Prayer for Overcoming the Tendencies of Jealousy, Competition, and Honor-Seeking

Parashat Korach

Prayer for Overcoming the Tendencies of Jealousy, Competition, and Honor-Seeking

 

Dear Hashem, I need help for my ego to shed,

and reflect the light of Your Divinity instead!

 

Even if it was because of my intuition,

that certain matters were brought to fruition,

help me to just keep doing my mission,

without craving credit or recognition!

 

Hold my hand while I from honor flee,

Let me learn the virtues of others to see! 

 

Help me always to show them respect,

even if they may be incorrect!

 

Although I may disagree,

teach me how to bow my knee!

 

My self-righteousness I must uproot,

to stay away from any kind of dispute.

 

Whenever I feel an urge to be direct,

let me first consider my words’ effect!

 

Why would I ever want to object?

Isn’t it more important to connect?

 

Guide me to be righteous and fair in all my dealings,

while being careful to consider other people’s feelings!

 

Support me to be steadfast in stating my position,

without getting caught in contest and competition!

 

Strengthen me to overcome feeling jealous,

rather for Your Torah let me be zealous!

 

Guide me to shed the tendency of being greedy

Let me be a giver rather than someone needy!

 

Help me all my negative traits to release,

so I can engender harmony and peace! 

Based on Bamidbar Chapter 16:

ספר במדבר פרק טז פסוק א וַיִּקַּח קֹרַח בֶּן יִצְהָר בֶּן קְהָת בֶּן לֵוִי וְדָתָן וַאֲבִירָם בְּנֵי אֱלִיאָב וְאוֹן בֶּן פֶּלֶת בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן:

(ב) וַיָּקֻמוּ לִפְנֵי משֶׁה וַאֲנָשִׁים מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתָיִם נְשִׂיאֵי עֵדָה קְרִאֵי מוֹעֵד אַנְשֵׁי שֵׁם:

(ג) וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ עַל משֶׁה וְעַל אַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֲלֵהֶם רַב לָכֶם כִּי כָל הָעֵדָה כֻּלָּם קְדשִׁים וּבְתוֹכָם הָשֵׁם וּמַדּוּעַ תִּתְנַשְּׂאוּ עַל קְהַל הָשֵׁם:

“Korach the son of Yitzhar, the son of Kahat, the son of Levi took [himself to one side] along with Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eliav, and On the son of Pelet, descendants of Reuven. They confronted Moshe together with two hundred and fifty men from the children of Israel, chieftains of the congregation, representatives of the assembly, men of repute. They assembled against Moshe and Aharon, and said to them, ‘You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and Hashem is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above Hashem’s assembly?’” (Bamidbar 16:1-3).           

KORACH… TOOK - He took himself to one side to dissociate himself from the congregation, to contest the [appointment of Aaron to the] kehuna. This is what Onkelos means when he renders it וְאִתְפְּלֵג/ve’itpeleg, “and he separated himself.” He separated himself from the congregation to persist in a dispute… Now what made Korach decide to quarrel with Moshe? He envied the chieftainship of Elitzaphan the son of Uziel whom Moshe appointed as chieftain over the sons of Kahat by the [Divine] word. Korach claimed, “My father and his brothers were four [in number]” as it says, “The sons of Kahat were…” (Shemot 6:18). Amram was the first, and his two sons received greatness-one a king and one a kohen gadol. Who is entitled to receive the second [position]? Is it not I, who am the son of Yitzhar, who is the second brother to Amram? And yet, he [Moshe] appointed to the chieftainship the son of his youngest brother! I hereby oppose him and will invalidate his word (Midrash Tanchuma Korach 1; Bamidbar Rabbah 18:2, quoted by Rashi, Bamidbar 16:1).