You know sometimes, very rarely though, we get upset when we don't get what we want. We want a bigger bicycle, a bigger piece of cake. We want to stay up later "cuz my sister stays up later" and we want to go to camp because "all my friends are going." When our parents sometimes say: "No - it's not a good idea," we get angry and frustrated and we just can't understand why. This is the thing we think we should have or do - and we are completely convinced it is right and fair for us to have it.

This is what Korach did. He was a Levi and was very intelligent, learned, and considered to be a "tzadik" - a righteous man. He was not evil as we might have thought. So why did he complain to Moshe that Aharon shouldn't be the High Priest? Why did he cause 250 people to rebel against Moshe's authority?

Answer:

The answer is that Korach looked at what he didn't have, instead of what he did have. He was a Levi, and his family was very important in serving in the Temple. But he was not satisfied with his job. He wanted a higher position - he wanted to be Kohen Gadol - the job that Aharon Hakohen had. Instead of realising that he was already very important and instead of trying to be the best Levi that he could be, and instead of trying to be humble and of good character, he felt he was not respected enough. He wanted more honour.

The problem with Korach is that he did not value or respect himself. He did not look at his own abilities and talents and see how he could use them to serve Hashem. From here we can learn how we should look favourably upon ourselves - and how to appreciate what we do have as a gift from Hashem. If we concentrate on what we do have, instead of what we don't have, we will learn to appreciate Hashem's gifts and we will become happier with ourselves.