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Korach: Blossoming vs Acquiring

To prove Korach wrong, Hashem told Moshe to place a stick from each Shevet before the Mishkan. Miraculously, only Ahron’s stick blossomed.

Yet the Ramban points out that this miracle does not seem to refute the arguments of Korach. Korach’s fight was against Ahron becoming the Kohen Gadol, not against Shevet Levi. If so, how does the sprouting of the stick that represented Shevet Levi show that Korach was wrong?

R’ Ahron Lopiansky explains there are two ways people pursue greatness. One is by looking inward and asking: What strengths do I have, and what am I uniquely suited to produce?

The other is by looking outward. This is hinted in Chazal’s phrase עינו הטעתו, Korach’s eye led him astray. His ambitions were based not on his own strengths, but on what he saw in Ahron.

This is why Ahron’s blossoming stick was such a fitting sign. The Torah emphasizes its natural growth: ויצא פרח ויצץ ציץ ויגמל שקדים – it sprouted, budded, and produced almonds. The almonds weren’t placed on it; they emerged from within. This symbolized the answer to Korach: Spiritual growth must be produced from what we have within ourselves.

לע”נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום