Holy, pure

Synopsis

Rabbi Shimon says that Moses asked Korah and the others to come before him in the morning because morning is the time of holiness, of Chesed, and therefore of the priests. Essentially Moses was saying to them that if they remained on the side of Judgment the morning would not tolerate them and they would not be found holy and worthy of the priesthood. The matter would be tested by the offering of the incense, and the man who God chooses must be holy and not pure: the priest is holy and the Levite is pure.

Congregation Judgment Korah Levites Morning Moses Priests

12. "Tomorrow morning Hashem will show who is His" (Bemidbar 16:5). HE INQUIRES: Why in the morning, PRECISELY, and why "holy" and not pure, MEANING "AND WHO IS HOLY; AND WILL CAUSE HIM TO COME NEAR TO HIM" (IBID.)? IT SHOULD HAVE SAID, 'AND WHO IS PURE.' HE REPLIES: For they, THE CONGREGATION OF KORAH, came from the pure side, SINCE THE LEVITES ARE IN THE ASPECT OF PURE, AND NOT HOLY, and the priest is holy. Moses said in the morning when the Sfirah of the priest, WHICH IS CHESED, gets awakened in the world: 'If you are priests, here is the morning. Let them perform the service of the morning,' WHICH IS CHESED. Then, "Hashem will show who is His, and who is holy." "...who is His..." is unspecific, which is the Levi. "...and who is holy..." is the priest. Then, "and will cause him to come near to Him," HE WHO IS HOLY. There is no one who can discern the matter except the morning. THUS, HE SPOKE TO THEM: 'If you find yourself remaining on the side of Judgment, the morning, WHICH IS CHESED, will not tolerate you, since that is not the time of Judgment. But if you see yourselves remaining in Chesed, then here is its time. And you will stay with it, and it will accept you.'

12. בֹּקֶר וְיוֹדַע יְיָ' אֶת אֲשֶׁר לוֹ. אֲמַאי בֹּקֶר, וַאֲמַאי קָדוֹשׁ וְלָא טָהוֹר. אֶלָּא אִינּוּן מִסִּטְרָא דְּטָהוֹר קָא אַתְיָין, וְקָדוֹשׁ כַּהֲנָא. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, בֹּקֶר, דִּכְדֵין כִּתְרָא דְּכַהֲנָא אִתְּעַר בְּעָלְמָא, אִי אַתּוּן כַּהֲנֵי, הָא בֹּקֶר, פַּלְחוּ עֲבוֹדָה דְּבֹקֶר, וּכְדֵין וְיוֹדַע יְיָ' אֶת אֲשֶׁר לוֹ וְאֶת הַקָּדוֹשׁ. אֶת אֲשֶׁר לוֹ סְתָם, דָּא לֵיוָאֵי. וְאֶת הַקָּדוֹשׁ, דָּא כַּהֲנָא, כְּדֵין וְהִקְרִיב אֵלָיו. וְלֵית מַאן דְּאַבְחִין מִלָּה, אֶלָּא בֹּקֶר, אִי תִּתְחֲזוּן לְאִשְׁתַּאֲרָא בִּסְטַר דִּינָא, בֹּקֶר לָא סָבִיל לְכוּ, דְּהָא לָאו זִמְנֵיהּ הוּא. וְאִי תִּתְחֲזוּן לְאִשְׁתַּאֲרָא בְּחֶסֶד, הָא זִמְנֵיהּ הוּא, וְתִשְׁתַאֲרוּן גַּבֵּיהּ, וִיקַבֵּל לְכוּ.

Grades Incense Levites Offering Priests

13. In what WILL THE MATTER BE TESTED? In the offering of the incense, since the incense must be brought through the groom's best man in all OF THE LEVELS and be connected THROUGH THEM, SINCE THE SCENT OF THE INCENSE RISES AND BINDS ALL THE LEVELS INTO ONE. Who is that groom's man? It is the priest, WHO IS CHESED. Therefore, the man whom Hashem chooses shall be holy and not pure, since holy and pure are two distinct levels: the priest is "holy" and the Levite is "pure." Therefore, it is written: "and who is holy."

13. בְּמָה. בַּקְּטֹרֶת. דְּהָא קְטֹרֶת בָּעֵי לְשׁוּשְׁבִינָא, לְאִתְקַטְּרָא עַל יְדֵיהּ בְּכֹלָּא, וּלְאִתְקַשְּׁרָא. מַאן שׁוּשְׁבִינָא. דָּא כַּהֲנָא. ובג"כ, וְהָיָה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְיָ' הוּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ, וְלָא הַטָּהוֹר. תְּרֵין דַּרְגִּין אִינּוּן: קָדוֹשׁ. וְטָהוֹר. כֹּהֵן, קָדוֹשׁ. לֵוִי, טָהוֹר. וע"ד הַקָּדוֹשׁ כְּתִיב.