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Realizing that this was something no one was yet doing,, Rabbi Finman sent the missive to his mailing list of about 30 people. Requests from recipients friends came pouring in. The next week Rabbi Finman sent the e-Parsha to 100 people. Within a year more than 2000 people were receiving it. Today, more than 14,000 receive the e-Parsha weekly and the requests keep coming in.
Korach 5785
Shlach 5785
Behalosicha 5785
Naso 5785
Bamidbar/Shavuos 5785
Korach 5785
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Watch the archived edition of the YouParsha Korach https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dIwF9PLqoE Just Be Yourself
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This week is Parshas Korach Numbers 16-17. Korach led a rebellion against Moshe. The philosophy behind his rebellion is expressed in his name. The three Hebrew letters that spell Korach are similar to the letter hei, but each in a slightly different way. The hei (ה) is composed of three strokes: one to the right, another on top, and a shorter one to the left that is disconnected from the other two. In the first letter of Korach (kuf, ק), the left stroke is drawn further down, continuing past the bottom of the line. In the second letter (reish, ר), there is no stroke on the left at all. In the third letter (chet, ח), the left stroke is equal to the other two, leaving no space between it and the top stroke.
Korach did not appreciate the proper balance that exists between the physical and spiritual. This balance is alluded to by the form of the hei. The three strokes of the hei allude to the three means of expression: the top stroke alludes to Thinking Torah, the right stroke to speaking Torah while the left stroke to performing mitzvahs. The left stroke alludes to the necessity of action; that it does not descend below the line indicates that active involvement in the physical world must not extend into realms not mandated by the Torah. It being disconnected from the other two strokes indicates that while we are engaged in action, we must realize we are thereby disconnected from the world of Torah study and must yearn to return to it.
The extended left stroke of the kuf, in contrast, expresses the sentiment that action has its own, independent merits and can therefore venture into areas Torah would define off-limits. The absence of the left stroke in the reish expresses a disdain for action altogether. The connection of the left stroke to the other two in the chet expresses the feeling that involvement in the world of action does not adversely affect our consciousness and that we therefore need not engage in Torah study at all.
As the rebellion was squashed, Korach and his sons realized that Moshe was true and the Torah is true. The means by which we address the Torah and its commandments provide the medium to perfect ourselves and our environment.
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Menachem Mendel HaLevi ("Max") Katsch, an international dealer in furs who resided in London, often visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose yahrtzeit is commemorated this year on June 29. Although a relatively new member of the Chabad community in England, he was quite familiar with how the Rebbe's advice and blessings had influenced many people's lives in virtually every area of human experience. Once, during a private audience, he put forth a tongue-in-cheek proposal for the Rebbe to partner with him in a business venture! The Rebbe's expression became serious and said, "Fair enough. However, remember that in a partnership, neither partner gets to make a move without the consent of the other. Do we have a deal?" Mr. Katsch was of course excited about this lucky opportunity to "partner" with the Rebbe. Even though he was somewhat skeptical about the Rebbe's knowledge of the fur trade, he readily accepted the deal. The Rebbe gave him a token amount of dollars to "seal" the arrangement.
The Rebbe then advised him to make a large purchase of muskrat fur! The dealer went home and placed a large order for this unusual fabric. When he reported back to New York, the Rebbe responded that the buy was far too conservative. A much larger quantity should have been purchased. On the Rebbe's say-so, Katsch went out and bought astronomical quantities of the stuff -- to the point of investing his entire personal fortune to pay for the shipments, and borrowing large sums to purchase even more. To the man's dismay, the value of this fur began to plummet. Perhaps, he thought, he should hedge his investment and sell off a significant percentage of what he had purchased. As promised, he contacted the Rebbe. To his surprise, the Rebbe did not grant consent and reminded him of their agreement with regard to unilateral moves. The price of the fur continued to sink. Every day, he watched his fortune slipping further and further away. All pleas to the Rebbe were met with the same answer: "Don't sell." Facing financial ruin, he finally began to question his entire relationship with the Rebbe and Chabad-Lubavitch. Perhaps it was all a mistake. With each day's devaluation of his inventory, his distance from the Chabad community widened.
The bleeding continued for nearly half a year. One day, the price took a slight tick back up. He again consulted the Rebbe. The Rebbe still withheld consent. When the price rose to where he could break even, the Rebbe still would not green-light the sell-off. The price of the fur continued to rise incrementally. At each juncture, Mr. Katsch desired to sell and always the Rebbe advised him to wait.
Shortly thereafter, a famous fashion designer put out a line that called for extensive use of a rare material: muskrat fur! The industry was soon astonished to discover that a man in England had the market cornered. When Katsch reported this to the Rebbe, he was told that the time had come to sell. The inventory went fast. Even after repaying the loans and subtracting his costs, he made many millions in profit. He excitedly boarded a plane to hand the Rebbe a check for his "share." The Rebbe declined, requesting that the man give the money to charity instead. Katsch then asked the Rebbe if they could perhaps pursue another venture together. The Rebbe smiled as he demurred: "I'm sorry... You're a weak partner-too weak-hearted."
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