“Moses announced, 'This shall demonstrate to you that G-d sent me to do all these deeds and I did not make up anything myself. If these men die like all other men, and share the common fate of man, then G-d did not send me. But if G-d creates something entirely new, making the earth open its mouth and swallow them and all that is theirs, so that they descend to the depths alive, then it is these men who are provoking G-d.' Moses had hardly finished speaking when the ground under them split. The earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them and their houses, along with all the men who were with Korach and their property. They fell into the depths along with all that was theirs. The earth then covered them over, and they were lost to the community.” –Numbers 16: 28-33
“Ten things were created on [the first] Sabbath eve [of creation], at twilight. They are: The mouth of the earth [which engulfed Korach and his fellow conspirators], etc.” –Mishna Pirkei Avos 5:6
Korach’s followers were swallowed up alive by the earth. The Mishna informs us that the mouth of the earth was a supernatural creation which was fashioned during the eleventh hour of creation. Why did they meet their deaths in such an unusual fashion, and why was a special creation needed just for this event?
Perhaps the following story will help answer these questions. Last Thursday morning, as I spoke on a pay phone in Buffalo Airport, a bearded middle aged African-American on the airport cleaning crew named Leroy exited the elevator facing me. He waved to me, and I smiled and waved back. After concluding my phone call, he approached me and asked, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” I replied that in fact I welcome questions. He then let me in on the latest groundbreaking news:
Five clones of a German shepherd that worked as a search-and-rescue dog and found the last survivor of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center were presented Wednesday June 17th (the previous day) to the dog's Los Angeles owner.
This raised a fundamental question for this man. His question was, if a human being is cloned, would he have a soul? I addressed this question based on the Talmudic sources and the contemporary responsa, and elaborated on the relationship between body, soul, spirituality, and sanctity. We also discussed the psychological effects that the lack of a soul would potentially have on a clone. At the conclusion of our discussion he asked, “Do you know G-d?” I replied that I have been pondering that question for years. He replied, “I know G-d. Let me prove it to you. As I was ascending in the elevator, this question about a clone having a soul was really bothering me. When the elevator door opened and I witnessed your rabbinic visage, I realized that G-d must have sent me the answer, and G-d is right here with me!”
Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky (1891- 1986), explains that the daily humdrum of our lives lends itself to denying a Divine Presence in this world. G-d created the natural course of the world, and without true reflection we are apt to think that there is no Higher Power running the world. Therefore G-d created certain supernatural realities that he unveils from time to time to demonstrate his complete control over this world. One with a disposition to heresy can believe that a simple earthquake occurred and serendipitously only swallowed the detractors of Moses. Upon closer examination, it is clear that this was nothing short of a miracle. The earth opened and closed without leaving any trace of an earthquake, and it only pursued the guilty individuals. There was also no sound from the ground, only from the people swallowed inside the ground.
Korach denied G-d’s attention to detail in this world. G-d therefore created a special creation that revealed his connection to every matter in this world. This was no mere earthquake; this was an opening of the mouth of the earth to silence the heretics.
Leroy in Buffalo Airport was able to discern G-d’s presence in mere happenstance. Korach and his followers lacked that clairvoyance. Over the course of our lifetimes we have all experienced the Divine in some way or another. Many of us have related our stories at Shalosh Seudos in Westmount. I am currently collecting such stories with the plan of publishing a book. Let us all be a part of this effort. Please email me your stories at parshaperspectives@gmail.com. Let us make amends for the sin of Korach, and use this opportunity to spread the name of G-d in this world. Let us all be a part of this effort.
