Glossary of Terms Used in the Korah Weekly Torah Portion

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, and 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

“Korah” is 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 our intentions to receive in order—it 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 is a correcting force that comes from the left.

Holy

This is 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

“Blossoming” is the middle line that shows us we are being filled with light.

What Is ‘Peace, Peace, to Him That Is Far and to Him That Is Near,’ in the Work?

“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, 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.