Korach's separateness versus Aharon's self-nullification

ויקח קרח ואתפליג דאיתא במשנה מחלוקת לש"ש סופה להתקיים.

"And Korach took" — and he separated himself. As the Mishnah teaches, a dispute that is for the sake of Heaven (l'shem Shomayim) will endure in the end.

Korach "took" by setting himself apart in a quarrel; the Mishnah (Avos 5:17) distinguishes his strife from a machlokes that is truly for the sake of Heaven, which has lasting value.

כי באמת עוה"ז נקראת עלמא דפרודא שכל הנבראים יש לכל אחד בחי' לעצמו ולכן כולא קטטה.

For in truth this world is called "alma d'piruda" (the world of separation), where every created being has an aspect of self-existence, and therefore all is strife.

The very nature of this world is fragmentation: each creature feels itself to be a separate, independent entity, and that sense of separateness is the root of all conflict.

אבל בנ"י זוכין אל השלום בכח התורה וכל עובד ה' לשמו ית' כדי להיות נגמר רצונו ית' בעולם אם מתכוון באמת לש"ש אין בו שום קנאה על חבירו.

But Bnei Yisrael merit shalom (peace) through the power of the Torah; and anyone who serves Hashem for His Name's sake, in order that the ratzon Hashem (Divine will) be fulfilled in the world — if he truly intends it for the sake of Heaven — has no jealousy whatsoever toward his fellow.

Torah unites Bnei Yisrael by lifting them above self-interest. One who serves Hashem solely to fulfill the Divine will, and not for himself, feels no envy of others, since they share one common purpose.

כי מה האדם שהי' מעשיו מתקבלים בשמים רק מכלל ישראל נגמר רצונו ית' בעולם.

For what is a single person, that his deeds should be accepted in Heaven? Only through Klal Yisrael as a whole is the Divine will fulfilled in the world.

No individual on his own can accomplish Hashem's purpose; it is only through the collective of the Jewish people that the ratzon Hashem is realized.

ולכן צריך כל אחד למסור חלקו יפה יפה לצבור.

Therefore each person must surrender his portion fully and willingly to the community.

Every Jew must give over his individual contribution wholeheartedly to the tzibbur (community), since the goal belongs to all together.

וממילא אין הפרש אצלו בינו לבין חבירו.

And consequently, in his own eyes there is no difference between himself and his fellow.

Once a person dedicates his portion to the whole, he no longer distinguishes between his own honor and his fellow's, for both serve the same end.

וזה הי' מדת אהרן אוהב שלום ורודף שלום לכן בחר בו הקב"ה לכהן.

This was the trait of Aharon, who loved peace and pursued peace; therefore Hashem chose him to be Kohen.

Aharon embodied this total self-effacement before the whole, which is why he was fit to be the Kohen who serves on behalf of all of Klal Yisrael.

ולכן כתיב ואהרן מה הוא כי לא הי' נפרד כלל לעצמו וכל מעשיו מסר לצבור.

Therefore it is written, "And Aharon — what is he?" — for he was not at all separate unto himself, and he surrendered all his deeds to the community.

Moshe's words "what is Aharon" express Aharon's complete bittul: he had no separate self-interest, having devoted everything to the tzibbur.

אבל בקרח כתי' ויקח לעצמו.

But concerning Korach it is written, "And he took" — for himself.

Korach's defining act was to take "for himself," grasping at separate honor — the opposite of Aharon's self-surrender.

ואפילו יהי' גדול שבגדולים כשהוא לעצמו מה הוא.

And even if one is the greatest of the great, when he is "for himself," what is he?

No matter how lofty a person may be, if he stands as a separate self apart from the whole, his greatness amounts to nothing.

וכתיב ואהבת לרעך כמוך אני ה' ואמרו זה כלל גדול בתורה רש"י פי' רעך זה הקב"ה.

And it is written, "You shall love your fellow as yourself, I am Hashem," and they said this is a great principle in the Torah; Rashi explains "your fellow (rei'acha)" refers to Hashem.

The mitzvah to love one's fellow is a foundational principle; Rashi reads "rei'acha" as alluding to Hashem, who is the "Companion" of every Jew.

