Parasha Korah

In the fall of 1988 a new television series debuted on the air. The show focused on lost loves, missing people, UFO sightings, fugitives and homicides. “Unsolved Mysteries” was hosted by a trench coat clad Robert Stack and the show was an instant hit all across America. “Unsolved Mysteries” reunited families, investigated mysterious crimes, and delved into the paranormal. By the end of its eighth season, “Unsolved Mysteries” claimed to have been responsible for 87 reunions, the capture of 140 fugitives, and solving over 300 cases.

One unsolved mystery that would interest even the late Robert Stack and his viewers can be found in the Torah parasha titled “Korah.” This short reading consists just of chapters 16,17, and 18 of Bamidbar, commonly known as the book of Numbers.

In this portion Korah, a Levite, starts a small rebellion against Moshe and Aharon. The complaining and defiance swells to include the community at large. In doubt are Moshe’s authority and the establishment of the Aharonic priesthood. Korah argues that anyone should be able to perform priestly rituals. Well, Korah is soon rebuked by Moshe who decides to put the issue to a test. The prideful Korah and his cohorts are proven wrong. “Moshe said, "With this you shall know that YHWH sent me to do all these deeds, for I did not devise them myself. If these men die as all men die and the fate of all men will be visited upon them, then YHWH has not sent me. But if YHWH creates a creation, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, you will know that these men have provoked YHWH." As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the earth beneath them split open. The earth beneath them opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses, and all the men who were with Korah and all the property. They, and all they possessed, descended alive into Sheol; the earth covered them up, and they were lost to the assembly. All the Yisraelites who were around them fled from their cries, for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up too," Bamidbar 16:28-34.

The mystery here is not how Korah can rebel against Moshe and YHWH. Rebellion and ego are just part of humanity. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory,” says the Brit Chadashah. The real baffling issue is that of Korah’s fate and specifically the place of “Sheol.” Chapter 16:33 says, “They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them; the earth closed in on them and they vanished from the midst of the congregation,” Complete Jewish Bible.

The King James Version says they “went down alive into the pit.” While the NIV says they “went down alive into the grave.” Why do some translations use “Sheol” while others use “grave” or “pit”? What is Sheol? These are mysteries that need to be solved.

The word defined

The Ancient Hebrew word “Sheol” literally means the “underworld of the dead.” The term speaks of an abode, thought to be deep within the earth (Psalms 88:6, Amos 9:2). Strong’s Exhaustive Dictionary calls it a “subterranean retreat, grave, hell, or pit.” Within the oldest Hebrew thought, Sheol is a place of levels in which the dead inhabit.

Many modern Jewish teachers insist that Sheol does not exist and therefore, there is no need for personal salvation. This is contrary to many verses found through the Scriptures and runs contrary to many Talmudic writings. Even the Sages like Hillel and Gimmiel taught about Sheol and the afterlife (Beware of this anti-missionary teaching lest you fall prey to it.)

To be accurate, the word “Sheol” appears 65 times in the Tanakh, often translated as “pit” or “grave.” Some Bible translations do not translate the Hebrew term at all and include it in their text. It very rarely is used in context of a physical burial site. On the contrary, the Biblical picture of Sheol is a spiritual gathering place for dead spirits. “Sheol is pictured as a city with gates in Yesha’yahu 38:10 and was regarded as the abode of all the dead, both the righteous and the wicked in Job 30:23,” says the Holman Bible Dictionary.

But why?

The Brit Chadashah says that the “wages of sin is death” in Romans 6:23. Spiritual death is separation from Yahweh, which comes as a result of a lifestyle of sin. 1 John 3:4 defines sin as breaking the Laws of Moshe/Torah. When man does not obey the Torah through trusting faith then man sins. And when man sins fellowship with the Holy Elohim is broken. “Your sins have separated you from your Elohim, your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear,” Yesha’yahu 59:2. Adam sinned and was cast out of YHWH’s presence, out of the Gan Eden. Korah rebelled and was swallowed alive by Sheol. He, his family, and his followers were separated from YHWH’s presence through being taken to a low part of Sheol itself.

In Tanakh times Sheol contained basically three divisions parted by a huge gulf. The spirit of the tzedek or righteous would descend into Sheol at death and take up residence in Avraham’s bosom. Ya’acov, Dawid, Yonah, Ezeki’el, and others all speak of personally going down to Sheol. This place is also called “Paradise.”

