Do You Really Think You Can? – Parshat Korach 

How we react to people's ambitions can have far-reaching effects. This is obviously true for the other person but it also holds true even for ourselves. How we react to ourselves and our dreams can have quite an effect on us and our dreams as well. It is not only in the words either. It may be in the tone in which it is said. Just think - in what tone you read the title of this piece? Encouragingly or derisively?

So when the leader of a nation speaks to his charges in a manner in which he seems to denigrate them, it can have an even more powerful effect. When Korach and his gang protested to Moshe, saying they want to have the same responsibilities as Moshe and Aaron, Moshe said "you are taking too much for yourselves."1 The Midrash takes Moshe to task and says that this sentence was not worthy of him and is later used against him.2 Was this such a terrible statement that it was remembered and later used against him? The great 20th century sage, Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz explained that Moshe was in fact at fault for trying to stem someone else's ambition and passion. He had no right to do that and for that he was faulted.

When someone wishes to dream or advance, that dream is to be viewed as a sign of wanting to move forward, to advance. How can we help that happen?

How do we ask that question of others? Just as important, how do we ask that question of ourselves – with encouragement or full of self-doubt? NLP and Law of Attraction both teach us much of self-talk and limiting beliefs. What words do we use when talking with ourselves? What tone do we use? Is that the tone we wish? Whichever tone you’ve been using, would you like to improve on it?

Start practicing the tone you wish to use – whether for yourself or others. Use words that are encouraging. Once you practice on yourself, helping others will come as well – and vice versa. It doesn’t really make a difference which order you choose, knowing, as we do, that giving to others is part and parcel of what being human is.4 Just take note and ask – Do You Really Think You Can?

And the answer will be - Yes! 

Click here for another logoParsha article  on Parshat Korach

Notes

  1. Bamidbar 16:7 – free translation
  2. Bamidbar Raba 18:18
  3. Neuro Linguistic Programming pays particular attention to how we speak to ourselves and how to "re-program" ourselves, while Law of Attraction goes further and discusses our words creating a new reality.
  4. This is a primary concept of the logotherapy of Viktor Frankl. It is discussed in many of his books

Have A Great Shabbat!laughing

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