In this week's parsha, Korach expressed the following complaints to Moshe Rabbenu. Why was Moshe chosen to be the King, and Aaron to be the Kohein Gadol while he had not received any appointment? Why had he not, at very least, been chosen as the head of the family of Kehos? Also, since we are all holy and we all stood at Har Sinai and everyone is equal, why does this nation require a King and Kohein Gadol at all?
The Meforshim explain that what was really at the base of these complaints was anger over the fact that he wasn't appointed to be the head of the family of Kehos. Most specifically, it was the fact that Moshe Rabbenu appointed Elitzafan as the leader in his stead. Korach believed that he was more deserving to serve as the leader. Interestingly however, we find that it was only after the incident of the spies that Korach raised these objections.
Aharon was appointed Kohein Gadol in the beginning of Nissan, and Elitzafan was appointed in Iyar. The spies expressed their opinions about Eretz Canaan on Tisha b'Av. Korach waited quite a few months until he brought these complaints to Moshe Rabbenu. It was not until the spies returned that Korach questioned why Moshe Rabbenu was the King and Aharon was the Kohein Gadol. What is unique about the incident of the spies that sparked his complaints?
We learned last week that one of the arguments of the spies was that the midbar is a more conducive place to be connected to Hashem. The midbar is a place where we can remain very spiritual learning torah and serving Hashem while having all our physical needs fulfilled. The midbar had no physical distractions. On the other hand, in Eretz Yisroel we would be required to lower ourselves and lessen the spirituality of our service to Hashem. What the spies forgot was that action not intentions is the main thing. If someone learns about tefillin but doesn't wear them, has not accomplished its purpose. The main purpose is the action! On the other hand, if someone puts on tefillin without kevanah he has still fulfilled the mitzvah. The main intention of leaving Egypt was to fight to take Eretz Canaan and convert it to a holy place. The intention was not only to create spirituality and connection through feelings. What kind of holy place does Hashem want us to make? He wants us to create a society where people do the mitzvos with physical objects such as teruma and maaaer, etc.
Until this point, Korach understood and accepted that Moshe Rabbenu was the leader. He was given the Torah and he understands it best. Aharon Ha Kohein, who, second to Moshe, was on a considerably higher level of understanding of the Torah than anyone else. But now, if the main thing is the action, then everyone is equal. The action of putting on tefillin is the same for Moshe Rabbenu as it is for a simple Jew. We are all holy and we all have the power to bring G‑dliness into the world with our physical actions. Therefore, why is Moshe Rabbenu in the position of a King, which is higher than all the rest of Jewish people? He should be more like a teacher who, on one hand is greater than his student in intellect, but who on the other is similar in stature. Therefore his role should be limited to developing the intellect of the student.
Chassidus explains that a King is the head of the nation, and every individual part of the nation including its very essence is connected to the King. This is why all of the Jews physical needs went through Moshe Rabbenu. This is why Moshe Rabbenu’s involvement was not only in the spiritual realm and the study of Torah, but also in every physical need; the mon, the water, the meat, and the Clouds of Glory; they all came through Moshe Rabbenu. As said above, Korach accepted the fact that concerning the Torah, Moshe was the greatest teacher. On the other hand, he argued that a Jew does not need a connection to Moshe Rabbenu to fulfill a mitzvah. This is because all Jews are holy and each can accomplish these acts independently, without needing the assistance of Moshe Rabbenu.
Moshe Rabbenu’s response to Korach was, “Wait until morning and Hashem will make known who is qualified to be his ... in the morning who will be the Kohein.” Why did Moshe Rabbenu push off the answer to Korach until the morning? Rashi gives two answers: (a) Moshe was giving Korach and his followers a chance to do teshuva; (b) He was saying that just as Hashem created the universe with the boundaries of morning and evening, similarly you cannot change the Kohein Gadol to be someone other than Aharon.
According to Rashi’s answers it still remains unclear. Why did Moshe need give them specifically until morning? This question can be asked according to both of Rashi’s answers: (a) Maybe doing teshuva only requires a few hours for some while for others it could require a few days; (b) Moshe Rabbenu could have said that they had until evening, which is also a time when one is able to see the difference between day and night.
The Rebbe explains that Moshe was trying to explain to Korach and his followers that the main purpose of the Torah is in the performance of the mitzvahs. Still, they need to be maasim tovim, good actions. The Alter Rebbe explains that the mitzvos should shine. A person can own diamonds, but if they are filthy, they will not shine. Every mitzvah that a Jew does must affect him to the extent that he feels a connection with Hashem through its accomplishment. The Zohar states that word mitzvah shares the same origin as ‘tzavtza’ which is translated to mean connection. If a person does a mitzvah, especially if it was hard for him to do, and then he boasts of his actions, then that becomes negative because it has brings him to pride. Hashem says about such a person that he and I cannot be share one roof. Ultimately, a person who boasts will do teshuva and change the mitzvos to shining mitzvos. Until that time his mitzvos are like precious stones full of mud.
This is what Moshe Rabbenu was telling Korach: the main thing is action. To make a dwelling place for Hashem to be revealed in the physical world, you also need kevanah, and the purification of the individual. The mitzvah must be done like ‘daylight’, with an ever increasing feeling and understanding of Hashem. This is the reason that Moshe Rabbenu deferred the answer to Korach and his followers until morning: (a) So that they do teshuva not only from fear of punishment, rather in a way that will cause their actions to shine; (b) To remind them that actions have to be like daylight. It is well understood that Moshe Rabbenu's way of doing a mitzvah is greater than Korach's.
Every Jew is holy, and can do mitzvahs and draw Hashem into the world, but for the mitzvos to shine, one must be connected to Moshe Rabbenu and to the extension of Moshe Rabbenu of his generation. This connection will enable each individual to make his mitzvos shine.
This is the lesson of the both parshas of the spies and of Korach, that people need combine both heart and action into our service of Hashem. We accomplish this by connecting ourselves to the Moshe Rabbenu of our generation, the Previous Rebbe and the Rebbe. The Rebbeim demonstrated the combination of these too opposites by encouraging a small child to say aleph beis or give tzedakah, and also by revealing the depths of Chassidus. The Rebbe demanded this of us as well.
There is a known story of the Tzemach Tzedek which was told by the Previous Rebbe in Sefer Hasichos 5696/1936 (p. 25). Once, Harav Hachossid, Harav HaTzadik Reb Hillel of Paritsh was visiting the Tzemach Tzedek in Lubavitch for Yechidus. He cried to the Rebbe about his lengthy travels and how they took away much of the time that he desired to spend on his service of davening and learning. He asked the Rebbe that perhaps he should discontinue his travels to the colonies where the level of understanding of the people is minimal.
Upon hearing this, the Tzemach Tzedek closed his eyes in dveikus. (Reb Hillel later commented that to see such dveikus was worth ten trips on foot to Lubavitch. He said “The Rebbe's dveikus took me to a higher spiritual realm.”) The Rebbe then opened his eyes and said, “We are day-workers; our work is to bring light. You should not, G-d for forbid stop going to the colonies. On the contrary, you must do more to bring the light of Chassidus into those places.”
The Rebbe explained that Reb Hillel's davening and doing mitzvahs itself brings light, but the Tzemach Tzedek wanted Reb Hillel to bring light by traveling to those places that are normally be not lit by the light of Chassidus.
Likutei Sichos, vol. 4, Shabbos Korach, 5723 (1963) See also HaYom Yom, 29 Teves