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Parashat Korach translation and commentary by Avraham Sutton Bamidbar 16:1-3 (1) Vayikach Korach - And Korach took; [Korach,] the son of Yitzhar, the son of Kehat, the son of Levi; together with Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli'av, and On the son of Pelet - of the tribe of Reuven. (2) And they [came and] stood before Moshe; [they,] along with men from the children of Israel, fifty and two hundred [i.e. 250] community leaders; [members of the Sanhedrin] who declare the time [i.e. establish the new moon in order to determine when the major holidays occur]; men of name [i.e. renown]. (3) They [all came together and] congregated against Moshe and Aharon, declaring to them, "Enough! [You have taken too much power] for yourselves! For the entire congregation is holy. Hashem is among them! Why then do you lord it over the congregation of Hashem! Rabbi Chayim Vital writes in Sha'ar HaPesukim and Likutey Torah (Chumash HaAri, Bamidbar, pp. 133-134): "Vayikach Korach ben Yitzhar ben Kehat ben Levi" (Bamidbar 16:1) - Behold, the sages of blessed memory were hard pressed to explain the meaning of Vayikach Korach ["And Korach took"]. [On the surface, the verse itself does not indicate what he took.] They therefore took the expression figuratively: "He took/made a bad acquisition for himself." Korach "took" it upon himself to question Moshe and Aharon's authority. And although he tried to camouflage his real intentions and fool others that his complaint was for the general good, it was really selfish, i.e. only in order to "take" glory for himself. Sanhedrin 109b: "Vayikach [Korach]" - Resh Lakish said: sh'lakach mekach ra le'atzmo - he [figuratively] took/made a bad acquisition for himself." [Rashi: he started a ketata (argument, disagreement).] Rashi (on Bamidbar 16:1): "Vayikach Korach" - He "took" himself to the other side… to stand in opposition against the rest of the congregation in order to encourage mach'loket [dispute]*… Another interpretation: He took/drew the heads of the Sanhedrin with words, similar to "Kach et Aharon - Take Aharon [i.e. draw him with words of consolation]" (Bamidbar 20:25, Rashi there), and "Take words with you [i.e. pray] and return to Hashem" (Hoshea 14:3)… Why did Korach dispute Moshe? Korach was jealous of the appointment of Eli'tzaphan ben Uzziel as prince of the tribe of Kehat (by Moshe, according to Divine command) (Bamidbar 3:30). Korach thus thought to himself: my father was one of four brothers, as it is written, "The sons of Kehat were Amram, Yitzhar, Chevron and Uzziel" (Shemot 6:18). Amram was the firstborn; his two sons appointed themselves to greatness; Moshe took kingship, and Aharon took the high priesthood. Who is next? Not I? Wasn't my father, Yitzhar, the second son after Amram! Nevertheless, Moshe went and appointed Eli'tzaphon, the son of Uzziel, the youngest of my father's brothers, as prince of Kehat. Behold, I will rise up against him (see Tanchuma, Korach 1). * See ARI_01 Bereshit 2 (Appendix 1: Shammai and Hillel), where we explain that the central letters of the word mach'loket [dispute] are chet-lamed-kof, which spell chelek, "part." These central letters are surrounded by the two letters mem and tav, which together spell met, "dead." We learn from this that a "part" or "piece" of the truth is "dead." Only when all the pieces come together does the truth emerge in all its living glory. In our context, we can also add that the same letters can be re-arranged to spell lakach mavet, alluding to the fact that, by choosing to enter into a mach'loket with Moshe, Korach "took [i.e. chose] death" for himself. Zohar Korach (3:176a): "Vayikach Korach" - He took evil counsel for himself. He who chases after that which is not his - not only will he lose the very thing he pursues, but what he has will be taken from him. Korach chased after that which was not his [the high priesthood]. He therefore not only did not get what he wanted, but he also lost what he had. Korach went in the way of mach'loket, dispute and division. He caused division above, and he caused division below. He who seeks to cause a division in the tikkun of the world [i.e. the divine order] - he will perish from all the worlds. Mach'loket is the opposite of Shalom, Peace. He who opposes shalom, opposes the Holy Name, for the name of the Holy One is Shalom… Pirkey Avot (5:16): Any dispute [mach'loket] that is for the sake of Heaven will ultimately