Midrash Tanchuma Buber · Appendix to Korach, Chapter 4
1
ותפתח הארץ את פיה ותבלע וגו' (במדבר טז לב). ר' יהודה אומר באותה שעה נפתח לארץ פיות הרבה, שנאמר בקרב כל (הארץ) [ישראל] (דברים יא ו), א"ל ר' נחמיה והרי כתיב ותפתח האטרץ את פיה ותאכל אותם וגו', א"ל והיאך את מקיים בקרב כל (הארץ) [ישראל], אלא שנעשית הארץ כמשפך, וכל איכן שהיה אחד מהן עומד ממנו היה מתגלגל ובא ויורד עמו, נמצאת מקיים בקרב כל (הארץ) [ישראל], נמצאת מקיים ותפתח הארץ את פיה, ומהו ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם (דברים יא ו), זה הממון שהוא מעמיד את הרגלים.
(Numb. 16:32): AND THE EARTH OPENED ITS MOUTH, AND SWALLOWED <THEM, THEIR HOUSEHOLDS, EVERY PERSON THAT BELONGED TO KORAH, AND THEIR PROPERTY>…. R. Judah says: At that time a lot of mouths into the earth were opened.15Numb. R. 18:13. It is so stated (in Deut. 11:6): <THE EARTH OPENED ITS MOUTH AND SWALLOWED THEM, THEIR HOUSEHOLDS, THEIR TENTS, AND EVERYTHING SUBSTANTIAL WHICH FOLLOWED IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS,> IN THE MIDST OF ALL {THE EARTH} [ISRAEL].16I.e., there were openings over all of Israel, one for each follower of Korah. R. Nehemiah said to him: But note what is written (in Numb. 16:32): THE EARTH OPENED ITS MOUTH (with MOUTH in the singular) AND ATE17Here Buber has not bothered to emend ATE to SWALLOWED in agreement with the standard biblical text. THEM…. He said to him: Then how do you reconcile IN THE MIDST OF ALL {THE EARTH} [ISRAEL]? It is simply that the earth became like a funnel; and from wherever <any> one of them was standing in relation to him (i.e., to Korah), he rolled and went down with him. You have succeeded in reconciling IN THE MIDST OF ALL {THE EARTH} [ISRAEL]; you have succeeded in reconciling AND THE EARTH OPENED ITS MOUTH. But what is the meaning (of Deut. 11:6): AND EVERYTHING SUBSTANTIAL (yequm) WHICH FOLLOWED IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS (literally: WHICH WAS IN THEIR FEET)? This is wealth (mamon), since it puts <a person> on <one's> feet.18Since yequm (“something SUBSTANTIAL”) comes from the root, QWM, which has the causative meaning, “raise up,” the word is taken to mean something which causes one to rise.
2
רבותינו אומרים אפי' היה להם כלים ביד הכובס, היו מתגלגלים ובאים ונבלעין עמהם. אמר ר' שמואל בר נחמני אפי' מחט שהיה שאולה ביד ישראל מידם, אף היא היתה נבלעת עמהם, שנאמר וירדו הם וכל אשר להם חיים שאולה (במדבר טז לג), כיון שהיו נבלעים היו מצווחים ואומרים משה מלך ונביא ואהרן כהן גדול, ותורה ניתנה מן השמים, והיה קולן הולך בכל מחנה ישראל, שנאמר וכל ישראל אשר סביבותיהם נסו לקולם וגו' (שם שם לד), כל כך למה לפי שחלק על הקב"ה, ואעפ"כ לעתיד לבוא הן עתידים לעלות, ר' יהודה בן בתירא שונה שיש להם חלק לעולם הבא, מה כתיב בהו ויאבדו מתוך הקהל (שם שם לג), ונאמר בדוד תעיתי כשה אובד בקש עבדך כי מצותיך לא שכחתי (תהלים קיט קעו), מה אבידה שכתב בדוד היא עתידה להתבקש, אף אבידה זו עתידה להתבקש, וכן אתה מוצא שחנה מתפללה עליהן בתפלה, שנאמר ה' ממית ומחיה מוריד שאול ויעל (ש"א ב ו).
