Pure leadership without self-interest

בפסוק המעט מכם.

On the pasuk, "Is it too little for you" (Bamidbar 16:9).

Moshe rebukes Korach and his company with the words "hame'at mikem," and the Sefas Emes notes the precise wording.

והול"ל לכם.

And it should have said "for you" (lachem).

One would have expected the verse to say "lachem" (for your benefit) rather than "mikem" (from you); the unusual word holds the lesson.

אכן זה הדיוק הי' החטא של קרח שכתיב ויקח קרח.

But this very precision was the sin of Korach, of whom it is written, "And Korach took" (Bamidbar 16:1).

The word "mikem" points to Korach's flaw, captured in "vayikach Korach" — he "took," that is, he was grasping for himself.

כי הי' לו נגיעה לגרמיהו.

for he had a personal interest for himself.

Korach's pursuit of the priesthood was tainted by negi'us — a self-serving bias and desire for personal honor.

ובאמת עיקר בחירת אהרן כה"ג הי' ואהרן מה כי לא הי' לו שום פני' רק לקבל השפעת קדושה מהבורא ית' לבנ"י לכן בחר בו השי"ת להיות כהן משרת.

And in truth the essence of the choice of Aharon as Kohen Gadol was "and what is Aharon" (Bamidbar 16:11) — that he had no ulterior motive at all, only to receive the flow of holiness from the Creator, may He be blessed, for Bnei Yisrael; therefore Hashem chose him to be the serving kohen.

Aharon was chosen precisely because he had no penniyah (self-interest); his sole concern was to be a clear channel drawing kedushah down from Hashem to Bnei Yisrael, which is what made him fit to serve as Kohen Gadol.

וכל הממונה על כלל ישראל צריך שלא יהי' לו שום נגיעה בעצמותו כלל.

And anyone appointed over Klal Yisrael must have no personal bias in himself at all.

Any true leader of Klal Yisrael must be entirely free of negi'us — utterly without self-interest.

ומזה עצמו הראה לקרח שאינו ראוי להיות כהן.

And from this very thing it was shown to Korach that he was not fit to be a kohen.

The fact that Korach grasped for the position for himself was itself the proof that he was unfit for it.

וגם הבדלה ראשונה שהבדילו להיות לוי ג"כ יהי' נאבד ממנו.

And even the first distinction by which he had been set apart to be a Levi would also be lost from him.

By overreaching, Korach stood to forfeit even the elevated status of Levi that he had already been granted.

כי אם הי' כוונתו לשמים להעלות את בני ישראל כפי עבודתו כמ"ש לעמוד לפני העדה לשרתם.

For had his intention been for the sake of Heaven, to elevate Bnei Yisrael in accordance with his service, as it says, "to stand before the congregation to serve them" (Bamidbar 16:9),

The role of the Levi is to serve and elevate the community; had Korach's aim truly been l'sheim Shomayim, to serve Bnei Yisrael, his whole approach would have been different.

היו רואין כי די להם בזאת השירות.

they would have seen that this service was enough for them.

One whose motive is pure to serve would have been content with the avodah of the Levi and would not have grasped for more.

וזהו מכם ולא לכם:

And this is "from you" and not "for you."

Moshe's word "mikem" exposes the root issue: the failing came from within them — their self-interest — rather than being something genuinely "for them" and their benefit.

Summary: Moshe's wording "hame'at mikem" ("from you," not "for you") pinpoints Korach's sin: "vayikach Korach" — he grasped the priesthood out of negi'us, personal self-interest. Aharon, by contrast, was chosen precisely because he had no ulterior motive, only to be a pure channel of kedushah from Hashem to Bnei Yisrael. Any leader of Klal Yisrael must be wholly free of self-interest; had Korach's aim truly been l'sheim Shomayim to serve and elevate the people, he would have been content with his portion as a Levi.