Korach D'var (Heiromu vs. Hibadlu)

In Parashat Korach, the first time that God tells Moses and Aaron to get out of the crowd of Korach and his followers with the word “hibadlu”. This comes from the root -h-v-d-l. This means separation. Moshe tells Korach he is unsatisfied to have been separated as a Levite from the Israelites (ki-hivdil). Later, the fire pans are separated and raised from the impure ashes for use in the Mishkan with the word “yerom” from the root r-m, meaning height or exalted or raised. This is the same root in the laws of terumah, from the same root, in the end of the parsha. Terumah are gifts which distinctuate and show that leviim are higher than israelim and kohanim are higher than israelim. When the people the second day gather and accuse Aaron of fraud, they do so out of good intentions, They have just seen Moshe and Aaaron seeingly kill a challenger by having them do incense. God sends a plague and tells Moshe and Aaron to “heiromu”. That’s the r-m root. That means exalt yourself. Make yourself high. Distinguish yourself but don’t just separate like h-b-d-l. Moshe has Aaron offer incense among the accusers. They see that incense does not kill, only incense from people not sanctioned to offer it by God. By offering incense and living, Aaron raises himself up, exalts himself, shows his special status before the people, who then, I believe, retract their false accusations, allowing the plague to end. Korach and his boys weren’t interested in truth, only power. Their accusations were in bad faith. When that’s the case, simply remove yourself. Don’t engage with or try to disprove people uninterested in truth. Let their baseless arguments destroy them. When people accuse you of fraud and are genuinely mistaken and don’t stand to gain from your fall (regular Israelites won’t become Kohanim but Korachites might), exalt yourself, prove yourself, show you have the status you claim to have, and thus save them from slander.