Our masters say: Even if they had garments at the cleaner, they (i.e., the garments) came rolling and were swallowed up along with < their owners >. R. Samuel bar Nahmani said: Even a needle which had been borrowed (Sh'WLH) from them by an Israelite, it also was swallowed up along with them.19ySahn. 10:1 (28a). It is so stated (in Numb. 16:33): SO THEY AND ALL THAT BELONGED TO THEM WENT DOWN ALIVE INTO SHEOL(Sh'WLH).20I.e., with what had been borrowed (Sh’WLH). Once they had been swallowed up, they cried out and said: Moses is king and prophet, Aaron is high priest, and Torah has been given from the heavens. Moreover, the sound of their voice went through the whole camp of Israel, as stated (in Numb. 16:34): THEN ALL ISRAEL, SINCE THEY WERE ROUND ABOUT THEM, FLED AT THEIR CRY…. Why all this? Because he had sided against the Holy One. But nevertheless, in the world to come they are going to rise.21Cf. ARN, A, 36; Sanh. 10:3; also Sanh. 109b; 110b. R. Judah ben Betera teaches that they do have a share in the world to come. What is written about it (in Numb. 16:33, cont.)? AND THEY VANISHED FROM THE MIDST OF THE COMMUNITY. It is also stated by David (in Ps. 119:176): I HAVE GONE ASTRAY LIKE A LOST (rt. 'BD) SHEEP; SEEK OUT YOUR SERVANT, FOR I DO NOT FORGET YOUR COMMANDMENTS. Just as a loss (rt. 'BD), which is written concerning David, is going to be searched for; so (in Numb. 16:33) this loss (rt. 'BD) is going to be searched for. So also you find that Hannah prayed for them in a prayer,22Tefillah. This word suggests the Eighteen Benedictions (Shemoneh ‘Esreh), which is also called the tefillah. Moreover I Sam. 2:6 contains wording similar to the second of these prayers, which concerns the resurrection. which is uttered (in I Sam. 2:6): THE LORD BRINGS DEATH AND GIVES LIFE; HE BRINGS DOWN TO SHEOL AND RAISES UP.23Cf. above, Numb. 5:27 at the end, and the note there.
ותפתח הארץ את פיה ותבלע וגו' (במדבר טז לב). ר' יהודה אומר באותה שעה נפתח לארץ פיות הרבה, שנאמר בקרב כל (הארץ) [ישראל] (דברים יא ו), א"ל ר' נחמיה והרי כתיב ותפתח האטרץ את פיה ותאכל אותם וגו', א"ל והיאך את מקיים בקרב כל (הארץ) [ישראל], אלא שנעשית הארץ כמשפך, וכל איכן שהיה אחד מהן עומד ממנו היה מתגלגל ובא ויורד עמו, נמצאת מקיים בקרב כל (הארץ) [ישראל], נמצאת מקיים ותפתח הארץ את פיה, ומהו ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם (דברים יא ו), זה הממון שהוא מעמיד את הרגלים.
(Numb. 16:32): AND THE EARTH OPENED ITS MOUTH, AND SWALLOWED <THEM, THEIR HOUSEHOLDS, EVERY PERSON THAT BELONGED TO KORAH, AND THEIR PROPERTY>…. R. Judah says: At that time a lot of mouths into the earth were opened.15Numb. R. 18:13. It is so stated (in Deut. 11:6): <THE EARTH OPENED ITS MOUTH AND SWALLOWED THEM, THEIR HOUSEHOLDS, THEIR TENTS, AND EVERYTHING SUBSTANTIAL WHICH FOLLOWED IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS,> IN THE MIDST OF ALL {THE EARTH} [ISRAEL].16I.e., there were openings over all of Israel, one for each follower of Korah. R. Nehemiah said to him: But note what is written (in Numb. 16:32): THE EARTH OPENED ITS MOUTH (with MOUTH in the singular) AND ATE17Here Buber has not bothered to emend ATE to SWALLOWED in agreement with the standard biblical text. THEM…. He said to him: Then how do you reconcile IN THE MIDST OF ALL {THE EARTH} [ISRAEL]? It is simply that the earth became like a funnel; and from wherever <any> one of them was standing in relation to him (i.e., to Korah), he rolled and went down with him. You have succeeded in reconciling IN THE MIDST OF ALL {THE EARTH} [ISRAEL]; you have succeeded in reconciling AND THE EARTH OPENED ITS MOUTH. But what is the meaning (of Deut. 11:6): AND EVERYTHING SUBSTANTIAL (yequm) WHICH FOLLOWED IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS (literally: WHICH WAS IN THEIR FEET)? This is wealth (mamon), since it puts <a person> on <one's> feet.18Since yequm (“something SUBSTANTIAL”) comes from the root, QWM, which has the causative meaning, “raise up,” the word is taken to mean something which causes one to rise.
