Ground Rules: Understanding the Mouth of the Earth

Korach

Ground Rules

וְאִם־בְּרִיאָה יִבְרָא ה' וּפָצְתָה הָאֲדָמָה אֶת־פִּיהָ וּבָלְעָה אֹתָם

אִם בָּרָאתָ פֶּה לָאָרֶץ, הֲרֵי יָפֶה, וְאִם לָאו יִבְרָא ה', יִבְרָא לָהּ עַכְשָׁו פֶּה

As the rebellion of קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ reaches it peak, Moshe Rabbeinu makes a strong statement, explaining that Klal Yisroel will soon know כִּי ה' שְׁלָחַנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵת כׇּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים הָאֵלֶּה כִּי־לֹא מִלִּבִּי, that HKBH sent him to be the leader of Klal Yisroel. This would be proven, he explains, by the fate of his detractors: אִם־כְּמוֹת כׇּל־הָאָדָם יְמֻתוּן, if those who rebelled against him die a natural death, that will show that he was not sent by HKBH. However, וְאִם־בְּרִיאָה יִבְרָא יְהֹוָה וּפָצְתָה הָאֲדָמָה אֶת־פִּיהָ וּבָלְעָה אֹתָם וְאֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם וְיָרְדוּ חַיִּים שְׁאֹלָה, if the earth were to open up and swallow them, and all their possessions, there it will be known כִּי נִאֲצוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה אֶת ה.

Rashi, here, tells us that Moshe was predicting that Korach and his consorts would perish בְּמִיתָה שֶׁלֹּא מֵת בָּהּ אָדָם עַד הֵנָּה, in a way that no one else had, but then Moshe continued, seeming to predict what that מִיתָה would be: וּפָצְתָה הָאֲדָמָה אֶת־פִּיהָ וּבָלְעָה אֹתָם. Why did Moshe Rabbeinu speak about a מִיתָה שֶׁלֹּא מֵת בָּהּ אָדָם עַד הֵנָּה and why did he mention this form of punishment specifically? Why was it important to Moshe how קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ met their end?

The Medrash here adds some details that further enhance this question, explaining the words אִם־כְּמוֹת כׇּל־הָאָדָם יְמֻתוּן in an astonishing way.

Based on a Mashal, the Medrash tells us that Moshe Rabbeinu spoke to Hashem and said: אִם מֵתִים אֵלּוּ עַל מִטּוֹתָם כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁבְּנֵי אָדָם מֵתִים, if these men pass away on their beds, like everyone else, וְהָרוֹפְאִין עוֹלִין וְהֵן מְבַקְּרִין אוֹתָם כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁכָּל הַחוֹלִים מִתְבַּקְּרִין, and they are visited by the doctors the way others are, אַף אֲנִי כּוֹפֵר וְאוֹמֵר לֹא ה' שְׁלָחָנִי. Moshe felt that if קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ did not meet a supernatural and notable end, it would cause even he himself to doubt the reality of ה' שְׁלָחָנִי.

The Medrash continues, telling us that Hashem asked: מָה אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ, prompting Moshe to explain what would stop him from feeling this way. Moshe responded: אִם בָּרָאתָ פֶּה לָאָרֶץ, הֲרֵי יָפֶה, וְאִם לָאו יִבְרָא ה', יִבְרָא לָהּ עַכְשָׁו פֶּה. Moshe asked if there was a פֶּה לָאָרֶץ, an opening in the ground into which קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ could be swallowed, and if not, יִבְרָא לָהּ עַכְשָׁו פֶּה, one must be created. As we know, HKBH acceded to this request, וַתִּפְתַּח הָאָרֶץ אֶת־פִּיהָ וַתִּבְלַע אֹתָם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּיהֶם.

This Medrash requires explanation from several perspectives.

