with a meritorious balance and to think well of him always.Ā Because thatās the purpose why you came to this world; in order to plant an orchard of delectableĀ peirosĀ and a garden of beautiful flowers in your mind.
And we should never forget what Chazal tell us (Shabbos 127b), how great this investment of planting pays off.Ā ×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼× ×Ö¶×Ŗ ×Ö²×ֵר×Ö¹ ×Ö°×Ö·×£ ×Ö°××Ö¼×Ŗ āĀ If you make the effort to judge somebody in a positive light; you overcome the natural laziness of the mind and you look for the good,Ā ×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼×§×Ö¹× ×Ö°×Ö“×× Öµ××Ö¼ ×Ö°×Ö·×£ ×Ö°××Ö¼×Ŗ āĀ then middah kāneged middah Hakodosh Boruch Hu will always judge you favorably too.Ā And when He does that, you can be certain He does it with a full hand, a heaping hand of reward in this world and also in the world to come.
Have A Wonderful Shabbos
Letās Get Practical
Planting The Right Seeds in The Garden of Positive Thought
This week I will spend one minute every day thinking only positive thoughts about someone I am close to. I will try to think about several specific positive attributes, in order to view that person in a favorable way. If Iām married I will choose my spouse; otherwise I will choose a parent or aĀ rebbi. I will devote this minute to think only positive thoughts about this person and push away any negative thoughts.