We find it in Numbers chapter 16, when Korah and his followers challenge Moses and Aaron's leadership. The consequences? Let's just say they were…earth-shattering. "The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, and their households, and all the people who were with Korah, and all the property" (Numbers 16:32).

But how did this actually happen? The Rabbis of the Midrash, in Bamidbar Rabbah, delve into the specifics. Rabbi Yehuda suggests the earth didn't just open in one place, but in multiple spots. After all, Deuteronomy 11:6 says the earth opened its mouth "in the midst of all Israel." So, how could one opening swallow so many?

Rabbi Nehemya offers an alternative image. He asks, if the Torah says, "The earth opened its mouth," how do we reconcile that with the phrase "in the midst of all Israel?" His answer? Imagine the earth becoming like a funnel. Wherever Korah's followers stood, they were drawn, pulled, rolled into this single, gaping maw. A terrifying image, right? It allowed everyone to be swallowed while still fulfilling both phrases, according to Bamidbar Rabbah.

But it wasn’t just people. It was their stuff too. Deuteronomy 11:6 continues, "And all the yekum [that was at their feet]." Now, yekum can be understood as "property." But the Rabbis play with the word. They expound yekum as though it were yakim, which means “it causes one to stand.” In other words, property is what sustains a person.

Our Rabbis in Bamidbar Rabbah go even further. Even clothes at the launderer's shop? Gone. Sucked into the earth. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani adds an even more unsettling detail: even a borrowed needle, a she'ula, in the hands of another Israelite was swallowed if it belonged to one of Korah's people. As it says, “They and everything that was theirs descended alive into the abyss [sheola]” (Numbers 16:33).

Why such extreme measures? The Midrash suggests it was because Korah entered into a dispute with the Holy One, blessed be He. You don't just challenge God's chosen leaders without serious consequences.

But here's where the story takes a surprising, and perhaps comforting, turn. Despite this cataclysmic end, Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira teaches that they have a portion in the World to Come! How can this be? He points to the verse: “They were lost from the midst of the assembly” (Numbers 16:33). Lost from the assembly, yes, but not lost from the World to Come.

It's a powerful idea. Even in the face of such profound destruction, the door to redemption remains open. The Midrash draws a parallel to David, who says, "I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek Your servant, as I have not forgotten Your mitzvot" (Psalms 119:176). Just as the lost sheep of David is destined to be found, so too, these lost souls have a chance at being sought out.

And Hannah, in her prayer, echoes this sentiment: "The Lord puts to death and brings to life; He lowers to the abyss and elevates" (I Samuel 2:6). Sheol, the abyss, isn't necessarily the end. It can be a temporary state before elevation.

So, what does this all mean? Perhaps it's a reminder that even when we feel swallowed by our mistakes, by our rebellions, by the sheer weight of the world, there's always a possibility of return. Maybe the earth opens, but so too does the potential for ascent. It's a challenging, and ultimately hopeful, message buried within this ancient story.