והיינו כשעובד ה' לשמו ית' ממילא אוהב את חבירו העובד ה' כמוהו.

That is, when one serves Hashem for His Name's sake, he automatically loves his fellow who serves Hashem just like him.

Loving Hashem (rei'acha as Hashem) and loving one's fellow flow together: devotion to Hashem naturally produces love for everyone else devoted to the same service.

וזה כלל גדול בתורה רעך הקב"ה ורעך ממש הכל אחד כנ"ל.

And this is the great principle in the Torah: "your fellow" as Hashem and "your fellow" literally are all one, as above.

The two readings of "rei'acha" are really one truth — love of Hashem and love of fellow Jews are inseparable expressions of the same unity.

והנה העוה"ז רחוק מן האחדות כדאיתא במשנה בעשרה מאמרות נברא והלא במאמר אחד כו' להפרע מן הרשעים וליתן שכר טוב לצדיקים.

Now, this world is far from unity, as the Mishnah teaches: with ten utterances the world was created — but could it not have been created with a single utterance? — in order to exact punishment from the wicked and to give good reward to the righteous.

The Mishnah (Avos 5:1) notes that Hashem deliberately created with ten utterances rather than one, fragmenting the world so that it would be an arena of moral testing, reward, and punishment.

שע"י שנתרחק מן האחדות הוא עולם הנסיון.

For by being distanced from unity, it becomes a world of trial.

Precisely because the world is fragmented and far from its underlying oneness, it serves as a place of nisayon (testing), where unity must be earned.

ולכן היו עשרה מאמרות ונחלק מעשה בראשית לכמה נתיבות.

Therefore there were ten utterances, and the work of creation was divided into many pathways.

The single underlying Divine word was split into ten utterances, branching out into the manifold diversity of the created world.

וזהו ל"ב אלקים דעובדא דבראשית.

And this is the thirty-two times the Name "Elokim" appears in the account of creation.

The Name Elokim — denoting Hashem as He governs through nature — occurs thirty-two times in the creation narrative, reflecting this multiplicity.

ונראה דל"ב חוטין שבציצית רומזין לל"ב אלקים.

And it appears that the thirty-two strings of the tzitzis allude to these thirty-two "Elokim."

The thirty-two threads of the tzitzis (across all four corners) correspond to these thirty-two appearances of Elokim in creation.

וד' שרשים ד' חוטי תכלת הם אלקים דבראשית ברא.

And the four "roots," the four threads of techeiles (blue), correspond to the "Elokim" of "Bereishis bara Elokim."

The blue threads, one per corner, are the four root-strands, corresponding to the foundational appearances of Elokim at creation's start.

וג' אלקים דפ' ויכולו שהם כוללים כל הל"ב [הגם כי הם ל"ב בלי הג' אלקים דויכולו מ"מ הלא יש ל"ב חוטי לבן דאין התכלת מעכב הלבן.

And the three appearances of "Elokim" in the passage of "Vayechulu" encompass all thirty-two. [Although there are thirty-two even without the three of "Vayechulu," nevertheless there are thirty-two white strings, since the techeiles does not hold back (is not indispensable to) the white.

The Sefas Emes works out the numerology of the tzitzis strings against the appearances of Elokim. Even without the three of "Vayechulu," the white strings alone number thirty-two, for white tzitzis remain valid even without the techeiles.

א"כ יש ל"ב אלקים בלי תכלת רק דד' מהם הם המתחברין עם ד' דתכלת לפי שהם השרשים.

If so, there are thirty-two "Elokim" without the techeiles, except that four of them join with the four of techeiles, since they are the roots.

The white strings account for the full thirty-two, while four of them serve as "roots" that pair with the four techeiles threads.

ולכן כ"ח פשוטים וד' שרשים.

Therefore there are twenty-eight ordinary ones and four roots.

The thirty-two divide into twenty-eight "ordinary" strands plus four "root" strands.

ואלקים דבראשית ברא הוא עולה לכאן ולכאן].

And the "Elokim" of "Bereishis bara" counts toward both reckonings.]

