“The tzitzit shall be for you, and you shall see it and remember all of the commandments of haShem, and do them… So that you remember and observe all My commandments, and you shall be holy to your G-d.”
(Shelach Lecha, 15: 39-40)

“And Korach took….” (Korach, 16: 1)

Chaza”l already noted the juxtaposition of Korach’s rebellion with the end of parshat Shelach, and we will build on that insight in our own way.

What did Korach take? Korach took a lesson from tzitzit. He and his followers told Moshe and Aharon, “All the congregation, all of them are holy… why, then, do you set yourselves up over the congregation of haShem?” (16: 3). He sought to undermine Moshe’s authority by an argument concerning the commandment of ritual fringes which the Torah had just mentioned. Since ”... you shall see it and remember all of the commandments of haShem, and do them…,” ergo, every person can attain holiness on his own by observing all the mitzvot. All that is needed is a reminder, such as tzitzit. And since all of the congregation are thus potentially holy, what need have they for Moshe’s authority?

It was a strong argument, solidly based on haShem’s own words. Where, then, was Korach wrong? He erred in that he pointed to the commandment of tzitzit, but he failed to note what preceded it. This was the episode of the man who was caught chopping wood on Shabbat. “HaShem said to Moshe, ‘The man shall be put to death…’ ”(15: 35). It is the second of only two places is in the Torah where capital punishment was actually implemented, and parshat Tzitzit comes immediately afterwards.

The message is twofold. On the one hand, punishment in general and capital punishment in particular are insufficient to create a holy society. Thus the punishment for violating the Shabbat is followed by parshat Tzitzit: one needs education and constant review and reminders.

But by the same token, punishment precedes fringes. Education alone is insufficient; every society has aberrant individuals and lawless elements, and authority and the power to coerce are essential components of nationhood. Korach did not see that: he attempted to cut the ground out from under Moshe’s feet, as it were, and as a result the earth swallowed him and his followers.