Korach’s downfall at least partially originated in his own logistic approach to Torah law. His lack of respect for Moshe, which was a result of his overwhelming jealousy, caused him to judge right and wrong without consulting his teachers. This divergence from the halachic process contributed to Korach’s total rejection of the Torah way.
Rashi cites an example of Korach’s distorted approach to Torah law. He clad his followers in garments made entirely of techeles, blue wool. They came before Moshe, questioning if a garment made entirely of blue wool requires tzitzis. Moshe undoubtedly responded that tzitzis is a requirement even on such a garment. Korach immediately berated Moshe declaring, “If one thread of blue can exempt a garment made of another material, surely a garment made completely of blue wool should be exempt from tzitzis.” Korach’s absurd reasoning illustrates how far one can stray from the prescribed Torah path. We may, nonetheless, question Korach’s choice of halachic law upon which to dispute.
Horav M. Feinstein, z.l., offers a meaningful homiletic insight into this matter. White, a pure color, connotes pure activity, untainted by personal prejudice. On the other hand, blue and other colors, being admixtures, symbolize biased activity. We should, therefore, wear a garment which is entirely white to reflect our proclivity to pure thought and action. We place one blue strand of wool in the tzitzis to alert us to the many obstacles which confront us in our quest for spiritual advancement. Korach made his mistake specifically concerning a garment which was entirely blue, since this indicates that even the most “crooked act” can somehow be justified. This was his error. There is never an acceptable rationale for evil.