The Name Elokim at the very opening of the Torah can be counted in either grouping, serving as the linchpin of the calculation.

והנשארים הם כ'ח מעשיו שהגיד לעמו.

And the remaining ones are "the power of His deeds (koach ma'asav) that He told to His people."

The remaining twenty-eight (כ"ח, also spelling "koach," power) correspond to the verse "the power of His deeds He declared to His people" (Tehillim 111:6) — the workings of creation revealed to Bnei Yisrael.

והם בחי' ימי המעשה שכל יום ענין בפ"ע וצריך אדם בכל יום להתבונן בהברואים של אותו יום כי הכל לכבודו ברא בחכמה יסד ארץ.

And they correspond to the days of action (the weekdays), where each day is its own matter, and a person must contemplate each day the creatures formed on that day — for everything He created for His honor, "with wisdom He founded the earth."

The diversity of creation maps onto the weekdays; each day a person should reflect on what Hashem fashioned then, recognizing that all was created with Divine wisdom for His glory.

וזהו בחי' שיר של יום.

And this is the aspect of the "Shir shel Yom" (the daily psalm).

The daily psalm sung by the Levi'im expresses the unique theme of each day's portion of creation.

ששת ימים עשה כו' השמים כו' הארץ.

"For six days He made… the heavens… the earth."

The six days of creation each contributed their distinct part of the heavens and the earth.

אבל כל הבריאה הוא רק משהו אלקות אשר נתלבשה במעשה בראשית.

But all of creation is only a faint trace of Divinity that has clothed itself within the work of creation.

The entire universe is merely a thin garment concealing a spark of the infinite Divine within it.

כדאיתא במד' הן אלה קצות דרכיו.

As the Midrash teaches on "Behold, these are but the edges of His ways."

All that we perceive of creation are only the outermost "edges" of Hashem's ways (Iyov 26:14), not their inner essence.

וזה רמז הציצית שכל הל"ב אלקים הם רק קצות דרכיו.

And this is the hint of the tzitzis: that all thirty-two "Elokim" are only "the edges of His ways."

The tzitzis, hanging at the garment's edges, teach that the whole natural order (the thirty-two Elokim) is but the outer fringe of the hidden Divine reality.

ושבת קודש כולו תורה וצריכין להתבונן בו בשורש שלמעלה מבריאת מ"ב.

And the holy Shabbos is entirely Torah, and on it one must contemplate the root that is above the creation of the manifold "ways."

Shabbos transcends the fragmented weekdays; on it we look past the diversity of creation to its unified root in Torah.

ולכן נק' שבת שלום שמו של הקב"ה ויש בו אחדות כמ"ש דאתאחדת ברזא דאחד.

Therefore Shabbos is called "Shalom," a Name of Hashem, and it contains unity, as it is said, "for it is unified in the mystery of the One."

Shabbos embodies the unity beneath all multiplicity — it is called Shalom, a Name of Hashem, because on it everything is reunited in the secret of the One.

וקרח פגם בזה האחדות לכן אמר טלית שכולה תכלת פטור מציצית.

And Korach damaged this unity; therefore he argued that a garment made entirely of techeiles should be exempt from tzitzis.

Korach's challenge — that an all-blue garment needs no tzitzis — was really an assault on this principle of unity, claiming the part can stand without subordination to the higher root.

ואדרבא עיקר המצוה להיות חוט אחד לרמוז כי צריכין לבטל משהו זו לעולם העליון שלא לעשות מזה עיקר.

On the contrary, the essence of the mitzvah is that there be a single thread, to allude that one must nullify this small trace toward the higher world, so as not to make it the main thing.

The point of even one thread of techeiles is bittul: the natural world must be surrendered upward to its Source and never treated as an end in itself.

ובאמת אהרן לבש מעיל כליל תכלת שהי' מלאך ה' צבאות ונתלבש בלבוש שלמעלה מן הטבע וע"ז נתקנא קרח.

In truth, Aharon wore the me'il (robe) entirely of techeiles, for he was "an angel of Hashem of Hosts," clothed in a garment above nature — and it was over this that Korach grew jealous.