First, why was Moshe Rabbeinu so concerned about the way that קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ met their end. He knew that HKBH appotined him as the leader of Klal Yisroel and Aharon as the Kohen Gadol. There could never have been the slightest doubt in the mind of Moshe Rabbeinu that this was true, and the claims of קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ were completely unfounded. Why, then, did Moshe need his opponents to meet a remarkable end? Why was it true that אִם מֵתִים אֵלּוּ עַל מִטּוֹתָם כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁבְּנֵי אָדָם מֵתִים it would lead Moshe Rabbeinu to a state of כּוֹפֵר וְאוֹמֵר לֹא ה' שְׁלָחָנִי?

Second, even if it were true that the deaths of קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ were an important way of establishing the veracity of Moshe’s claim, כִּי ה' שְׁלָחַנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵת כׇּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים הָאֵלֶּה, the end of the Medrash requires explanation as well. When HKBH asked מָה אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ, Moshe seems to have a very particular answer: אִם בָּרָאתָ פֶּה לָאָרֶץ, הֲרֵי יָפֶה, וְאִם לָאו יִבְרָא ה', יִבְרָא לָהּ עַכְשָׁו פֶּה. Why was this the case? Even if Moshe Rabbeinu felt that a מִיתָה שֶׁלֹּא מֵת בָּהּ אָדָם עַד הֵנָּה was necessary, why was it important to him how this came about?

It seems that Moshe Rabbienu was focused on the פִּי הָאָרֶץ: if it already existed, he wished for it to be put to use and if not, he wished for Hashem to create one now: וְאִם לָאו יִבְרָא ה', יִבְרָא לָהּ עַכְשָׁו פֶּה. Why? What did the פִּי הָאָרֶץ signify that was relevant to these circumstances? The words יִבְרָא לָהּ עַכְשָׁו reveal a sense of true urgency: Moshe would not have asked that HKBH create a brand new reality, especially one that was so clearly outside the realm of Teva, if it was not essential—leaving us to wonder why indeed it was. Why did Moshe request that קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ perish in this manner particularly, even if it would require a measure of יִבְרָא לָהּ עַכְשָׁו ?

It should also be noted that the Mishna in Avos tells us עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, there were ten things created during בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, as the first Shabbos was about to begin, and the first item listed is the פִּי הָאָרֶץ. We cannot assume that Moshe Rabbeinu did not know about this—he must have been aware that the פִּי הָאָרֶץ was created עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת—and if so, what was his question. Why did Moshe say אִם בָּרָאתָ פֶּה לָאָרֶץ, הֲרֵי יָפֶה, וְאִם לָאו  יִבְרָא לָהּ עַכְשָׁו פֶּה if it is clear that the פִּי הָאָרֶץ already existed?

How can we understand this Medrash in light of these questions?

It should be noted that the Gemara in Nedarim brings the conversation between HKBH and Moshe Rabbeinu slightly differently. The Gemara tells us: דָּרֵשׁ רָבָא אִם בְּרִיאָה יִבְרָא ה׳ אִם בְּרִיאָה גֵּיהִנָּם  מוּטָב תִּהְיֶה, אִם לָאו יִבְרָא ה׳. The words אִם בְּרִיאָה יִבְרָא ה׳  were not focused on the פִּי הָאָרֶץ but on גֵּיהִנָּם  , and Moshe Rabbeinu was asking that if גֵּיהִנָּם  did not yet exist, it should be created especially for קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ.

The Gemara asks a question on this Drasha: the Braisa tells us שִׁבְעָה דְּבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ קוֹדֶם שֶׁנִּבְרָא הָעוֹלָם, there were seven things created before the world, including גֵּיהִנָּם . How, then, could Moshe suggest that it would be necessary for Hashem to create it just for קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ ? The Gemara answers that Moshe, of course, knew that גֵּיהִנָּם  existed, but he was asking about an opening: אִי אִיבְּרִי לֵיהּ פּוּמָּא מוּטָב, וְאִם לָא יִבְרָא ה׳. The Gemara asks a question on this suggestion as well: וְהָכְתִיב אֵין כׇּל חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ, how could Moshe suggest that something be created anew? Rather, explains the Gemara, Moshe was speaking about the location of the opening to גֵּיהִנָּם  , asking: אִי הָכָא לָא מְקָרַב פּוּמָּא לְהָכָא לִיקְרַב. There was certainly an opening to גֵּיהִנָּם  , but it may have been located elsewhere, and so Moshe Rabbeinu asked that it be brought to that spot.

