02 Jul KORACH: KORACH’S MISTAKE

Rebbe Dovid
Lelover zt’l said: Had
Korach known that
he can serve Hashem
from behind the oven
[where the simple
Yidden used to sit] and
his avodah will be as
precious as the avodah
of the kohen gadol, he
wouldn’t have started a
machlokes.”
Korach wanted to
serve Hashem in the
best possible way,
which is why he wanted
to be the kohen gadol. But he didn’t realize
that everyone could serve Hashem in his
own unique way. There is no reason to be
jealous of others – just do the avodah that
Hashem expects from you, and it will be as
precious to Hashem as the service of the
kohen gadol.
The Gemara (Pesachim 50.) tells that Rav
Yosef, the son of Reb Yehoshua Ben Levi,
was niftar and then returned to life. His
father asked him what he saw in heaven. He
replied, “I saw an upside-down world.
Those on top here were at the bottom there,
and vice versa.”

His father corrected him, “You saw a true
world.”
Rashi explains that in this world, people
honor wealth, but in heaven, honor is
accorded to those who study Torah.
The Mabit (introduction to Beis Elokim)
disagrees with this explanation because Rav
Yosef wouldn’t have been surprised by
seeing that only Torah study is important in
heaven. Therefore, the Mabit explains that
Rav Yosef was referring to the way we
perceive the servants of Hashem in this
world. There are ovdei Hashem who are
very respected in this world but less so in
Olam HaBa and visa-versa – people who we
think are mediocre or less in their spiritual
practices but are highly honored in heaven.
This is because Hashem measures each
person according to his abilities and the
level of mesirus nefesh he has in serving
Hashem.
This was Korach’s error. He thought he
must have the most prestigious position in
this world to earn the highest place in Gan
Eden, but it isn’t so. With the position,
challenges, and services that Hashem
arranges for each individual in this world,
he can attain the highest place in Gan Eden.
The Arugos HaBosem (Chayei Sarah)

quotes the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 11.)
“Everything in creation was created
according to their agreement and consent.”
This means that the earth also agreed to be
created as it was. Indeed, it is called Eretz,
from the word Ratzah, want, because the
earth wanted to do Hashem’s will and was
willing to be created this way, although it
seems that it would be so much loftier if it
were made like the heavens and not a coarse
gashmiyus earth. This is because heaven
and earth are indeed the same because they
both serve Hashem as Hashem wants from
them.
Therefore, the Arugas HaBosem explains,
no one should complain, “Why can’t I be
like him? If I had a sharper mind and lived
under better circumstances, I would also be
a genius in Torah!” Don’t say that, because
Hashem created you the way you are
because this is the only way you can reach
perfection.”
It states (Tehillim 101:6), Einai B’neemani
Eretz. The Arugos HaBosem explains that
Hashem’s eyes are with those who have
emunah like the earth and are prepared to do
Hashem’s will, even when they think there
are more prestigious deeds to do for
Hashem.
Korach was on a high spiritual level. As a

Levi, Korach was bestowed with the honor
of carrying the aron. Arizal taught that in the
era of techiyas hameisim, Korach will be the
kohen gadol. The Chidushei HaRim zt’l
says that if it weren’t for this machlokes,
Korach would have become the levi gadol
— an extremely great honor, which so far,
no one has ever received.
But he wanted more. He wanted to serve
Hashem in the most perfect way. And his
error was that he failed to understand that he
had the potential to be the greatest tzaddik in
his position, with the portion Hashem gave
him.
The Arugas HaBosem explains that the
earth swallowed Korach because it was the
earth that understood that one should only
want and focus on the portion Hashem set
out for him.