The downfall of Korach was because he was fooled “by his eye”, as he saw with ruach hakodesh that Shmuel Hanavi would come out of him. He figured this must mean that he would be okay, and that led him to his destruction. Says the Be’er Yosef, Korach’s ruach hakodesh destroyed him. Everyone thinks ruach hakodesh is a tremendous gift, and yet we see Korach’s ruach hakodesh brought about his downfall.
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz once said that siyata d’shmaya is like rain. Rain makes things grow, but it depends on what you plant. If you plant fruit, then rain will make fruit grow. If you plant thorns, the rain will make thorns grow. Siyata d’shmaya works in the same way - if you plant a seed of kedusha, then kedusha will grow. If you plant seeds of sin, then siyata d'shmaya will give you success in that area.
When the shevatim came face to face with Yosef Hatzadik in Mitzrayim, they didn’t recognize him because he had a beard. Rav Chatzkel Levenstein asks in the name of the Ponovizher Rav – the truth is that you are able to recognize a person by his mannerisms; even if his face is different, you can identify his walk or his talk. How is it possible that the brothers didn’t recognize Yosef? He answers that people say that Hashem simply didn’t want the brothers to recognize Yosef, so they didn’t. But, says R’ Chatzkel, that’s a mistake. If Hashem doesn’t want you to recognize someone, He doesn’t have to make you not recognize. It’s the opposite – in order to recognize anything, Hashem must give you the ability. You have no ability on your own to recognize anything. Anything you do know or realize, it’s because Hashem gifted you with the ability. For the brothers not to recognize Yosef, Hashem simply didn’t give them the basic ability of recognition.
Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman says that people think if you are adding up large numbers, then you need a calculator because if you are off by one digit, it can be thousands of numbers off. But to calculate two plus two – that you can do on your own. No, he says, the only reason why you know that two plus two is four is because Hashem gives you siyata dishmaya for the simplest things. Without siyata dishmaya, nothing is simple. He says that when he was in cheder, the rebbe asked, “Why can’t you put the oil cups upside down?” The children answered “because then the oil will fall out!” “No,” said the rebbe, “if the cups are upside down, you can’t even put the oil in to begin with!” And that is how it is without siyata dishmaya – we can’t do anything!
Let us recognize the gifts that Hashem gave us and use them correctly. Let us daven for siyata dishmaya in our avodas Hashem, for success in the areas that really matter. As the saying goes, “Be careful what you pray for, as your prayers just might be answered!” As yidden, we know for certain that our prayers DO indeed get answered – let’s be extra focused to daven for siyata dishmaya in matters that are truly important.
