Musar к Бамидбар 17:3

As we find with the sons of Korach, that because they were not drawn after their father, even though this caused him great shame, they escaped his fate. As we find in Yalkut Parshath Korach: "This is as Scripture writes (Psalms 1:1): 'Happy is the man' — the sons of Korach; 'who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked' — who did not walk in the counsel of their father, as it is written (Numbers 16:26): 'Depart now from the tents of these wicked men'; 'and in the way of sinners they did not stand,' as it is written (Numbers 17:3): 'the censers of these sinners.'" And, in Yalkut: "What merit was there 'in the hands' of the sons of Korach that they were rescued [from his punishment]? When they were sitting with Korach, their father, they saw Moses and lowered their faces to the ground, saying: "If we stand up for Moses our teacher, we will be spurning our father, whom we have been commanded to honor. And if we do not stand, it is written (Vayikra 19:32): 'Before the hoary head shall you rise' — Better that we stand before Moses our teacher, even though we are thereby spurning our father.'" At that time, they moved their hearts to repentance. About them David said (Psalms 45:2): 'My heart has stirred with a good thing.'" From this we learn that if one is not drawn after his father's counsel in his machloketh, he will not be ensnared in his net.

Let us now explain our Parshah. There were three distinct groups of people involved in the quarrel. The central contender was Korach. He was the scoffer about whom the Psalmist had said that one should not sit in the company of scoffers, as we have explained earlier. Datan and Aviram were wicked people, as we know from Moses saying in Numbers 16,25/26: "Moses went to Datan and Aviram followed by the elders of Israel. He said to the congregation: "Please depart from around the tents of these wicked people, etc." Concerning Datan and Aviram, the Psalmist had said in the same verse: "Hail to whoever has not followed the counsel of the wicked people." The third group were the two hundred and fifty men who sinned against their souls, as we know from 17,3: "and take the censers of these people who have sinned against their souls, etc." Concerning those people our Psalm said "hail to whoever did not stand on the path of the sinful ones." The scoffer Korach, used matters connected with the soil as his subjects. Later, he made fun of Torah legislation involving sheep, etc., as mentioned in the Midrash quoted earlier. In all this he paralleled the behaviour of Cain, who had first brought a gift of פרי האדמה, the fruit of the earth. Abel, on the other hand, had brought an offering from the firstborn of his sheep. Cain had brought flax, Abel had brought wool. We know that there was a great deal of difference between the offering of Cain and the offering of Abel; G–d refused to accept the offering of Cain. This is why a mixture of wool and flax (linen), is considered כלאים, and is forbidden to be worn together in Jewish law (Leviticus 19,19). I have elaborated on this elsewhere.