Why did Moshe fall on his face? Sefer Tiferes Yehonasan explains that the Gemara (Moed Katan 17B) says that any time a chochom places his gaze (in anger) upon someone, that person will either die or become impoverished. Moshe wanted Korach and his men to regret their actions and do teshuva. He did not want them to die or to be punished. Therefore, he fell on his face so as not to look at them. If he had set his gaze on them, they would have immediately been punished. Instead, he wanted them to have enough time to do teshuva.
More in this printout
- Do Not Speak Good or BadRav Yitzchok of Stutchin explains why the Magid of Kozhnitz avoided speaking of Korach, balancing his offense against Moshe with his status as a holy ancestor.
- Do Not Get Involved in a Machlokes Between Gedolei YisroelA powerful parable from Rav Nochum of Horodna illustrating why laypeople should not intervene in disagreements between great Torah leaders and tzadikim.
- Truth and PeaceA powerful story about the Vilna Gaon and the Dubno Magid illustrating how communal strife can silence the shofar and the importance of pursuing truth and peace
- No Machlokes Even With SecretsAn exploration of why Yaakov Avinu requested his name be excluded from Korach's lineage, emphasizing that even holy secrets cannot justify communal strife.
- Why Didn’t He Daven to Stop The Machlokes Completely?The Chofetz Chaim explains why Yaakov Avinu davened only for his own exclusion from Korach's dispute rather than praying for the conflict to cease entirely.
- Their Holiness Was Like HolidaysRav Shlomo Kluger explains why Korach's assembly were called kiru'ei mo'ed, comparing true tzadikim to Shabbos and false leaders to the sanctified holidays.
- They Let Him Stay This Long Because of Their KindnessThe Kesav Sofer explains how Korach's assembly used false kindness as a pretext for their rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu's leadership and authority.
- Jealousy Removes a Person From The WorldThe Chofetz Chaim illustrates how jealousy leads to irrational behavior through a story of a man willing to sacrifice his own son to spite his neighbor.
- Hashem Lets a Person Know The TruthRav Moshe Tzvi of Savran explains how Moshe Rabbeinu taught Korach that Hashem guides those who sincerely search for the truth.
- Serving Hashem With Joy Through WealthExplore the Chidushei Harim's perspective on how wealth can facilitate serving Hashem with joy, contrasting the views of the Chozeh of Lublin and Magid of Kozhn