וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח בֶּן־יִצְהָ֥ר בֶּן־קְהָ֖ת בֶּן־לֵוִ֑י וְדָתָ֨ן וַאֲבִירָ֜ם בְּנֵ֧י אֱלִיאָ֛ב וְא֥וֹן בֶּן־פֶּ֖לֶת בְּנֵ֥י רְאוּבֵֽן׃
Korah ben Yitzhar ben Kehat ben Levi, and Dathan and Aviram, the sons of Eliab, and On ben Pelet, sons of Reuben, took.
Korah took. This passage is expounded beautifully in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma.
They assembled themselves against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them: ‘You're too much! All the congregation, everyone, is holy and the Lord is among them; why then lift yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?’
מֶה עָשָׂה? עָמַד וְכָנַס ר"נ רָאשֵׁי סַנְהֶדְרָאוֹת . . . וְהִלְבִּישָׁן טַלִּיתוֹת שֶׁכֻּלָּן תְּכֵלֶת, בָּאוּ וְעָמְדוּ לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה, אָמְרוּ לוֹ טַלִּית שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ שֶׁל תְּכֵלֶת חַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית אוֹ פְטוּרָה?
אָמַר לָהֶם חַיֶּבֶת, הִתְחִילוּ לִשְׂחֹק עָלָיו, אֶפְשָׁר טַלִּית שֶׁל מִן אַחֵר חוּט אֶחָד שֶׁל תְּכֵלֶת פּוֹטְרָהּ, זוֹ שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ תְּכֵלֶת לֹא תִפְטֹר אֶת עַצְמָהּ?:
What did he do? He arose and assembled 250 heads of the Sanhedrin . . .
and he dressed them in robes of pure techelet. They came and stood before Moses and said to him, “Is a garment that is entirely techelet included in the law of tzitzit or is it exempt”?
He replied to them, “It is included”, and they began to laugh at him: “A robe of any other material is exempt with one thread of techelet. Surely this one, entirely of techelet, exempts itself?
וַיִּקַח קֹרַח. מַה כְּתִיב לְמַעְלָה מִן הָעִנְיָן, דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִת (במדבר טו, לח).
קָפַץ קֹרַח וְאָמַר לְמֹשֶׁה, אַתָּה אוֹמֵר, וְנָתְנוּ עַל צִיצִת וְגוֹ' (שם). טַלִּית שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ תְּכֵלֶת, מַה הִיא שֶׁיְּהֵא פְּטוּרָה מִן הַצִּיצִית.
אָמַר לוֹ מֹשֶׁה, חַיֶּבֶת בְּצִיצִית.
אָמַר לוֹ קֹרַח, טַלִּית שֶׁכֻּלָּהּ תְּכֵלֶת אֵינָהּ פּוֹטֶרֶת עַצְמָהּ, וְאַרְבָּעָה חוּטִין פּוֹטֵר אוֹתָהּ.
בַּיִת מָלֵא סְפָרִים, מַהוּ שֶׁתְּהֵא פְּטוּרָה מִן הַמְּזוּזָה.
אָמַר לוֹ: חַיֶּבֶת בִּמְזוּזָה. . . . אָמַר לוֹ: דְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ לֹא נִצְטַוֵּיתָ עֲלֵיהֶם, וּמִלִּבְּךָ אַתָּה בּוֹדְאָם.
Korah took. What is written above? “Speak unto the people of Israel and tell them to make tzitzit.’”
Korah jumped up and said to Moses, "You said they should put on the tzitzit a thread of techelet. What about a tallit which is all techelet, is it exempt from tzitzit?”
Moses said to him, “It requires tzitzit.”
Korah said to him, “Wouldn't a tallit which is all techelet exempt itself from tzitzit when just four threads can exempt it?
What about a building which is full of scrolls, is it exempt from mezuzah?”
He said to him, “It requires a mezuzah.”
. . . He said to him, “These are things about which you have not been commanded. Rather you are inventing them out of your own heart.”
דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וְעָשׂ֨וּ לָהֶ֥ם צִיצִ֛ת עַל־כַּנְפֵ֥י בִגְדֵיהֶ֖ם לְדֹרֹתָ֑ם וְנָ֥תְנ֛וּ עַל־צִיצִ֥ת הַכָּנָ֖ף פְּתִ֥יל תְּכֵֽלֶת׃
וְהָיָ֣ה לָכֶם֮ לְצִיצִת֒ וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺ֣ת יי וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹֽא־תָת֜וּרוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃
לְמַ֣עַן תִּזְכְּר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָ֑י וִהְיִיתֶ֥ם קְדֹשִׁ֖ים לֵאלֹֽקֵיכֶֽם׃
אֲנִ֞י יי אֱלֹֽקֵיכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹצֵ֤אתִי אֶתְכֶם֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לִהְי֥וֹת לָכֶ֖ם לֵאלֹקִ֑ים אֲנִ֖י יי אֱלֹקֵיכֶֽם׃
Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tzitzit on the corners of their garments through their generations, and to put on the fringe of each corner a thread of techelet.
It shall be your tzitzit and you shall see it and remember all the Lord's commands and do them, and not stray after your hearts and your eyes that you lust after.
So that you remember and observe all my commands, and you shall be holy to your God.
I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.