"So that you will remember and do all of My commandments, so that you may be Holy unto your God." [Bamidbar 15.40]
"For the entire congregation, everyone is holy, and among them is God." [Bamidbar 17.3]
In the concluding verses of the previous portion of Shlach, the commandment of tsitsit is handed down, according to which at each corner of the garment a single strand of pure blue thread must be bound The Torah explains the purpose of this commandment, "...so that you may be holy unto your God."
Korach, in contrast, in stating his challenge to Moses' authority, claims that there is no need for the people to become holy, for they are inherently so: "For the entire congregation, everyone is holy, and among them is God." According to Korach, a nation that is perfectly pure does not need a commandment of a single strand of pure blue thread to make it holy.
Korach considered himself and his entire generation as being holy, without flaw and above criticism. This attitude has been characteristic of many nations throughout the ages; great and powerful nations, who refused to their guiding principles and actions, and, who in teh end led themselves to ruin. These peoples saw only their own greatness and superiority, not their vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
Moral disease ultimately infected other societies until finally they destroyed themselves from within.
Painfully, this characterized our own nation, ending in the destruction of the two Holy Temples. The people in those days did not heed the teachings and warnings of the prophets, seeing themselves as beyond rebuke. They did not respect one another, for each considered himself to be inherently holy.
This tendency often plagues us today, in both our private and public lives, when we shun modesty, devalue integrity, and disregard our debt to heritage and commitment to religious observances.
The message that Moses conveys in the commandment of tsitsit is that we must fulfill the Almighty's will, "...so that you may be holy unto your God."
Holiness is not an inherent characteristic. It cannot be taken for granted. Rather it must be nurtured and cultivated. It is never sufficient to simply exonerate ourselves, claiming, as did Korach, "For the entire congregation, everyone is holy." We must constantly examine ourselves and strive to personal and collective improvement. We must avoid the self-righteousness that leads us to feel that we are a perfect garment.
The commandment of tsitsit reminds us that we must always add that extra strand of pure blue to our lives, and that, by doing so, we will fulfill the Torah's commandment and promise to us: "SO that you will remember and do all of My commandments, so that you may be Holy unto your God."
