20:23 “ויאמר ד' אל משה ואל אהרן בהר ההר על גבול ארץ אדום לאמר” – “And Hashem said to Moshe and to Aharon at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, saying.” The Torah then goes on to tell us that Aharon Hakohen was going to pass on from this world, he would not be zoche to enter Eretz Yisroel because of the מי מריבה, the waters of strife. Rashi tells us that the Torah mentions here that this was stated, “על גבול ארץ אדום” – on the border of the land of Edom, to teach us that because they had some connection here with the wicked Eisav by coming close to his descendants, Edom, that was why they lost Aharon Hakohen.
The Avnei Nezer explained that the wickedness of Eisav was his פנימיות, his insides. From the outside he made it look like he was righteous, like the pig, who shows on the outside that is kosher for it has split hooves, while its insides are not kosher, as it does not chew its cud. Since Klal Yisroel connected itself to Eisav, it lost the tzaddik Aharon Hakohen, who was truly righteous, righteous in the פנימיות, the inside. It was because of Aharon’s midah of righteousness of פנימיות that Klal Yisroel were zoche to have the ananei hakovod protect them, protect their פנימיות. We need to understand what Klal Yisroel did wrong. Why couldn’t they ask Edom to traverse through their land?
There would not have been an issue with just requesting of Edom to allow safe passage through their land. The issue was that when Klal Yisroel requested it from them, they used a lashon of אחוה, brotherhood. Telling Edom that they were brothers, and thus they should allow them passage. It was because of this that they tried to appeal to the פנימיות of אדום, by saying that they were brothers and they have inner feelings with each other, this caused evil to attach itself to Klal Yisroel. Klal Yisroel seeking to attach themselves to Edom caused a פגם, sullied, the ניצוצי של קדושה, sparks of holiness. This caused Klal Yisroel to lose the ananei hakovod through the death of Aharon Hakohen, in whose zechus they had the ananei hakovod, as the ananei hakovod protected the פנימיות of Klal Yisroel. (שם משמואל)
It says in the פרקי דרבי אליעזר that the way of Amalek is to keep their true thoughts hidden in their hearts, and not to reveal what they are really thinking, as it says in Megillas Esther, “ויאמר המן בלבו” – Haman (who is from Amalek) said in his heart – but did not say it aloud. This is the source of שקר, falsehood, which is the essence of Amalek. Thus, after the death of Aharon, the powers of Amalek came to battle Klal Yisroel, the sheker came to battle emes. Yaakov Avinu stood for אמת, truth, and this is the exact opposite of Amalek. The antidote against Amalek is emes. In truth, Shabbos Kodesh is also the antidote against the powers of Amalek, which always seek to harm us. The פנימיות of Shabbos Kodesh is a מעין עולם הבא, it is a semblance of olam haba. Shabbos Kodesh is called the day of emunah, a day of faith, a day of emes, truth. Shabbos Kodesh is a day for us to connect to the Ribbono Shel Olam through the ניצוצי של קדושה of the פנימיות, to strengthen the inner holiness within us.