endure; whereas any dispute that is not for the sake of Heaven will not ultimately endure. What dispute was for the sake of Heaven? The dispute of Shammai and Hillel. What dispute was not for the sake of Heaven? The dispute of Korach and his entire congregation. Malbim: In providing an example of "mach'loket shelo le'shem shamayim - dispute not for the sake of Heaven," the mishnah should have said "The dispute of Korach and Moshe." [Rather, the sages were precise in their use of words.] In calling it "the dispute of Korach and his entire congregation," they were teaching us that, in a dispute for the sake of Heaven, both sides ultimately unite because their sole intention is to reveal the truth. On the other hand, a dispute that is not for the sake of Heaven is motivated by a desire for honor and self-aggrandizement. The side that instigates the mach'loket is thereby plagued by divisiveness among its own members, for each of them is interested solely is his own personal benefit. [As indicated in the very words of the verses] this is exactly what happened with Korach and his congregation. Each one of them had his interests in mind. Korach, for instance, wanted the High Priesthood. And if you should counter with the sages' statement that Korach was jealous of the appointment of Eli'tzaphan ben Uzziel as prince of the tribe of Kehat - this is what first aroused him to argue against Moshe. After he entered into the thick of it, however, he wanted nothing less than Aharon's High Priesthood… On the other hand, Datan and Aviram, and On ben Pelet, all from the tribe of Reuven, had an entirely different motivation to oppose Moshe. They questioned the fact the bechorah [the right of the firstborn] had been taken away from Reuven. As the true firstborn son of Yaacov, he should have received kingship and priesthood… This then is the meaning of the verses: "And Korach took" - he took words of argumentation to oppose Moshe. [What argument did he take?] "Ben Yitzhar, ben Kehat, ben Levi" - i.e. that since Yitzhar was the second son after Amram, he (Korach) should have received the High Priesthood. "Ve'Datan ve'Aviram, sons of Eli'av, and On ben Pelet" - they took part in the mach'loket because they were - "sons of Reuven" - who considered themselves the rightful heirs to the priesthood, since Reuven was Yaacov's firstborn… * * * One more introduction before we bring the words of the ARI on our parashah: It is a basic principle of Torah (and all the prophetic writings) that the "names" of the characters in the Tanach are not only "proper names" that refer to specific individuals who lived at particular times in history. If this were the case, the Tanach could rightly be seen and read as a history book. But it isn't. Rather, names are descriptive. That is, in addition to referring to a particular individual or individuals, the names of the characters also reveal the archetypal or spiritual level that is always operative behind the scenes of the drama, in which people are seen as embodiments of cosmic forces (spiritual qualities). Seen in this way, the "stories" of the Tanach become a mirror of sorts, through which any society (or individual) (or even any dynamical system), at any time, in any context, may recognize itself in terms of the larger plan of history, and most importantly, bring itself into alignment with that plan. As such, the "characters" in the first verses of our parashah are not just people who lived once, long ago. On the contrary, they are parts of ourselves, or more correctly, we are parts of them (their souls). In Kabbalistic terminology, we are reincarnations of those "root" souls. We can now understood how and why the Oral Tradition (the Talmud, Zohar, Midrash, etc.) can state so many varied "opinions" about any one situation or character. The sages had special "glasses" with which to penetrate behind the superficial level of the Text and enter into its spiritual meaning. This doesn't mean that they cast the simple, outer, narrative layer of the text, aside, G-d forbid. On the contrary, they saw it as an extremely important outer garment, without which we could never even approach the inner soul level. See more on this in ARI_01 Bereshit 1 (Appendix 1: Pshat and Sod). Read with the above in mind, we can now understand the way the sages of the Talmud (Sanhedrin 109b) dealt with the "characters" of our parashah: "Vayikach [Korach]" - Resh Lakish said: sh'lakach mekach ra le'atzmo - he [figuratively] took/made a bad