20 Jun KORACH: KORACH’S ERROR

Rebbe Dovid Lelover
zt’l said: If Korach knew
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 made
the machlokes.”
According to this
explanation, Korach
wasn’t seeking honor,
wealth, or prestige. He
was disappointed that
he couldn’t serve
Hashem as well as
Aharon HaKohen. “I
should be the kohen gadol,” he exclaimed. “I
want to serve Hashem in the Kodesh
HaKedashim. Why must I settle for a
secondary avodah?”
And this was his error because his avodas
Hashem wasn’t at all secondary. Each person
can be as great as Aharon HaKohen when he
devotes himself to the service Hashem
expects from him.
Rebbe Bunim of Pshischa zt’l (quoted in
Sifsei Tzaddik, Korach 8) says something
similar. He explains that Korach was upset
that he couldn’t daven in the Kodesh

HaKadoshim like Aharon HaKohen. He
didn’t know that one can attain the same
perfect tefillah wherever he is in the world.
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 saw an upside-down world. Those on
top were at the bottom, and those at the
bottom were on top.”
He discovered that the people honored in
this world are not so important over there.
And those considered insignificant here are
honored in heaven.
His father told him, “You saw a very true
world.”
Rashi explains that people honor wealth in
this world, but only those who studied Torah
and performed mitzvos are honored in
heaven.
The Mabit (introduction to Beis Elokim)
disagrees with this interpretation because
Rav Yosef wouldn’t be surprised by his
vision. It was obvious to him that Torah, not
wealth, is honored in heaven.
Rather, Rav Yosef was referring to spiritual
success. He was surprised when he saw
people who we thought were at a low spiritual
level were on very high levels in Gan Eden.
We will explain with an example:
One person learns ten hours a day, and
another learns only two hours a day. In this

world, we would honor the one who studies
ten hours a day. We think he is better. But if
he isn’t using all the time Hashem gave him,
and he should actually be studying twelve
or fourteen hours a day, he won’t be so
honored in heaven. The person who studies
two hours daily with mesirus nefesh will be
honored more. This is what Rav Yosef
discovered when he was in heaven. He saw
that things weren’t always as we see them.
There are simple people we don’t respect too
much, but in heaven they are great because
they are excelling in the role and portion
Hashem gave them.
The Arugos HaBosem (Chayei Sarah)
quotes the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 11.)
“Everything in creation was created
according to their agreement and consent.”
This means the earth also agreed to be created
as it is. Indeed, it is called eretz, from the
word r’tzei, want, because the earth wanted
to do Hashem’s will, and it was willing to be
created this way, although it seems that it
would be so much loftier if it were created
like the heavens and not like the coarse
gashmiyus earth. This is because heaven and
earth are truly 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 with
better circumstances, I would also be a genius

in Torah!” Don’t say that because Hashem
created you the way you are, meaning you
can reach your perfection solely in this
manner.”
It states (Tehillim 101:6), einai b’nemani
eretz. The Arugos HaBosem explains that
Hashem’s eyes go to those who have emunah
like the earth and they 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. The 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 wasn’t satisfied. 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.