The Gift of Teshuvah

When Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to dissuade the populace from joining Korach, he made the following profound proclamation: “If these men die a natural death, that means G-d did not send me. But if G-d will make a new creation such that the earth opens its mouth and swallows them alive, then this will prove that G-d did send me” (Bamidbar 16:29). This declaration, though seemingly harsh, was a necessary measure to halt the rebellion’s progress. But why did Moshe Rabbeinu choose such a seemingly severe punishment for the followers of Korach, that the ground would swallow them alive? Wouldn’t it have sufficed if the ground swallowed the followers of Korach after they already perished?

The Belzer Rebbe, zt”l, said we can find the answer from a Rashbam on the following Gemara in Bava Basra (74a):

Rabbah bar Bar Channa met an Arab merchant. The merchant told him, “Come, I will show you the men of Korach that were swallowed up.” He showed him two cracks that emitted smoke. Rabbah bar Bar Channa took a piece of clipped wool, dipped it in water, attached it to the point of a spear, and let it in there. When he took it out, it was singed. Thereupon the merchant said, “Listen attentively to what you are about to hear.”

Rabbah bar Bar Channa heard chanting from the followers of Korach: “Moshe and his Torah are true, and we are liars.” Whereupon the merchant said, “Every 30 days, Gehinnom causes them to turn back here as one turns flesh in a pot, and they say thus: ‘Moshe and his law are true and we are liars.’”

The Rashbam comments that the followers of Korach could only say that Moshe Rabbeinu and his Torah are true because they went down to the grave alive. The Belzer Rebbe, zt”l, commented that this was precisely Moshe Rabbeinu’s intent. He wanted the followers of Korach to have a chance to do a measure of teshuvah. Had they not descended to the grave alive, they never would have had the opportunity. At least now they were able to show their contrition by admitting the error of their ways. Even after they publicly performed a terrible sin, Moshe Rabbeinu still wanted them to be able to do teshuvah. As they were being swallowed alive, they were able to declare, “Moshe and his Torah are true, and we are liars.” This story is a powerful reminder that no matter how dire the situation, the opportunity for teshuvah is always present, offering hope and redemption.

We similarly find the power of teshuvah late in the game from a different aspect of the Korach incident. Rashi on Chumash (Bamidbar 16:7) wonders, since Korach was so bright, why did he instigate such a foolish rebellion that was doomed to failure? He answers that Korach had a prophecy that Shmuel HaNavi would be one of his descendants. Korach reasoned that if he perished in this rebellion, Shmuel could not be born; therefore, he would not die in the uprising, and Shmuel would be one of his great-grandchildren. It is a decent argument. Where did Korach go wrong?

Korach’s sons joined him in the rebellion. He assumed they would share the same fate as him. That was his error. Korach failed to take into account the possibility of teshuvah. Even though his sons supported the rebellion and were part of it, they had the free will to discontinue any time they wanted. Sure enough, at the last minute, they did teshuvah. The Gemara in Sanhedrin says that his sons did not share the same fate as he did. Hence, Shmuel could be born.

Rashi states that Korach was a smart man. He was a Torah scholar. Yet even he could not realize this awesome potential of teshuvah. Korach assumed that if he was wrong, there was no way his children could recover from such a terrible error. But Korach was wrong about that, as well. No matter how far a person has strayed or how late in the game, the gift of teshuvah is available to all.