Even in the way the Gemara tells the story, which is slightly different from the Medrash, we see that Moshe Rabbeinu was focused on the way that קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ would meet their end, and specifically that they be swallowed by a פִּי הָאָרֶץ, then and there. Why? What is the significance of the פִּי הָאָרֶץ with regard to קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ ?

There is another Mamar Chazal that might help us answer these questions and clarify the meaning of the Medrash.

The Medrash Lekach Tov, here, on the words וְאִם־בְּרִיאָה יִבְרָא ה' adds just a few words to the request of Moshe Rabbeinu: כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁפָּצְתָה בִּימֵי קַיִן וְהֶבֶל בְּדָמִי אָחִיו הֶבֶל.

The Passuk in Parshas Beriashis, in recounting the story of קַיִן וְהֶבֶל, tells us that Hashem punished קַיִן with the words: וְעַתָּה אָרוּר אָתָּה מִן־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר פָּצְתָה אֶת־פִּיהָ לָקַחַת אֶת־דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ מִיָּדֶךָ. The damage that קַיִן had done would bring him more disgrace than the אֲדָמָה itself, which had opened it mouth to swallow the blood of הֶבֶל. The Medrash draws a parallel between the words וּפָצְתָה הָאֲדָמָה אֶת־פִּיהָ and אֲשֶׁר פָּצְתָה אֶת־פִּיהָ, telling us that Moshe asked HKBH to open a פִּי הָאָרֶץ, similar to the one mentioned with regard to קַיִן וְהֶבֶל.

If in fact the request of Moshe Rabbeinu, אִם בָּרָאתָ פֶּה לָאָרֶץ, הֲרֵי יָפֶה, וְאִם לָאו  יִבְרָא לָהּ עַכְשָׁו פֶּה, is somehow related to the פִּי הָאָרֶץ that opened in the time of קַיִן וְהֶבֶל , we must understand why. What is the significance of the words וְעַתָּה אָרוּר אָתָּה מִן־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר פָּצְתָה אֶת־פִּיהָ לָקַחַת אֶת־דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ מִיָּדֶךָ, and how does it relate to קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ ?

To answer this question, we must first understand the Passuk in Parshas Beraishis, and what it teaches us about the earth itself.

Rashi, in Parshas Va’era tells us: לְפִי שֶׁהֵגֵן הַיְאוֹר עַל מֹשֶׁה כְּשֶׁנִּשְׁלַךְ לְתוֹכוֹ, לְפִיכָךְ לֹא לָקָה עַל יָדוֹ, because the river helped Moshe Rabbeinu he was not the one to strike it at the beginning of Makkas Dam. Similarly, at the beginning of Makkas Kinim, Rashi tells us: לְפִי שֶׁהֵגֵן עָלָיו כְּשֶׁהָרַג אֶת הַמִּצְרִי וַיִּטְמְנֵהוּ בַּחוֹל, וְלָקָה עַל יְדֵי אַהֲרֹן.

R’ Reuven Grozovsky, in a Mamar on Parshas Va’era, points out an important idea that we see from these Rashis.

As we know, there are different categories of creations. Inanimate objects are split into two categories: a rock, which does not grow, is called a דּוֹמֵם, whereas a plant is known as a צוֹמֵחַ. Similarly, animate beings are classified in two ways: an animal is called a חַי, whereas a human, who has the exclusive ability to speak, is called a מִדְבָּר.

