A life devoted to Emes (truth) and integrity can sometimes be challenging when we see others around us who may not respect these values as much as we do. With the rebellion of Korach in this week’s Parsha, we see that Moshe fell on his face when he heard the rebellious claims of Korach and his followers. (Bamidbar 16:4)
Rashi explains that Moshe fell on his face because this was Bnei Yisrael’s fourth major rebellion.
With the rebellion of the golden calf, Moshe pleaded with Hashem; when Bnei Yisrael complained about the Manna and wanted meat, Moshe prayed to Hashem; when Bnei Yisrael believed in the report of the spies, Moshe pleaded further not to destroy Bnei Yisrael. But now, at Korach's rebellion, his hands were weakened – he became disheartened. Each of these rebellions stemmed from Bnei Yisrael’s misjudgments and an inability to see the truth (e.g., regarding the spies, they couldn’t see the truth that if Hashem wanted them to have Eretz Yisrael, they would have it, and that the negative report of the spies was irrelevant).
Rashi explains Moshe’s feelings at this fourth rebellion as follows: It is comparable to a prince who repeatedly sinned against his father. After his friend interceded three times, the friend became disheartened on the fourth offense, wondering if the king would still accept his petitions.
Without Rashi’s explanation, we might have thought that Moshe's prostration was simply a normal response to confrontation or a form of Tefillah (prayer) to Hashem. We might not have understood the insight of the progressive nature of his discouragement or the cumulative effect of repeated exposure to Bnei Yisrael’s rebellions based on their misjudgments and inability to see the truth.
Rashi is telling us that even the greatest of leaders can experience fatigue and discouragement when faced with repeated instances of dealing with those that cannot see the truth.
