Sefer HaLikutim, parashat Korach

You can understand Korach’s quarrel with Moses based on what is written in the Zohar on the verse, “And G-d said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters.’” In the middle of that passage in the Zohar it says, “Similar to this is the quarrel of Korach with Aaron.”

The division of the water into two (atmospheric and ocean water) presaged the division of Korach.

The seven days of the Creation week manifested the seven sefirot of the emotions. Sunday, when light was created, manifested chesed, pure giving. Monday, when the primordial water was divided into atmospheric moisture (the upper water) and the oceans (the lower water), manifested gevurah, restraint. Water is naturally heavier than air, so in order for it to be suspended in air, it had to be restrained from precipitating, and this aspect of the hydrological system/cycle is referred to as the “firmament.”

In particular, however, the upper and lower waters manifest chesed and gevurah, and the firmament manifests tiferet, which harmonizes chesed and gevurah. This is why the work of creation involving water was not finished until the third day (when the oceans were “gathered” in order for the dry land to appear), for the third day manifested tiferet.

Know that Korach was a Levite, and thus embodied gevurah, and moreover was the head of the Levites, and thus embodied the highest aspect of all states of gevurah, while Aaron embodied the highest aspect of all states of chesed. Thus, their quarrel was that of the left side with the right side.

Chesed is the central sefirah on the right axis of the sefirot, while gevurah is the central sefirah on the left axis. Their natures are fundamentally opposed, chesed being the nature to give and gevurah being the nature to withhold. The tension between them is thus the fundamental tension of duality in all reality.

Moses observed this, and said: “It is proper for me to try to harmonize them.” This befitted Moses, for he embodied the principle that sweetens all states of gevurah above, i.e., in the spiritual realm, the middle axis.

The middle axis of the sefirot harmonizes the right and left axes, combining the positive qualities in each and neutralizing their extremeness.

Furthermore, Moses embodied the yesod of Abba, which is revealed at the level of tiferet of Z’eir Anpin, as is known, because it emerges from its investiture in yesod of Ima and extend further down than yesod of Ima.

Yesod of Abba (the drive of insight for self-actualization) becomes clothed in the yesod of Ima (the drive of the intellect proper for self-actualization) and thereafter, together with it, in Z’eir Anpin (the emotions produced by the intellect). Thus, the emotions are “driven” by these two drives, one invested within and driving the other. The yesod of Ima, however, is invested in Z’eir Anpin only as far down as its tiferet, while yesod of Abba continues down until the yesod of Z’eir Anpin. Thus, yesod of Abba is revealed (i.e., openly manifest) when the emotions reach their central point of development, tiferet, the element of “mercy” in the emotional array. The essence of any new insight is a new, higher, better way of looking at reality. This new insight, if properly transmitted, will enable everyone to live life better, and therefore transmitting it is an act of mercy on creation. Therefore, yesod of Abba becomes manifest in tiferet of Z’eir Anpin.

It is the exposed light of yesod of Abba that enables tiferet to harmonize the two preceding sub-sefirot of Z’eir Anpin, chesed and gevurah.

This is the mystical meaning of what is said of Moses, “And she saw him (oto)”—i.e., his “sign (ot) of the holy covenant,” which was yesod of Abba—“that he was good” —that it manifest only states of chesed, and could serve to sweeten states of gevurah.

In the phrase, “And she saw him, that he was good,” the word for “him” (oto) can also mean “his sign,” and thus the phrase can read, “And she saw that his sign was good.” The male reproductive organ is known as “the sign of the holy covenant [of circumcision]” .

But Korach did not want to be reconciled with Aaron, and therefore persisted in his quarrel.

Moses said: “Surely gehinom resulted from the intensity of this tension above in the spiritual realm, it is therefore necessary to combine Korach, the personification of the left side with the right side. If he does not want this, he will surely descend into gehinom, just as when the world was created, the intensity that issued from the tension between the higher and lower waters descended into gehinom.”

Initially, chesed argued that kindness should be shown even to the wicked, while gevurah argued that punishment should be meted out even to the righteous (for their miniscule faults). Tiferet harmonized these, so that chesed agreed that the wicked should be punished and gevurah agreed that the righteous should not. This argument thus produced gehinom, the fire of Purgatory, wherein the wicked receive their punishment/purification for their sins. Allegorically, the heat of the argument is envisioned as producing the fire of gehinom..

Korach did not want to agree to be mollified because his quarrel was not “for the sake of heaven.”

The sages state that “Any quarrel that is for the sake of heaven will endure, while [any quarrel] that is not for the sake of heaven will not endure. What is [an example of] a quarrel for the sake of heaven? The quarrel between Hillel and Shamai. And [what is an example of] a quarrel that is not for the sake of heaven? The quarrel of Korach and his congregation.” “For the sake of heaven” means “for the purpose of arriving at the truth, in order to further G-d’s purposes on earth” rather than “for the purpose of self-aggrandizement.”

The word for “for the sake of” (lesheim) literally means, “for the name of.”

Here, the Arizal interprets this phrase mystically, defining “heaven” and “name” as appellations for specific mystical realms.,

“Heaven” refers to Z’eir Anpin and “name” refers to Nukva of Z’eir Anpin, which is its “name.”

A “name” is something that manifests the entity called by that name. The feminine principle, malchut, expresses the emotions, which are Z’eir Anpin.

“Any quarrel”—i.e., any manifestation of gevurah,

“that is for the sake of heaven”—i.e., for the Nukva of Z’eir Anpin, “heaven,”

“will endure”—i.e., it will remain above, with Z’eir Anpin, and will not descend into gehinom, while “any quarrel that is not for the sake of heaven” but is rather for the “other side” the side of evil,

“will not endure” there above, but will descend to gehinom.

Whatever aspects of gevurah assent to be sweetened by chesed can remain together with it, functioning as male and female in the orderly development of the creative process. Those coarser aspects of gevurah that are too egocentric to be sweetened, ipso facto become the forces of pure punishment for sin, i.e. for egocentricity.

 Korach was not concerned with G-d’s glory, but sought to confound the work of creation, as follows. The original gevurah of which we speak is holy, and when it is properly sweetened, it indeed remains above in the realm of Z’eir Anpin. This increases the glory of holiness.

When, however, aspects of gevurah are made to leave the realm of holiness and not be sweetened, it causes holiness to descend, weakening holiness and strengthening evil, for the realm of evil is thus increased by the force of holiness transferred to it. This is what Korach did.

This is how he “confounded the work of creation.” His egocentricity added power to evil.

When Moses saw how he deranged the upper realms, diminishing holiness, he himself was being affronted, for Korach was fitting to be sweetened and rectified by him.

Korach’s refusal to be reconciled with Aaron was thus both a derangement of the workings of creation and a personal affront to Moses, who, as yesod of Abba, should have rectified him.

When Korach refused him and did not want to be sweetened, “Moses became very angry” over the rectification that was meant for him to orchestrate, but that he could not conclude. For Korach diminished the power of holiness and increased the power of impurity.

Moses is therefore described as being “very” angry, because it was not only that he did not merit to rectify what he should have, which affected only him personally. Korach’s rebellion also blemished the spiritual realms..

Because Korach caused all this, he descended to gehinom as befitted him. .

Thus, we see how Korach reflected the very first quarrel, in which the coarser aspects of gevurah asserted themselves stridently.