acquisition for himself." [Rashi: he started a ketata (fight, disagreement).] "Korach" - she'asah korcha be'Yisrael - he made a bald spot in Israel. [Rashi: he caused himself and his people to be swallowed in the ground.] "Ben Yitzhar" - a son who heated the whole world up like tzaharayim [the noonday sun]. "Ben Kehat" - a son who hik'hah sheenei molidav [caused the teeth of his parents to grind]. "Ben Levi" - a son whose levayah [mourner's procession] went through/in Gehinam… "Datan" - for he transgressed the dat [spiritual teaching] of G-d. "Aviram" - for he eever [hardened] his heart from returning in teshuvah. "On" - for he sat in aninut [mourning]. "Pelet" - for pela'ot [wonders] were done for him. "Ben Reuven" - a son who ra'ah [saw] and understood… "And they [came and] stood before Moshe; [they,] along with men from the children of Israel, fifty and two hundred community leaders" - they were outstanding members of the congregation. "Who declare the time" - for they knew how to intercalate the years and establish the new moons [in order to determine when the major holidays occur]. "Men of renown" - for their names were known far and wide… All that the sages said about Korach and his followers will be understood in the light of what we will say here. How? By revealing the archetypal level beneath and behind the outer level of the narrative. Know that Moshe Rabbenu of blessed memory was born with the good aspect of the nefesh [soul] of Hevel. Rav Chayim now gives a number of crossreferences to places in which he has already developed this idea: See above where we explained this on the verse, "A new king arose over Egypt" (Shemot 1:8, in Sha'ar HaPesukim, s.v. Ve'hinei bechinat Bilaam, Chumash HaAri, Shemot, p. 16). [The souls of] the entire Generation of the Desert are extensions of Moshe's soul, in the mystery of the verse, "The nation in whose midst I am [number 600,000 men on foot]" (Bamidbar 11:21) [- he was literally the central soul in their midst that contained all of them, and they were his extensions]. On the verse, "Ki shiv'atayim yukam Cain - If Cain will be revenged seven-fold, Lamech will be revenged seventy-seven-fold" (Bereshit 4:24, in Sha'ar HaPesukim, Chumash HaAri, Bereshit, pp. 119-120), we have also explained how the evil in the ruach of Cain reincarnated in Korach. There, he explains as well that the letters yod-kof-mem of yukam ["revenged"] are an acrostic for Yithro, Korach and Mitzri [the Egyptian that Moshe killed]. All of these men were gilgulim of Cain. However, we have a problem. All of them were alive at the same time! The answer: Cain had nefesh, ruach and neshamah. 1) His nefesh incarnated in the Mitzri. Wanting to fix and elevate the good aspect of his former brother's nefesh, Moshe did not kill the Mitzri with a sword, but rather by pronouncing a Divine Name. 2) Cain's ruach incarnated in Korach. This is why Korach was jealous of Moshe, and disputed his power. 3) Cain's neshamah incarnated in Yithro. This is why he gave his daughter Tzipporah to Moshe as a wife. In Sha'ar HaGilgulim (36th Introduction. End; pp. 313-314 in Bnei Aharon edition), he explains further that, while the evil aspect of the nefesh of Cain incarnated in the Mitzri, the good aspect incarnated in Kenan and Mehalel. Similarly, while the evil aspect of the ruach of Cain incarnated in Korach, the good aspect incarnated in Shmuel HaNavi (one of Korach's descendants). Finally, the good aspect of the neshamah of Cain incarnated in Yithro after he converted. Again, this is why he gave Tzipporah to Moshe. For she had been his (Hevel's) twin sister whom he (Cain) "took" to be his own wife, in addition to his own twin sister. It took all this to repair the damage that Cain did by killing Hevel. With this, you can now understand Korach's renewed argument with Moshe, at this time. In other words, Hevel and Cain [or at least specific aspects of each of these spiritual qualities] have returned in Moshe and Korach. Know that the nefesh of Hevel itself contained a number of nefashot [souls], as well as a number of nitzotzot [sparks]. [Both] consisted of an admixture of good and evil. The relationship between these two usually depends on the context. The soul is thus considered a "whole" relative to the individual "sparks" that it contains. Sometimes these sparks will transmigrate together. Sometimes (usually as a result of sin) they will have to incarnate separately. It is in this way that one "soul" can be split up and incarnate into (many) different bodies. Sometimes (again, usually as a result of sin), these "sparks" themselves can also be broken down further into smaller "souls." As this can get a little confusing, it is obviously better not to sin. [Good and Holiness are thus always associated with Unity and Light, whereas Evil and Impurity are always identified with breakdown, disintegration and darkness.] The good souls/sparks in Hevel numbered 37, the gematria of his name. Whereas the evil souls/sparks in him numbered 308 [the gematria of Korach]. [308 + 37 = 345, the gematria of Moshe.] Moshe was born with the fully rectified aspects of Hevel's soul. He was completely good, as we explained on the verse, "And she saw him, that he was good" (Shemot 2:2; Likutey Torah, in Chumash HaAri, Shemot, p. 43). This is why the gematria of Hevel (37) plus the gematria of Korach (308) totals Moshe (345). It alludes to the fact that all the nitzotzot in Moshe were good, whereas the remaining 308 evil sparks in Hevel constituted the basic nefesh makeup of Korach. In addition to this, the evil aspect of the ruach of Cain also entered Korach through Ibur (gestation). This didn't just "happen." Rather, by constantly dwelling in his thoughts on his plan to undermine Moshe (who was really Hevel), he attracted these aspects of Cain to himself. Adding evil to evil, this caused him to perish from the world. This then is the mystery of the phrase, "Vayikach Korach - And Korach took," wherein we are not told what it is that he took. As we have said, however, this refers to his taking the evil aspect of the ruach of Cain. This is alluded to in the sages' statement (Sanhedrin 109b): "Sh'lakach mekach ra le'atzmo - he took/made a bad acquisition for himself." Seeing, that is, that the evil aspect of Cain's ruach had now entered him, he thought: "Until now, I was from the evil aspect of Moshe/Hevel, and I was therefore subject to him. Now that I have the ruach of Cain, he can no longer dominate me." Korach wanted to escape Moshe's dominion. Here it is important to crossreference to a number of places in which the entire subject of the different aspects of the souls of Hevel and Cain (and therefore Moshe and Korach) has been developed at great length. As we go through Bereshit from the beginning, a fuller picture will emerge. In the meantime, we repeat what we said above: The "characters" in the first verses of our parashah are not just people who lived once, long ago. On the contrary, we are reincarnations of their "root" souls; they are parts of ourselves, and we are parts of them. As we have explained (Introduction to Gilguley Neshamot, by Rabbi Yerucham Meir Lainer of Izhbitz) (file: ARI_35 Naso, end), it is important that we become aware of what we did in the past that needs fixing, and through that awareness, heal the wounds of our past. In this way, we can come to know and understand how to fix the very root of our soul. The key word is Fix. Isn't this the very reason that we have come here this time? Let's use this incredible opportunity for all that it's worth. * * * Hashem, we solemnly ask You to give us the jump-start we need in our soul-evolution at this time, individually and collectively. Allow us to wake up from the collective and individual dreams of our lives, to connect with the higher parts of our souls, to know who we are and to serve You with total devotion with every breath we breathe. We feel the new awareness beginning to dawn in our consciousness. Help us nurture it; help us become worthy of giving birth to it. For we have come here this time to fix, not to damage; to overcome the mistaken syndromes of the past, not to fall into them again. Yes, we affirm this. We only want what You want. We came here to work together with Moshe, to bond with him, not to argue with him! Hashem, we thank You for giving us life. Please give us all our portion in every aspect of Your Torah (pshat, remez, drush, sod and razin d'oraita). Please bring us all back to the precious Land that You promised to give to our ancestors. Please let us see Yerushalayim fully rebuilt soon, in our days. Please let us see Your Holy Temple be completed soon, in our days. Please let us be found worthy of being Your partners in bringing the ultimate Geulah. Please let the Collective Soul of Adam/David/Moshe/Moshiach manifest fully in our days. Amen. Shabbat Shalom |
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Ascent of Safed
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