Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
It's difficult when our spouse is not satisfied with us, and the wife of Korach was not satisfied with him. The Torah portion we will read in the synagogue on Shabbat (in Israel) describes Korach's famous challenge to the leadership of Moshe and Aharon. But what was at the bottom of Korach's rebellion in the first place?
Our sages explain that Korach's wife would nag at him day and night, berating him: Why are the positions of Moshe and Aharon higher than yours? Why are you not like them? What about your honor and reputation? This verbal poison slowly seeped into Korach with tragic effect.
Our lives are full of challenges and our experiences within the home determine how we confront them. The briefest interactions and conversations with our immediate family members -- between the kitchen and the living room -- can have an enormous impact upon us and our general attitude toward life. If negativity and criticism hold sway, these domestic contacts can create rancor, belligerence, and jealousy, but if the prevailing mood in the home is positive and encouraging, the family will be full of faith, acceptance, and joy.
Our commentators suggest that we check the attitude of those closest to us to determine where they are leading us, just as we must examine our own attitude to evaluate our effect on them.