Aharon, utterly nullified to Hashem, genuinely merited the "all-techeiles" garment of the supernatural realm. Korach envied this, but failed to grasp that it belonged to Aharon precisely because of his bittul, not self-assertion.

ובאמת האדם כולל כל העולמות כידוע.

And in truth, man encompasses all the worlds, as is known.

The human being is a microcosm containing within himself all the spiritual worlds.

ויש בו נר"נ וגוף שמרמז לעולמות פנימים וחיצונים.

He contains nefesh, ruach, neshamah, and a body, which allude to the inner worlds and the outer worlds.

A person's soul-levels and body correspond to the inner (penimi) and outer (chitzoni) dimensions of all creation.

ויש אנשים שרב כחם בפנימיות ויש בחיצוניות.

And there are people whose strength is mainly in the inner dimension, and others whose strength is in the outer dimension.

Some individuals are rooted primarily in penimiyus (inwardness) and others in the more external, revealed dimension.

ובודאי הי' קרח אדם גדול.

And Korach was certainly a great man.

Korach was no small person; he possessed real greatness and spiritual stature.

אבל בחי' אהרן הי' בפנימיות.

But the aspect of Aharon was in the inner dimension.

Aharon's greatness lay in penimiyus — the hidden, inner service — whereas Korach's strength was in the outward, revealed realm.

ולכן אמר משה רבינו ע"ה בוקר ויודע ה' כו' כמ"ש לעיל בפ' שלח שיש בחי' ידיעה וראי'.

Therefore Moshe Rabbeinu said, "In the morning Hashem will make known…," as was explained above in Parashas Shlach, that there is an aspect of "knowing" (yediah) and an aspect of "seeing" (re'iyah).

Moshe's response invoked two modes of perception: "seeing," which grasps only the outer surface, and "knowing," a deeper inner apprehension.

ועדת קרח נתאחזו בבחי' הראי' יותר מדאי.

And the assembly of Korach grasped excessively onto the aspect of "seeing."

Korach and his followers were overly attached to outward "seeing," fixating on visible appearances and status.

ולכן אמרו העיני האנשים ההם תנקר.

Therefore they said, "Will you bore out the eyes of these men?"

Their challenge (Bamidbar 16:14) centered on the "eyes," fitting their excessive reliance on visible, external perception.

שבודאי ראו בעין איזהו הארה וכמ"ש עינו הטעתו.

For they certainly saw with the eye some illumination, as it is said, "his eye misled him."

Korach did perceive some genuine spiritual light, but his "eye" — his outward vision — deceived him into a false conclusion (Chazal: Korach saw a great lineage descending from him, and was misled).

אבל בחי' ידיעה היא למעלה מזה שאין עין שולטת בו לכן אמר ואהרן מה הוא כי לא היו רואין ומבינים בחי' אהרן כלל.

But the aspect of "knowing" is above this, where no eye has dominion; therefore he said, "And Aharon — what is he?" — for they did not see or comprehend the aspect of Aharon at all.

Aharon's inner greatness lay in the realm of "knowing," beyond the reach of the physical eye. Korach's people, locked into outward seeing, simply could not perceive Aharon's hidden penimiyus.

וכן איתא כהנים שומרים מבפנים ולוים בחוץ:

And so it is taught: the Kohanim guard from within, and the Levi'im from without.

This pattern is reflected in the Mikdash: the Kohanim (Aharon's line) keep watch within, representing penimiyus, while the Levi'im (Korach's tribe) guard outside, representing the external dimension.

Summary: The Sefas Emes contrasts Korach, who "took for himself" and grasped at separate honor, with Aharon, who nullified his entire self to the community and to Hashem. This world is "alma d'piruda," fragmented into the thirty-two "Elokim" of creation — hinted at in the strings of tzitzis — yet a single thread of techeiles teaches that every part must be surrendered upward to its unified Source, fully revealed on Shabbos. Aharon's greatness lay in penimiyus, grasped only through inner "knowing," while Korach was trapped in outward "seeing," which is why he could not perceive Aharon and damaged the unity that Torah and true peace are meant to reveal.