Jun 27th 2008, 00:00

    I can vividly remember my grandparents collecting Green Stamps.
They had an entire cupboard filled with books they would fill with those
stamps, eventually saving up enough to buy some incredible item, like a new
toaster!  Collecting Green Stamps disappeared decades ago along with 8-track
tapes and the Pet Rock, but along with them also disappeared something else,
something very important and critical: patience. 
    Today, we live in an immediate society.  You can have virtually
anything right now and pay for it later, or even never at all.  My own
children probably see hundreds of commercials on television every day and
all I hear is "I want that!"  They don't understand that everything costs
money and that proverbially "money does not grow on trees."  They don't
understand that when I use a credit card, I eventually have to pay that
bill.  Unfortunately, most Americans don't understand that either. 
    We have lost our ability to have patience, to work for a goal, to
have delayed instead of immediate gratification, to save up for something we
want, to look beyond right here, right now, and our own needs.  But like
everything else, this is nothing new. 
    In our Torah portion this week, Korach (for whom the Parashah is
named) and a band of followers become impatience with Moses' leadership.
Out there in the wilderness, he grows tired with desert life and wants to
get to the Promised Land.  He waxes poetic about life back in Egypt and
criticizes Moses and Aaron for leading the Israelites into the abyss.  God,
however, is very displeased with this rebellion, and for his troubles Korach
and his followers are swallowed up whole by the Earth. 
    Our Sages have offered up many explanations for this seemingly harsh
punishment, and they have tried to justify God's actions.  I would like to
think that Korach was really swallowed up by his own impatience.  He lost
the ability to look forward, to set goals, to see the bigger picture, and to
see beyond himself and his own needs.  Like so many of our children and
adults today, he wanted it all and he wanted it now.  And also like so many
people today, he was overcome by his own needs and desires. 
    Now I am not suggesting that we return to the days of Green Stamps
when you had to save for a month to buy a toaster, because today we'd have
to save for a month just to by a gallon of gasoline!  But what I am
suggesting is that we try to learn the lesson of Korach . that patience is
more than a virtue; it should be part of our mindset and modus operandi.
Especially for our children, we need to teach them to set reasonable goals
and to work towards those goals.  Even though we live in a "have it now"
society, we need to teach them that getting it now is not always best, and
that working hard and earning something brings much more fulfillment than
just being handed something on a silver platter. 
    Tonight at Temple we will have our Musical Shabbat Service so come
and enjoy our special music and shake your very own shaker egg.  Tomorrow,
Torah Study and Shabbat Morning Service as usual.  A reminder that next week
we will be having family services on Friday, July 4th.  We invite you to
come casual (or more casual than usual) and enjoy our potluck dinner
followed by an outdoor service if it's not too hot.  Have a safe and fun
weekend!