Dvar Torah for Parshat Korach

Come see how terrible machlokes is. A human court can only punish one who has reached puberty. The Heavenly court can only punish one who has reached the age of twenty. Machlokes kills even nursing infants.
(Rashi on Numbers 16:27)

Machlokes (aka machloket) literally means ñargument.î In the Yiddish vernacular machlokes means any sort of argument, strife or contention, God save us.

Each of the prayers comes from the first part of Likutey Tefilot, a collection of prayers Reb Noson authored in accord with Rebbe NachmanÍs suggestion that each of the lessons of Likutey Moharan be converted to a prayer. (You can also try this.) ñ14:204î means prayer #14 (in all editions), section number 204 (in the Torat Hanetzach edition).

The last prayer included here makes use of a transliteration of one of GodÍs Names. It is advisable, therefore, to NOT print the dvar Torah. If it is necessary to do so, please take care that the page the Name appears is treated with the proper respect.

14:204-5

May our fear of You bring us to equanimity, so that our physical needs become subservient to our spiritual ones.

Draw peace into the world. Draw peace upon the Heavenly retinue and the Earthly retinue. Do away with any and every type of argument because You alone know how much damage is caused by the arguments that exist, especially those in the religious community.

Please, God, pity us with Your pity. Reveal the truth and grant peace to the Jews forevermore. Shower peace on all the Heavenly worlds and let some of that peace trickle down to us in this world so that we will have compassion on each other.

27:409, 422

May it be Your will God, our Lord and Lord of our ancestors, Master of Peace, the King to Whom peace belongs, to place peace among Your people, the Jews. May the peace become so great that it extends to all mankind, so that there will be neither hatred, jealousy, competition nor the ñneed to be rightî„just great love and peace among all people.

May everyone know that his fellow man truly seeks his good, his friendship and his eternal success, so that they can share ideas and arrive at the truth, and understand why they have come to this world, which passes as a fleeting shadow.

Pour peace upon Your nation, the Jews, so that there will peace among people and especially between husband and wife. May there never again be any hatred, jealousy or competition. May the peace increase and grow so that it touches all of mankind, so that people will remind themselves of their ultimate destiny and not waste their lives.

Help us to receive Shabbat in peace, happiness and great joy. Spread Your canopy of peace over us. May our bodies have peace and may we be healed, in body and soul.

57:716

Have pity on me and help me to give a lot of charity to a lot of worthy individuals and causes so that there will be more peace in the world. May we be worthy of having a total peace, peace ñwith a mouth,î a peace which allows people to speak to one another honestly and frankly, in friendship and goodwill. May we inspire one another to serve You properly.

61:763

Help us to travel to the genuine tzaddikim for Rosh Hashanah. May we become so united in spirit and camaraderie, with an honest spirit of peace and friendship that we become one with the souls of the tzaddikim.

94:964

Master of the World! In Your great compassion please gift me with the trait of peace. May I love peace and seek it constantly. May I be worthy of helping friends and neighbors, and husbands and wives to make peace.

Rescue me from the desire to win every argument and to always be right.

95:967

Master of Peace, the King to Whom peace belongs, Who makes peace and is the Creator of all: Help all of us and save all of us so that we always hold on to the trait of peace. May there be an honest peace among all people and in particular between husbands and wives. Let there not be even the faintest stirring of machlokes in anyoneÍs heart.

After all, You make peace in Heaven all the time, by combining fire and water to work for You. Grant us such a peace in our world as well, a peace where different types of people will join with one another to work together in peace and harmony, to be of one mind and one desire„to draw closer to You and Your Torah.

Adonai Shalom! Bless us with peace!

agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!