Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Korach, himself a great leader of Bnei Yisroel, challenged the authority of Aharon as the high priest of the nation, claiming that since all Israel was holy, there was no need for a priest to be "higher" than the rest of the nation. Aharon's appointment then must be an act of nepotism, not Divinely commanded. Arguments would be ineffective; only a miracle could quell the rebellion.
After Hashem validated Aharon's appointment by accepting only his incense offering among all the others, after Hashem miraculously had Korach, his men, and all they possessed unnaturally swallowed up by the earth, Bnei Yisroel wept, and complained about the deaths of these mutineers. Many of Bnei Yisroel died in the ensuing plague that only Aharon with the incense could stop. But Bnei Yisroel would need another miracle to reassure them and bring peace back to the nation.
Hashem commanded Moshe to take a staff from the chief of each tribe, label them, and set them before Hashem in Ohel Moed, the Tent of Testimony. Among them would be the staff of Aharon for the Tribe of Levi. The following morning, "The staff of Aharon... had blossomed; it brought forth a blossom, sprouted a bud and almonds ripened.... All Bnei Yisroel saw, and each man took his staff... Hashem said to Moshe... [Set] the staff of Aharon before Hashem... as a sign for the rebellious ones..." In fact, this staff, along with the flask of oil and jar of manna were hidden in the Ark for millennia, and were hidden inside the Holy Ark in a subterranean tunnel decades before the destruction of the First Temple, records Gemarra Yoma. The manna had not rotted, nor had the blossoms fallen off during all this time even as the almonds had grown and ripened.
Why was this staff an appropriate symbol for Bnei Yisroel? Why was the earth swallowing Korach and his congregation not adequate. Rabbi Wurzweil zt”l tells us that had Bnei Yisroel been impressed with the miracle of Korach's punishment, Korach would have merited olam habo as he would have been a catalyst for Bnei Yisroel doing teshuvah. Instead, he does not merit eternity.
While this unnatural punishment validates the sin of Korach, it does not explain why Hashem chose Aharon to be the kohein gadol.
We begin our discussion by noting that Korach and his entourage were under the fatal assumption that the only place one could achieve closeness to Hashem was in the Sanctuary, through direct service in the Beit Hamikdosh. But, explains Rabbi Wurzweil in Be'er Hachaim, just as a mortal king needs loyal subjects who serve him in various capacities throughout the realm, even at its outskirts, so does Hashem love and value the service of every Jew, in whatever capacity he finds himself. Each has his own mission, his personal struggles with his yetzer horo, his unique place.
The medrash tells us that Hashem prepared a special ledge at the entrance of gehinom [the nether world] where Korach's sons landed, not quite falling into gehinom. It is there that they sing praises to Hashem, not in the Beis Hamikdosh. We believe this song is so beloved to Hashem that we recite it seven times before sounding the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. The Psalm expresses that Hashem exists in every corner of the world, not just in Yerushalayim or in the Beit Hamikdosh. Even in this place, on the outskirts of gehinom, you can still serve Hashem, proving that while Aharon's place is in the Beit Hamikdosh, your place of service lies elsewhere.
When one is presented with challenges, continues Rabbi Wurzweil citing the Kotzker Rebbe, know that it is precisely in this situation that you are meant to work to serve Hashem and reach your perfection in His service. This is your Beit Hamikdosh, and you are the High Priest. That is why each tribal leader took back his own staff, accepting his own job outside the Beit Hamikdosh, explains Rabbi Scheinerman. Each went back, appreciating his own, personal role.
While human nature may be to always want more than one has, more is not necessarily better. Hashem gives us exactly what we need to perfect our neshamah, no more, no less. Rabbi Meislish provides a stark example of when more is actually less. Would you want more of one of your legs? Then more would actually be a defect. So too would more of anything Hashem has not given us also be detrimental for us. In the course of life, some people are meant to be like buds, others like blossoms, and some like fruit. Each is necessary,
There were actually two interrelated miracles in this sign, notes Rabbi Asher Weiss. First, that this piece of dry wood should suddenly, spontaneously, blossom and bear fruit. Equally amazing, that the flowers remained on the stick even as the fruit, the almonds, grew and ripened.
These two together symbolized the dual aspects of the priesthood. The kingly garments the priest wore were not merely external displays of glory and splendor. Each garment represented an offering that atoned for a different category of sin or character flaw. But the external service was empty without the internal work of perfecting his character, the real "fruit" of the service. Both the blossoms and the fruit remained on the stick to prove that Aharon, through his character, fully merited being the kohein gadol. As Rebbetzin Smiles explains, both the process and the result must remain in balance.
Our inner and outer life must be in sync, writes the Netivot Shalom. The kohein must not only perform the rituals of a kohein, act the part and wear the clothing, but he must internalize his service with focus and emotional connection that comes from the desire for self improvement. This is the goal of every Jew, not just of a kohein. Every small action should be done with the dignity of a Jew in God's service. Equally important, [or perhaps even more important] we should view everything that happens from the perspective that it is all Hashem orchestrating the world.
