Pinchas- Can One Emerge Back from Hell?
In this Torah portion, we read about the sons of Korach that were the first to get involved in the rebellion against Moses, but during the dispute, they had thoughts of teshuvah repentance in their hearts. Then the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and Korach. But the sons of Korach did not actually die they repented. Therefore, a secure and elevated area was set apart for them in hell and they settled there. However, they didn’t live out the rest of their lives underground they eventually emerged to rejoin society. “Action is paramount” is basic teaching here there was only a thought of repenting. Nevertheless, returning to G-d even in thought was strong enough to elevate them back to life.
Maimonides (Rambam in Hebrew) wrote that free choice is granted to all Noahides in observing their 7 commandments. If one desires to turn himself to the path of good and to be righteous, he has the choice to do so. One has to remember that free choice was given with the Divine intention that everyone will choose to behave in accordance with the will of G-d.
A person should strive to return to G-d anytime. One can and should be all his life in the ongoing movement of returning to his divine source. Even if someone sinned his entire life and repented on the day of his death and died in repentance, all his sins are forgiven. Repentance in the sense of returning to G-d and giving up sin is an obligation for Noahides as well.
The example can be found in the book of Yonah. Yonah the prophet cries out that within 40 days the city of Nineveh will be destroyed (Yonah 3). And manages to get the entire city of Nineveh, young and old, to repent. Nineveh residents were Gentiles and they not only repented but did so immediately. They repented sincerely and were no longer deserving total destruction.
Returning to G-d out of pure love is a high level of repentance and the ultimate proof that the person has been forgiven completely. It also might complete the perfection of the world which is necessary to bring about the final redemption.
Rabbi Moshe Bernstein is a writer and a Community Rabbi in Netanya, Israel. He believes in making connections between the Jewish People and the Noahides worldwide in order to share and enhance the knowledge of the Torah's Universal Code for Humanity and fulfill Isaiah's Prophecy 11:9 " And the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the oceans".
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