"As for the fire-pans of these sinners against their souls - they shall make them hammered-out sheets as a covering for the Altar, for they offered them before Hashem, so they became holy; they shall be a sign to the Children of Israel"
In this weeks parasha, Korach and some 250 men come before Moshe and Aaron to challenge their roles as leaders of Klal Yisrael. Moshe instructs them to prepare an incense-offering and, according to Rashi, whoever survives it shall be leader. The men do as Moshe says and the following morning Hashem sends forth a fire that consumes all of them. Afterward, Hashem instructs Moshe to tell Elazar to take the fire-pans and convert them to metal sheets which will be used for the Altar. There is, however, a strangeness about this incident....
As quoted above, Hashem refers to the fire-pans as being "of these sinners against their souls." If He acknowledges that they were, indeed, so evil - why would they merit to have their utensils used as part of the Altar? One of my esteemed rebbeim - Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky - once recounted the following incident during class:
While davening mincha on a Shabbat afternoon, the gartel (belt) for the Torah ripped as it was being closed up. Without hesitating, a fellow congregant pulled his tie off and offered it as a replacement. When Shabbat was over, the gentelman returned to reclaim his tie. The Rav of the shul saw him and asked "what are you doing?" "I'm getting my tie back" answered the man. "No, no" replied the Rav, "that isn't your tie anymore. When you placed it on the Sefer Torah, it became kadosh (holy). It's not a tie anymore - it's a gartel now. I'm afraid you cannot have it back."
Often times, people genuinely want to grow in their practice and devotion to Hashem but they are held back by the thoughts of their past - insisting that it is impossible for someone like them to be religious or to be accepted. Countless students have said to me over the years "Rabbi, how can I be religious?" In truth, their argument makes sense! It is human nature for us to judge a person based on their past. If we know that a person was once a thief, we will think twice about leaving them alone in our house. Of course, there is also the well-known expression regarding dating "once a cheater, always a cheater." Society does not allow a person to break free of who they used to be!
Hashem, however, is not society!! As we see in Parashat Korach, despite who/where the fire-pans came from and despite their horrific reason for being used in the first place, we are told "they offered them before Hashem, so they become holy." Even something as simple as a tie was able to achieve a level of holiness once it was placed on the Sefer Torah. If a fire-pan and a garment can achieve kedushah (holiness), how much more so can a person who - as the Torah states - was made in the image of G-d?
The pasuk goes on to explain that the "sign to the Children of Israel" is that anyone who is not a descendant of Aaron cannot being an incense-offering. Rashi explains that the sign is a reminder of what happens to those who dispute the priesthood.
I would like to offer a third possibility.
Perhaps, the sign is a reminder to us that - despite our past - anybody who offers himself to Hashem can become "a part of the Altar". Anyone who wants to can be holy.
May we all realize our potential for greatness as Jews and may we not be held back by "who we were" rather always looks forward to "who we can be." In doing so, may we merit to see the coming of Mashiach speedily in our days!
Shabbat Shalom!!
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