A Person with Negi’os Isn't Involved in The Truth – Only in His Self-Gain
When Korach challenged Moshe’s leadership, Moshe davened to Hashem saying: I took nothing from the people, even a donkey. In this week’s Haftorah, the story of Shmuel HaNavi is strikingly similar. Shmuel told Klal Yisroel: אֶת שוֹר מִי לָּקַחְתִּי וַחֲמוֹר מִי לָּקַחְתִּי ש"א יב ג Is there anyone from whom I took an ox or donkey? Moshe and Shmuel were the opposite of Korach. Despite his greatness in Torah (and he even had Ruach HaKodesh) Korach’s whole disaster was that he had a Negi'a (bias); i.e., he was jealous of: אֱלִיצָּפָּן בֶן עֻזִיאֵׁל Eli’tzafan ben Uziel who was appointed Nasi of Kehas, and not him. (Rashi).
So everything he was doing was Passul (disqualified) since a person with Negi’os isn't involved in the truth; he is only involved in his self-gain.
Moshe and Shmuel spelled out their purity in motives, since they had no Negi'a (gain). The Alter of Slabodka Zatzal had unusual success with his Talmidim. We can suggest that it was because he went all-out to be pure from Negi’os. If a Talmid was ever chutzpadik to him, he steered clear of giving that Talmid the harsh Mussar that he gave all his favorite Talmidim.
I know an unusually successful Rav, and they say about him that in his younger years he was always asking-and-asking his Rabbeim about every move he made. Another person is not: נוֹגֵ עַּ biased like you are, so therefore you can trust his judgment more than your own (even if he isn't the biggest Rash'kebe'hag). There is good reason why I'm so involved in building myself and others to such extremes.
These Days People Have an Inclination That Loves to Put Themselves Down
Because the Yetzer Hara to be depressed and to put yourself down is so strong these days, that people actually have a super strong Negi'a (motivation) to want to prove themselves wrong and to destroy themselves. A שוֹנֵ א (enemy) is: פָ סוּל לְ עֵ דוּת (disqualified to serve as a witness) and unfortunately there are loads of people who don't really love themselves, and are Passul (disqualified) whenever they judge themselves! Very, very often, you have to go extreme to ALWAYS be Dan yourself L'kaf Zechus.
Believe it or not, you may even have to be super extreme in insisting that you're okay despite your having done lots of evil. People feel guilty everywhere, for some reason or other. Here comes a major Chiddush: When you are Dan yourself L'kaf Zechus, you are actually acting with a purity since you are going against your nature that loves putting yourself down and negativity!
