If we could turn this outbreak of desires into an outbreak of desires for spirituality, then these desires would be the best thing that ever happened to humanity. Since we are currently not doing it, they are the worst thing that ever happened to us.

When the Mishnah sages (first and second centuries CE) declare that “Envy, lust, and honor bring a man out of the world” (Mishnah, Avot 4:21), Kabbalah explains that they don’t mean it in a bad way. On the contrary, it means that if you know how to work with these desires, they will elevate you beyond your present reality, your present world, and let you into the spiritual world.

In the last several years, it has become increasingly evident that human society isn’t becoming more united. Instead, we are showing, and even nurturing, alienation, animosity among nations, among different factions of the same nation, and even among members of the same family. At the same time, globalization is forcing us to increase and tighten our level of cooperation on all the levels we just mentioned. This tension is now culminating, and humanity is on the verge of exploding.

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Glossary of Terms Used in the Korah Weekly Torah Portion

• President
• Counters’ Envy
• Korah
• Plague
• Fire from Heaven
• Holy
• Atonement
• Staff (rod)
• Blossoming
• The Meaning of “Peace, Peace, to Him That Is Far and to Him That Is Near”

President

A “president” is the quality that currently controls all the other qualities.

Counters’ Envy

This is the desire to count how much we have gained, how much we receive, how much we give, how much we advance in spirituality. We advance specifically through envy; it is good envy. Our envy of our environment prompts us to be more spiritual.

Korah

The will to receive that appears opposite (in contrast to) the quality of Moses. It is through this dispute that we advance.

Plague

A plague is a manner of correction. The correction detaches and sets my intentions to receive in order—corrects them to be in order to bestow, either on the degree of Bina, or on the degree of Keter.

Fire from Heaven

Fire is Gevurot that appear on the left line, without Hassadim. There can be mitigated Gevurot and good Gevurot. It’s a correction, the correction force that comes from the left.

Holy

The degree of Bina, bestowal.

Atonement

The light that comes and gives us the strength to atone for our iniquities, to turn them from reception to bestowal. All our iniquities, our ego, everything that was in us, has now become bestowal.

Staff (rod)

The staff is the middle line by which one achieves the goal. If we properly connect to it all the qualities, all the discernments, it blossoms.

Blossoming

The middle line that shows us we are being filled with light.

The Meaning of “Peace, Peace, to Him That Is Far and to Him That Is Near”

“What is a dispute? It is removal and rejection above and below … removal and rejection of the peace … the peace of above—the middle line, which is called Torah, making peace between right and left—and of below, of Moses. …A dispute is wherever there are two opposites … A dispute is necessary … because it is impossible to correct anything unless you know the fault. Therefore, when we know the dispute between the desires, we can make peace between them.”

Rav Baruch Ashlag, The Writings of Rabash, vol. 2,
“What Is ‘Peace, Peace, to Him That Is Far and to Him That Is Near,’ in the Work?”, p 1361

We must respect disputes but make them constructive, as it is written, “A contradiction of elders builds” (Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim, 40a), and by that we reach the goal.

• The Land of Canaan
• Forty Days
• Flowing with Milk and Honey
• Amalek
• Joshua Ben Nun
• Spies, the Quality of Spying
• The Generation of the Desert
• Plague
• Conquering the Land
• Grapes, Vine

The Land of Canaan

We are immersed in the desire. All we have is a desire that must be corrected from harming others into doing good to them. The land of Canaan is that desire when it is still uncorrected but is about to be corrected.

Forty Days

Forty is the degree of Bina. The gap between Malchut and Bina is called “forty.” It is the gap between the will to receive, the ego, and the degree of faith, Bina, the level of bestowal.

Flowing with Milk and Honey

Milk and honey represent the abundance we receive in the corrected desire.

Amalek

Amalek is the foundation of all evil, it is the intention to receive in order to receive, which exists within our nature.

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• Menorah (Lamp)
• Korban (Sacrifice/Offering)
• Second Passover
• Impure
• Cloud
• A Guide
• Trumpets of Silver
• Silver
• Proselyte
• Rabble
• Quail
• Leprosy
• Mouth to Mouth
• Punishment
• Miriam

Menorah (Lamp)

The menorah symbolizes the soul. It symbolizes the seven Sephirot of the soul that we need to know how to light, in which way, and in which order.

Korban (Sacrifice/Offering)

A Korban is the will to receive that person corrects, and through it becomes more Karov (near/close) to the Creator.

Second Passover

Second Passover relates to desires that a person finds are impossible or not needed to sanctify. It is desires that one did not recognize. However, they can be corrected later, on a more advanced stage in the process.

Impure

Impurity is a force that works in order to receive, the egoistic force that appears in us.

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• Mount Sinai
• Family
• Impure
• Camp, or Being Outside the Camp
• Tabernacle and the Inauguration of the Tabernacle
• Gift
• Blessing
• Blessing of the Priests
• False Oath

Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai is a mountain of Sina’a (hate). If a person discovers all the evil within, it is considered being at the foot of Mount Sinai. However, it is possible to discover it only if the point within, called Moses, climbs up that mountain. There, in the chasm between the bottom of the mountain and its peak, under that condition one acquires the Torah. This happens because that person feels that he or she simply must correct, but does not know what to do. Such a person is worthy of receiving the light that reforms, called “Torah.”

Family

A family is a whole person consisting of a man, woman, children, a house, and the entire world. It is a complete Kli.

Impure

One who is impure is fraught with self-interest. Such a person defiles everything he or she touches because anything that that person wants is only for self-gratification instead of giving to others. Conversely, giving, or bestowal upon others, is called Kedusha (holiness), purity.

Camp, or Being Outside the Camp

A camp is the part of the will to receive that a person can define and say that in this part one is advancing only with the intention to bestow. That is, a camp is our corrected desires.

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