On the day of Korach’s rebellion, Moshe sent a messenger to Dasan and Aviram to summon them so that he could solve the dispute. They utterly refused (see Bamidbar 16:12-14). Yet the next morning, Moshe did something unprecedented. The Torah says, וַיָּקָּם משֶׁה וַיֵּלֶׁךְ אֶׁל־דָּתָּן וַַֽאֲבִירָּם... Moshe arose and went to Dasan and Aviram... (Bamidbar 16:25) And on this verse, citing the words of the Midrash, Rashi writes: כסבור שישאו לו פנים (Moshe thought that they would respect him [and agree to end the dispute]).
In light of who Dathan and Aviram were and in light of how they reacted to Moshe’s request to make peace on the previous day, Moshe nevertheless thought that now they will respect his words!
The Torah is demonstrating to us that a Jew should always project positively!