רבותינו אומרים אפי' היה להם כלים ביד הכובס, היו מתגלגלים ובאים ונבלעין עמהם. אמר ר' שמואל בר נחמני אפי' מחט שהיה שאולה ביד ישראל מידם, אף היא היתה נבלעת עמהם, שנאמר וירדו הם וכל אשר להם חיים שאולה (במדבר טז לג), כיון שהיו נבלעים היו מצווחים ואומרים משה מלך ונביא ואהרן כהן גדול, ותורה ניתנה מן השמים, והיה קולן הולך בכל מחנה ישראל, שנאמר וכל ישראל אשר סביבותיהם נסו לקולם וגו' (שם שם לד), כל כך למה לפי שחלק על הקב"ה, ואעפ"כ לעתיד לבוא הן עתידים לעלות, ר' יהודה בן בתירא שונה שיש להם חלק לעולם הבא, מה כתיב בהו ויאבדו מתוך הקהל (שם שם לג), ונאמר בדוד תעיתי כשה אובד בקש עבדך כי מצותיך לא שכחתי (תהלים קיט קעו), מה אבידה שכתב בדוד היא עתידה להתבקש, אף אבידה זו עתידה להתבקש, וכן אתה מוצא שחנה מתפללה עליהן בתפלה, שנאמר ה' ממית ומחיה מוריד שאול ויעל (ש"א ב ו).
Our masters say: Even if they had garments at the cleaner, they (i.e., the garments) came rolling and were swallowed up along with < their owners >. R. Samuel bar Nahmani said: Even a needle which had been borrowed (Sh'WLH) from them by an Israelite, it also was swallowed up along with them.19ySahn. 10:1 (28a). It is so stated (in Numb. 16:33): SO THEY AND ALL THAT BELONGED TO THEM WENT DOWN ALIVE INTO SHEOL(Sh'WLH).20I.e., with what had been borrowed (Sh’WLH). Once they had been swallowed up, they cried out and said: Moses is king and prophet, Aaron is high priest, and Torah has been given from the heavens. Moreover, the sound of their voice went through the whole camp of Israel, as stated (in Numb. 16:34): THEN ALL ISRAEL, SINCE THEY WERE ROUND ABOUT THEM, FLED AT THEIR CRY…. Why all this? Because he had sided against the Holy One. But nevertheless, in the world to come they are going to rise.21Cf. ARN, A, 36; Sanh. 10:3; also Sanh. 109b; 110b. R. Judah ben Betera teaches that they do have a share in the world to come. What is written about it (in Numb. 16:33, cont.)? AND THEY VANISHED FROM THE MIDST OF THE COMMUNITY. It is also stated by David (in Ps. 119:176): I HAVE GONE ASTRAY LIKE A LOST (rt. 'BD) SHEEP; SEEK OUT YOUR SERVANT, FOR I DO NOT FORGET YOUR COMMANDMENTS. Just as a loss (rt. 'BD), which is written concerning David, is going to be searched for; so (in Numb. 16:33) this loss (rt. 'BD) is going to be searched for. So also you find that Hannah prayed for them in a prayer,22Tefillah. This word suggests the Eighteen Benedictions (Shemoneh ‘Esreh), which is also called the tefillah. Moreover I Sam. 2:6 contains wording similar to the second of these prayers, which concerns the resurrection. which is uttered (in I Sam. 2:6): THE LORD BRINGS DEATH AND GIVES LIFE; HE BRINGS DOWN TO SHEOL AND RAISES UP.23Cf. above, Numb. 5:27 at the end, and the note there.