While we think of a מִדְבָּר as having an active role in this world, it is not necessarily intuitive that the other categories do as well. R’ Reuven points out, however, that although the יְאוֹר is a דּוֹמֵם we see that it is necessary to reckon with it, to consider its past and impact. The river did not choose to help Moshe Rabbeinu when he was a baby, cast into its midst, yet there was a responsibility to consider those moments when later making a choice.

This, explains R’ Reuven, is not because the יְאוֹר has feelings in any way, but because it has a certain Chashivus as יְצִירָתוֹ שֶׁל הקב"ה. Because it is true that מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, it follows that anything that Hashem created is really a part of כְּבוֹדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ and is imbued with a certain amount of Kedusha.

R’ Reuven brings other examples of ways in which this is true. For instance, items which fall into the category of צוֹמֵחַ can become both אָסוּר, in the case of כִּלְאַיִם, and קָדוֹשׁ, in the case of רִבְעֵי. It is not logical that something with no conscience can achieve קְדֻשָּׁה, but we see that this is true, because מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ.

A prime example of this idea, explains R’ Reuven, is seen in the Passuk in Parshas Beraishis: אָרוּר אָתָּה מִן־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר פָּצְתָה אֶת־פִּיהָ לָקַחַת אֶת־דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ . The אֲדָמָה was cursed, so to speak, because it absorbed the blood of הֶבֶל. It made no choice to to so, but was faulted nonetheless, and קַיִן was told that his punishment would be greater.

If this is true of a דּוֹמֵם or צוֹמֵחַ, continues R’ Reuven, then it is certainly true of a מִדְבָּר, even more so a Yid and to the extreme in the case of a Talmid Chacham. The more connected a person is to HKBH, to קְדֻשָּׁה, the larger role he plays in מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ. This has two outcomes: his actions are more strictly scrutinized but he must also be afforded much greater respect. If we look at every part of the Briah in terms of its Chelek in מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, our perspective changes, and we understand the weight we must assign to those with a closer connection to כְּבוֹדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ.

With this in mind, we can understand the Medrash and the words of Moshe Rabbeinu.

At the root of all the arguments of קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ lay one simple claim: כׇל־הָעֵדָה כֻּלָּם קְדֹשִׁים. They did not see the difference between any member of Klal Yisroel and Moshe Rabbeinu, and wished for an even playing field, so to speak. in making this claim, they ignored the reality of מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ. They refused to recognize that someone of the stature of Moshe Rabbeinu has a bigger Chelek in מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ and should be regarded in a different light, and esteemed on a different plane.

This was why Moshe Rabbeinu felt so strongly that they be punished in a remarkable way, בְּמִיתָה שֶׁלֹּא מֵת בָּהּ אָדָם עַד הֵנָּה, and turned to the .פִּי הָאָרֶץ Of course he knew that the פִּי הָאָרֶץ had been created עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, but he also understood that it had been used already—in the time of קַיִן when it taught us the lesson of מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ. Now, Moshe wondered what had become of that reality: if the words אָרוּר אָתָּה מִן־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר פָּצְתָה אֶת־פִּיהָ לָקַחַת אֶת־דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ rang true, than קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ must be justly punished for ignoring their impact. Were they not to be punished in a remarkable way, it would not be a personal affront to Moshe Rabbeinu, but would seem to contradict the premise of מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ, indicating that their claim of כׇל־הָעֵדָה כֻּלָּם קְדֹשִׁים was true, and calling into question the role of those closer to כְּבוֹדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ . This would lead Moshe himself to a place of כּוֹפֵר וְאוֹמֵר לֹא ה' שְׁלָחָנִי.

Moshe therefore asked that the פִּי הָאָרֶץ be brought to the place in which they stood and put to use once again. This would allow those who remained to be reminded of its important lesson. By seeing the same פִּי הָאָרֶץ swallow קֹרַח וַעֲדָתוֹ , a clear message about the role of each part of the Briah and the status of those who are closer to כְּבוֹדוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ would be sent, leading to increased כְּבוֹד שָׁמַיִם and a reminder that מְלֹא כׇל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ.