Hashem’s Revelation at the Time of Korach
In Parshas Korach, we learn of a rebellion waged by Korach and others against Moshe Rabbeinu. After Moshe saw that he would not convince the rebels to stop, he prayed that Hashem not accept Korach’s claim. He then announced that if Korach and his men would die an unnatural death, and if something unprecedented in history were to be created, this would show that they had sinned against Hashem.
Until now, we have seen Moshe pray that Hashem forgive the sins of Klal Yisrael. Why on this occasion did Moshe request the opposite, and in such strong terms? Also, why did Hashem decree such a harsh punishment, that the land underneath Korach and his group opened up and swallowed them alive? There are many severe sins, such as idolatry and murder, but they are punished with one of the four forms of execution done by beis din. Why was Korach’s sin treated more severely than these?
Furthermore, the Sages (Avos 5:6) teach that the “mouth of the land” that swallowed up Korach and his rebels was created at the very beginning of the world. Why was such a special creation necessary to punish Korach?
Rav Gedalia Shor answers that Korach’s rebellion demanded such a response because it threatened to undo one of the most basic tenets of our emuna — the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai to Moshe Rabbeinu.
At Matan Torah, Hashem said the first two of the Ten Commandments to all of Klal Yisrael. Afterwards, the people told Moshe that if they would continue at this level of prophecy, they would die. Therefore, they asked Moshe to receive the rest of the Torah himself and bring it to them. From that time on, Moshe Rabbeinu was Hashem’s representative in bringing the rest of the Torah to this world. Now, Korach was claiming that Moshe Rabbeinu had decided on his own to appoint Elizafan ben Uziel as head of the Tribe of Kehas. If Korach could claim that, he could also claim that Moshe had tampered with the mitzvos of the Torah. Hashem had to show that everything in Torah is totally from Him, and that nothing came from Moshe.
Had Korach and his men been executed by beis din, or even if they would all have suddenly dropped dead, there would still have been room for others to claim: “This was certainly a sin, but it could be that Moshe did alter parts of the Torah.” Therefore, Hashem made a second form of Divine revelation — an unnatural punishment for those who cast doubts on the authenticity of the Torah. This “mouth of the land” had been waiting since the beginning of time to fulfill this critical purpose — to remind all of Klal Yisrael that Moshe was only a messenger, bringing Hashem’s Torah to the Jews, and not, chalila, that he had altered anything in it.
Rav Shor cites an episode in Bava Basra (74a) to demonstrate the point that the authenticity of Torah was at the heart of Korach’s rebellion: An Arab merchant was leading a sage of the Talmud through the Sinai Desert. He pointed out to the sage two pillars of smoke rising from a hole, telling him that this was the entrance to Gehinnom and that soon, he would be able to hear Korach and his group as they rise to the surface, which happens once every thirty days.
The sage leaned close to the hole, and as Korach came to the surface, he heard Korach say: “Moshe is true and his Torah is true…” Korach was trying to do teshuva, but it was too late. For us, however, Korach’s words reveal what in fact his sin was — that in his lifetime, Korach had claimed that Moshe’s Torah was not true.
This is an important principle. We must know that every word of Torah, whether in the written or oral Torah, comes from Hashem. The only way we can begin learning Torah properly is if we know that it comes from Hashem, and that it is true and has kedusha. Great Rabbanim would say, before learning, “Zogt der Ribbono Shel Olam…” Even if they were learning Gemara, and were about to quote the words of a sage from the Talmud, they knew that this was the Torah of Hashem, and therefore declared: “So says G-d…”
The Slonimer Rebbe would add that included in the revelation at Sinai was that Moshe Rabbeinu was the Rebbe of Klal Yisrael. The sages (Sanhedrin 110a) state that Korach, by arguing against Moshe Rabbeinu, was arguing against Hashem, and that this applies to any talmid. If a talmid goes against his rebbe, he is going against Hashem. Even if his argument is not verbalized, merely thinking against one’s rebbe is as if he thinks against Hashem.
This sounds a bit frightening. We understand why we must not argue against a great rebbe and certainly not Moshe Rabbeinu, but if my Rav, Rosh Yeshiva or magid shiur says something and I don’t obey it completely, or I just think to myself about not obeying him—is that called rebelling against G-d? Is every rav at that level?
The reason this question arises, explains the Slonimer Rebbe, is because we view our Rav, Rosh Yeshiva or magid shiur, as a person we come to with questions, or to hear shiurim. What we should understand is that this is the person who enables us to achieve deveikus in Hashem. He is your rebbe, and whatever deveikus you can achieve is only through him. The way to do so is to nullify yourself before him (see Kesubos 111b). Conversely, the extent to which we view ourselves as being removed from our rebbe, to that same extent we have removed ourselves from Hashem.
Rav Avraham Chaim Brim was a talmid chacham of great stature, but he viewed himself as a talmid of numerous rebbes, among them Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, the Chazon Ish, the Brisker Rav, the Boyanner Rebbe and the Husyatiner Rebbe.
“In my eyes, each of them was like an angel in the guise of a human being,” Rav Brim would say. He noted that in addition to the clarity and insights in Torah he gained from each of these great men, their entire being was a lesson in closeness to Hashem, and from each of them, he felt that he had gained certain aspects of his own avodas Hashem.
May we cling to our rebbbeim and get closer to Hashem!