Numbers Chapter 26 - Torah Reading for Pinchas
Verse 11: וּבְנֵי־קֹ֖רַח לֹא־מֵֽתוּ׃
The sons of Korach, however, did not die.
The prophet Samuel, his sons, and his grandsons were singers in the Temple. They were called the Korachites. I Chron. 6:18-23. is proof that the children of Korah did not died. The Book of Psalms states, For the leader; a Psalm of the sons of Korach (Ps. 49:1).
Korach and his sons were swallowed up by the earth as punishment for their rebellion against Moses. A rebellion that came about because they did not see Moses as the spiritual leader of the generation, and they felt that any physical person could be the leader.
By detaching from the spiritual and focusing on the physical alone you die. And so we see that Korach's punishment was that he was literally swallowed up by the earth - by the physical. However, the sons of Korach, at the height of the rebellion, became remorseful and repented. This made them less deeply swallowed by the earth and did not die.
From this we learn that no matter how serious a mistake may have been, even rebelling against the leader of your generation, rebelling against the spiritual, rebelling against Torah there is always repentance and forgiveness possible.
For this the following prayer can be used:
A Prayer of the Repentant:
O G-d, I have erred, sinned and willfully transgressed before You, and I have done that which is evil in Your eyes, especially with the sin(s) of … (state the specific sins or errors).
I am sincerely ashamed of my sins, and I repent and firmly undertake not to do so again.
Please G-d, in Your infinite grace and compassion, forgive my sins and transgressions and grant me atonement, as it is written: “Let the wicked abandon his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts; let him return to G-d, and He will have compassion upon him, and [let him return] to our G-d, for He will pardon abundantly.” [Isaiah. 55:7] And it is written: “Do I desire at all that the wicked should die, says the L-rd, G-d; it is rather that he return from his ways and live!” [Ezekiel 18:23]
Brought By Angelique Sijbolts
Angelique Sijbolts is one of the main writers for the Noahide Academy. She has been an observant Noahide for many years. She studies Torah with Rabbi Perets every week. Angelique invests much of her time in editing video-lectures for the Rabbis of the Academy and contributes in administrating the Academy's website in English and Dutch. She lives in the north of the Netherlands. Married and mother of two sons. She works as a teacher in a school with students with special needs. And is a Hebrew Teacher for the levels beginners en intermediate. She likes to walk, to read and play the piano.
Sources
Ibn Ezra on Numbers 26:11:1
Rashi on Numbers 26:11:1
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