Parshas Korach describes Korach’s attempt to rebel against Moshe Rabbeinu. Imagine – someone tried to stage a rebellion against the person who went up to shamayaim and brought us the Torah! Rashi points out that Korach was a pikei’ach, a clever person. If so, he asks, what led him to such a shtus, such a supremely foolish act? Rashi answers that he foresaw a great chain of descendants coming from him, such as Shmuel Hanavi. How does this explain why he felt capable of arguing with Moshe?
We know that it is forbidden to slaughter an animal on Shabbos. However, the Gemara cites a machlokes under which exact melachah to classify it. According to one opinion, it is included in the prohibition of tzo’veia, dyeing, because the blood stain the animal’s hide.
The Ba’al Shem Tov saw a remez in this halachah to our struggle with the yetzer hara. Chazal tell us le'asid lavo, in the future, Hashem will slaughter the yetzer hara. Is this really fair? Hashem created him and instructed him to entice us to do aveiros. When he causes us to sin, he is only fulfilling his mission? The answer, says the Ba’al Shem Tov, lies in the way he carries out his task. He can just tell us to do an aveirah, and of a person has enough yiras shamayim, he will not listen. However, he often uses crafty means to achieve his goals. He often disguises an aveira as a mitzah, and thereby causes us to stumble. This is why he is held responsible. After all, who asked him to trick us?
“Shocheit m’shum mai chayav,” asks the Gemara? Why does the yetzer hara deserve to be slaughtered? Because he is a tzo’veia, dyeing and coloring an action to deceive us. This was not his original role, and so he is “killed.”
The Torah tells us that us that Yaakov davened to be spared m’yad achi m’yad Eisav, “from the hand of his brother, from Eisav.” We know that Yaakov’s brother is Eisav. Why the repetitive expression?
The Choize m’Lublin explains that Yaakov’s troubles with Eisav represents our battle with the yetzer hara. Yaakov davened that he should overcome the yetzer hara in all of his forms – whether he comes as Eisav, openly influencing us to do aveiros, or as achi, masquerading as our brother, and pretending that he is helping us to do mitzvos.
The Gemara says that it was the Sar shel Eisav, Eisav’s malach, who fought with Yaakov Avinu all night. However, the Gemara cites a machlokes how he appeared, whether as a non-Jew or as a talmid chacham. The Avnei Nezer explains that this malach was the yetzer hara, and these are his two guises. Sometimes he appears like a non-Jew, and other times he comes dressed like a talmid chacham. Therefore, the Gemara advises us, when confronted by the yetzer hara, to “pull him into the Bais Medrash.” When he hides his true colors, and you risk being fooled by his tactics, take out a Shulchan Aruch and establish whether you are facing a mitzvah or an aveira.
In Sefer Tehilim, Dovid Hamelech says, shamra nafshi ki chasid ani, watch over me because I am a chasid. Why does this entitle him to special protection?
The Bnei Yisoschar explains a chosid does lifnim m’shuras hadin, he goes beyond the letter of the law. Therefore, the Gemara’s suggestion will not help him fight his yetzer hara. “Of course, it’s not brought down in halacha,” the yetzer hara will claim. “This is only for someone like you, who always goes above and beyond!” Therefore, Dovid, who was a chosid, davened for extra protection to recognize the potential pitfalls placed by this yetzer hara.
The Gemara says that Hashem advised us exactly how we can overcome our yetzer hara. He tells Klal Yisroel, “I have created a yetzer hara and I have created the Torah. If you are occupied with Torah, you will be saved from the yetzer hara.”
On the other hand, the Gemara tells us that the yetzer hara is misgaber, strengthens itself against a person anew every single day, and were it not for Hashem’s help, we would not manage to conquer it. Here it sounds like a person cannot overcome the yetzer hara by learning Torah, without special siyata dishmaya?
Perhaps we can answer that the Gemara is referring to these two different approaches of the yetzer hara. If he tells us straight out that something is forbidden, and yet entices us to transgress the Torah, the power of our learning is strong enough to withstand the temptations. However, if he presents an aveira as a mitzvah, then we need extra assistance.
We can now return and explain Korach’s mistake. To avoid aveiros, one must keep track of two perspectives. One must look to avoid negative behavior, but at the same time he must carefully examine his positive actions, to ensure that he is not falling into the yetzer hara’s trap, and confusing mitzvos with aveiros. Korach was a pikei’ach, he did what he needed to avoid aveiros. If so, mah ra’ah, what did he see that caused him to sin? He saw the chain of tzadikim descending from him. The pasuk compares Shmuel Hanavi to Moshe and Aaron! This led him to believe that he was destined to be a leader, and he was worthy of challenging Moshe. In other words, he viewed this campaign as a mitzva. He did not recognize the yetzer hara lurking behind his decision, and this brought about his downfall.
