Our parsha describes an amazing phenomenon. I'm not talking about the earth opening its mouth and swallowing Korach and his crowd – this was indeed a special and historic event, but I want to discuss another subject which does not receive much attention when discussing Parshat Korach. The subject is the censers (fire-pans) of the sinners, and the making of them into a covering for the altar.

Immediately after the test of the censers and the burning of the two hundred and fifty bringers of incense, HaShem commands Moshe to tell Elazar the Cohen to go to the site of the fire and to collect the two hundred and fifty censers, and to form them into a covering for the altar. What are the reasons for this? They are both positive and negative. On one hand: "A reminder to B'nei Israel so that an ish zar (a man who is not a Cohen) shall not approach" – this indicates that their actions were undesirable before HaShem. On the other hand: "For they brought them before HaShem and (thus they) became sanctified" – the censers were sanctified because they offered them before HaShem. How do these two reasons reconcile? If these 250 men offered unsanctioned incense and were punished, their utensils – the censers – shouldn't be sanctified. And if their censers are holy and appropriate to be incorporated to the altar, why were they killed and called sinners?

The Ramban explains that these men sanctified the censers to Heaven, with the intention that the Lord will answer them with fire. The holiness which attached itself to the censers emanates from the foundation of their pure thought, and on the basis of their intention l'shem shamayim (for the sake of Heaven).
 

The Abarbanel adds, that the men who brought incense were not evil - they sanctified their censers to Heaven. Their deed was undesirable but their intention was pure. It is interesting to note the insightful comment of the Rogatchover (based on the Yerushalmi) that Korach's censer was swallowed in the earth with him and did not merit to be among the other censers because his intention was not for Heaven, and therefore holiness did not attach itself to it.
 

Ba'al HaAkeidah furthers this idea and attributes holiness to the censers because through them the truth became clear and the lie collapsed. An object which can do this is worthy of respect and holiness.
 

In this spirit, the Natziv states that Am Israel's accusation on the following day regarding the death of 250 of "the pious of the generation who sacrificed themselves for love of HaShem (the Natziv's words)" is based on the fact that their censers retained their holiness, and even were used for the coating of the altar. This led to the nation's protest, as they said to Moshe and Aharon: "You have killed the people of HaShem." They didn't say this regarding the swallowing of Korach, but only about the burning of the 250 bringers of incense.
 

 We must learn two important conclusions from this painful and amazing story:
 

The first: even holy people with pure intentions, l'shem Shamayim, when they are not guided properly by the wisdom of the Torah, can fall into the trap of imaginary prestige and make terrible mistakes. 
 

The second conclusion, which in my opinion is more important: Every component receives its standing and its place. Even one thought of kedushah is not in vain. The Torah teaches us to examine the multifaceted and complicated reality which is before us with a sharp eye, and to give every element its proper and deserved value, without being confused by "background noise."
 

Even though these men were justly punished, their censers were sanctified and serve as an eternal reminder for B'nei Israel.