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There is an old joke about a Jew who was stranded on a remote island for years. When he was finally discovered, his rescuers were amazed at the little city he was able to build over the years on the island. When they asked about a particular building, he said it was his synagogue. When they asked about a similar looking structure not far away, his response was:
"Oh, that's the Shul I would never step foot in!"
For some reason, Jews and Machloket go hand in hand. Some disagreements are worthwhile, while others are purely destructive in nature. The episode in this week's Parsha unfortunately belongs to the latter category. Korach and his minions sought to discredit Moshe and Aharon for selfish and unholy reasons. It apparently did not take much to get others to buy in to his way of thinking.
Too often, especially in Congregational life, we get swept in to "Righteous" battles which sometimes go beyond the point of repair.
In the end of the day, most of these endeavors are usually not worth the time and heartache. Like Korach, we can all get swallowed up in an abyss that cannot be overcome.
Stay away from Machloket and make sure that your "Shem Shamayim" is "L'Shem Shamayim."
Shabbat Shalom.
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