What about the wicked?

At their death, the wicked would be taken to the lower part of Sheol called in Hebrew “GeHinnom.” In most English Bibles this word is translated as “Hell” and is derived from three Greek words: hades, tartaroo, and gehenna. Yahshua spoke of this department of Sheol where there is gnashing of teeth and weeping. He said in Mark 9:47 that here the “worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” GeHinnom is literally the “valley of Hinnom, translated into Greek as “Gehenna.” GeHinnom was the trash disposal place during Biblical times. Here there was constant burning and it was here that children were offered to the pagan god Molech. GeHinnom is a picturesque term used to describe the harshest of conditions.

Below Ge Hinnom is another level of Sheol. The Sages of Judaism say that the lowest part of Sheol is the lowest point in the universe. This level is called the “lake of fire” in some places of the Bible. The Hebrew term for the lowest part of Sheol is “abaddon” with literally means destroyer. Revelation 9:11 speaks of this abyss and names the being in charge of this section Abaddon. Abaddon is also spoken of in historical and mystical accounts as the “Netherlands.” This is the bottom place of torment prepared for the adversary and his demons. Just as smoke and flames rise, it seems that the fires of Sheol are located here and torment those above in the other level.

Moshiach Yahshua taught that a huge gulf in Sheol separated those in Avraham’s bosom or Paradise from those in the depth of torment. Much can be learned about Sheol from the Messiah. “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell (Sheol), where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Avraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Avraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' "But Avraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us,” Luke 16:19-26.

One Rabbi has said that in Sheol what happens everyday and all day is the teaching of Torah. This Rebbe says that for the wicked the teaching of Torah is torment and hell, but for the righteous the teaching of Torah is joy and heaven.

Sum it up

To recap, Sheol was the underworld place of the dead that was made up of several levels. The bottom of Sheol was the lake of fire called Abaddon. The level above the bottom was the place of torment for the unredeemed where there was destruction and hopelessness (Yesha’yahu 38.) A gulf separated the wicked from the righteous who were held prisoner in Paradise until Yahshua’s death. Interestingly, people could be rescued from Sheol and infact many were.

One example of a deliverance from the dead is the prophet Yonah. Contrary to many teachings, evidently Yonah died and went to Sheol during the three days and nights that he was in the belly of the whale. Sure, Yahweh could have kept him Yonah alive in the fish, but the Bible never points to that. What the Tanakh does say is that Yonah became unconscious and actually entered the depths of Sheol. “Yonah said, ‘in my distress I called to YHWH and he answered me. From the depths of Sheol I called for help, and you listened to my cry,” Jonah 2:2. (also reference 2:5-7 for more on this). Didn’t Yahshua say that Yonah was a sign of His own death, burial, and resurrection? Just like Yonah, Yahshua Himself died and went down into Sheol, and came back alive.

The deliverance from Sheol is more proof of the words found in 1 Shmu’el 2:6 that says, “YHWH brings death and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.”

Other saints were also rescued from Sheol as recorded in the Brit Chadashah. At Messiah’s death the prisoners of Sheol were released and Sheol itself went through a transformation. “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Yahshua's resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people,” Mattitiyahu 27:51-53.

After Yahshua’s crucifixion on the tree He descended into Sheol and freed the redeemed captives. He brought them closer to YHWH and into the Shamyim (Heavens.) “But to each one of us grace has been given as Messiah apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men,” Ephesians 4:7-8. Just like Yonah, Yahshua died was three days in the tomb, descended into Sheol and then ascended back to life. And now, according to Revelation 1:18 Yahshua holds the keys to Sheol, death, and the grave. Since this time Sheol only contains Ge Hinnom and the Lake of Fire.

An interesting verse can be found in the book of Yesha’yahu that points to the idea that after Moshiach’s redemptive sacrifice, the lower levels of Sheol expanded to encompass all of Avraham’s bosom. Sheol, the abode of the dead, has now become Sheol (Hell in English) the place of torment for the wicked. “Therefore Sheol hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it,” Yesha’yahu 5:14.

Unsolved no more

Sheol is now “hell” – a place of torment for the unredeemed. And now, when believers die their spirits immediately leave their bodies and are not held captive in Sheol anymore. The spirit of the saved ascends back to YHWH from Whom it has come, Ecclesiastes 12:3. Well, there it goes. Mystery Solved. Sheol exposed. Robert Stack would be proud.