As we witness so vividly in the miracles of these times, and as Rebbetzin Smiles points out, when Soroka Hospital was evacuated, who except Hashem could have known that the next day it would be the target of Iranian missiles.
The goal of a Jew is to serve Hashem 24/7. The Netivot Shalom certifies that Hashem is present in every aspect of our lives, both physical and spiritual. He divides the four letters of Hashem's name in half. the first two letters are manifest in every physical activity -- eating, drinking, sleeping/ אכילה ,שתיה, שינה, whereas the second two letters appear in words associated with spiritual pursuits and service -- תורה, עבודה, קדושה. Both the physical and the spiritual aspects of our lives have the stamp of Hashem in them.
Aharon was chosen because he worked on himself. In order to have the flowers, you need to work on yourself. And with the work, you need Hashem's blessing. As Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt"l explains, while actually performing the mitzvah is the fruit, it requires the preparatory blossoms, the effort. In contrast to physical work where one is happy only at completion, spiritual work brings joy during the process, in the effort, not only at the results. This message of the stick is an eternal message.
In Ohel Moshe, Rabbi Scheinerman expands on this idea. Since the real work lies in the struggle, the struggle is weighted even more than the result. As one begins his struggle, he creates angels that will help him achieve his goal.
But one must begin the struggle with the thought and the will. This is the power of teshuvah. The Song of the Sons of Korach is a testament to Hashem's love of teshuvah. Even at the very last moment, as soon as they began with thoughts of teshuvah, they were able to sing, and Hashem values the songs of humans even more than the songs of angels, writes Rabbi Kaufman zt”l in Mishchat Shemen, citing the Manchester Rav zt”l. Since each person is given his own struggles, each person deserves respect. Each person is sprouting buds on his personal tree and in the orchard of Bnei Yisroel.
Every person, every deed, and everything we have must be appreciated. In this context, the Ariz"l sees a connection to the month of Tamuz we are now entering and the destruction of the Beit Hamikdosh whose onset was in the month of Tamuz. In another destruction/salvation era of our history, Haman's decision to annihilate the Jews stemmed from his inability to appreciate all he had, focusing only on the one thing he lacked. Haman declares, "וכל זה איננו שווה לי... /All of this matters nothing to me... " If we look at the final letters of the last four words, we will note that they spell the four lettered Name of Hashem. Haman's lack of appreciation for Hashem's gifts led him to the passionate desire to destroy the Jews.
How is this connected to Tamuz? The Torah tell us that the reason the Beit Hamikdosh would be destroyed and the curses/rebukes would come would be because "Bnei Yisroel did not serve Hashem with joy." In other words, when you have no joy in practicing the mitzvoth, you are indicating that they are of little value to you; you feel no closeness to Hashem through them. You lack appreciation for Hashem.
While experiencing a positive result brings joy, one must never discard the previous stages that brought you to this success, one must maintain a life of curiosity and eagerness, urges Rabbi Horowitz. That is why the buds and blossoms remained on the staff even after the almonds appeared and ripened.
If the flowering staff was such a powerful sign, why didn't Hashem begin with it instead of first punishing Korach, asks Rabbi Druck zt”l? It is human nature to see what we want to see. When one is in a negative mindset, one cannot see the positive. That negative mindset must first be eliminated before one accepts the positive. A perfect example of this mindset is Yechiel who rebuilt Jericho in spite of Yehoshua's curse that the children of the rebuilder will die, one at laying the foundation, and the last when the city is complete. Yechiel's children started dying, yet he persisted in his stubbornness, seeing only what he wanted to see, completing Jericho but losing all his children. As Rabbi Chasman zt”l notes, you must first be free of the cynicism if you are to see the truth.
But you do not need to see an open miracle, like a flowering staff, to recognize Hashem. See Him in every "natural" fruit. Just open your eyes.
Rabbi Pincus zt”l puts the miracles of life into perspective. If we made a paper airplane with wings, pulled on the tail, and it actually started flying [not just across a room], we would be totally amazed. Yet, when we see an ant with eyes and a heart crawling on the ground, we are not amazed, although we were fascinated when we were two years old. Keep that fascination. Be grateful for our eyes, our brains, our hearts. Each is a precious, miraculous gift from Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
Do we see the miracles Hashem is doing for us constantly in these trying times? Constant barrage of drones and missiles. Although tragically, some have died, there have been so few casualties. Soroka Hospital was bombed, yet the patients had been evacuated the day earlier. Hashem knew! See Hashem in these big miracles and in the small, in every fruit, in every ant, in every heartbeat. Do something small but regularly to remind us of Hashem's presence. Rebbetzin Smiles suggests that we recite the brachah shehakol nehiye bidvaro out loud, with a focus on shehakol, that indeed everything only exists through Hashem's word. May Hashem's presence soon be recognized throughout the world.