ספר במדבר

And Korach took (Numbers 16:1) the targum is "and he separated himself". It seems to me that we need to first explain the verse "and there be a partition between the waters etc" (Genesis 1:6). Behold, one needs to understand about the fact that when the Holy Blessed One created the world there would be tzadikim and evil people. Isn't it true that the Holy Blessed name has no desire for evil people? And yet, due to "there is no tzadik in the earth [that does good and does not sin]" (Eccl. 7:20) and so that there will be no accuser for the tzadik, because the tzadik needs to fix the worlds, which is a subtle and spiritual work, then through evil people the righteousness of the tzadik is recognized and seen. This is according to what King Solomon PBUH wrote "as the advantage etc the advantage of the wise against the fool" (not a precise quote, but see Eccl. 2:13). And the explanation of the commentators is that just as through darkness one recognizes light, so too through a fool one recognizes the advantage of the wisdom for the wise. And when the accuser sees the evil of the evil people in contrast with the righteousness of the tzadik, because the tzadik chooses life using the freedom of choice given by the Holy Blessed Name, then the accuser shuts their mouth against accusing even more the tzadik. And this is the explanation for "there be a divider between the waters" - meaning, the tzadik is called raki'a 'divider' because of the subtlety and the spirituality. That word comes from "and they beat out וַֽיְרַקְּעוּ the sheets of gold" (Ex. 39:3) - meaning, that a tzadik should have the strength to fix, through the holy Torah, which is called 'water'. "and it will separate between water and water" meaning, if so, there is a necessity of there being a divider between waters, and this is that a person will be a tzadik, and it is also given into someone's hand the choice of being the opposite, God forbid. And even such a person still has a part in Torah, as they said "the empty ones among you are filled with mitzvot like a pomegranate is full with seeds" (Brachot 57a). And when the accuser sees the difference between the tzadik and the evil person, the accuser is not able to accuse anymore, and so the tzadik is free to do their work, as we explained.

And this is the meaning of the verse "I give Egypt as a kofer for you, Cush and Saba in exchange for you" (Isaiah 43:3). Kofer is an expression of rebellion (kefirah) and sin, God forbid, that is, God forbid, if a tzadik stumbled a little in a light sin, as explained, it was to contrast with this that God gave [to the world] the evil people. For example, Egypt and the rest of the nations, Cush and Saba, so that through that [comparison] there will be no force to the accuser to be able to accuse the tzadik. and therefore it is written "in exchange" which means that they are conquered under you, since the mouth of the accuser is stopped up, consequentially the nations are conquered under the tzadik. And this is "and Korach took" (Ex. 16:1) which is translated in the Targum as "separated" that is, since he made a separation and a distinction, through his evil it was possible for his father's righteousness to be recognized as he was a great tzadik, as so Korach was given the full patronymic in the verse. And this is straightforward.