How Did The Rabbis in The Talmud Know About Gehinnom? Parashat Korach

0:04Excellent question, my dear student, and one that touches upon a fundamental aspect of our emunah and our mesorah. You ask, "How did the Rabbis in the Talmud know about Gehinnom if it's not explicitly mentioned in the Chamisha Chumshei Torah?" It's a common query, and I appreciate your desire for clarity. However, it requires us to address a few points first. So, my dear student, there are two fundamental problems with your question. Firstly, you demonstrate a lack of knowledge regarding the Written Torah, meaning the Chumash. And secondly, you show a similar lack of familiarity with the Oral Torah. Now, this lack of knowledge concerning the Written Torah is quite simple to rectify, as it doesn't even require a belief in something intangible. It merely requires one to look up the relevant verse. As we will soon see, the Torah she'bichtav itself, even the Chumash, provides profound allusions and even direct descriptions of these spiritual realms. One prime example, which we discussed earlier, is the episode of Korach, where the earth opened its mouth and swallowed him and his congregation alive, and our Sages teach us that this indeed refers to Sheol, one of the principal chambers of Gehinnom. The existence of such a place is unequivocally presented in the Written Torah for those who know how to look and where to find it. Indeed, we find clear indications of this concept throughout the Written Torah itself. For instance, if you go to Parashat Korach, Parashat Korach says that Korach, who went against Moshe Rabbeinu, the ground opened up and swallowed him and his followers alive, and they are screaming there until today. So that place is one of the places of Gehennom that's called She'ol. You know, Gehennom has seven chambers; each one has different names. One of them is called She'ol, this particular chamber. And so, we see that even within the Chumash itself, there are clear allusions to the concept of Gehennom.

0:57My dear students, in our journey through the depths of Torah, we often encounter profound concepts that shape our understanding of divine justice and eternal reward and punishment. One such concept, which resonates deeply within our tradition, is that of Gehinnom. So the point is that in the Torah, we already find mention of Gehinnom. This is one of many places where it is discussed. And secondly, regarding the Oral Torah, it too is what we received at Mount Sinai. At Mount Sinai, Moshe Rabbeinu not only received the entire Five Books of the Written Torah, known as the Chumash, with its initial portion covering the narrative up to Parashat Yitro being transmitted, but he also received the divine instructions for its completion over the subsequent forty years in the desert. Furthermore, and crucially, he received the entirety of the Oral Torah, which elucidates and expounds upon the concise directives of the Written Torah, making its commandments intelligible and applicable to our daily lives. Without the Oral Torah, the Written Torah, as a practical guide, would be incomplete and impenetrable. Good evening, dear chevra. We're discussing the profound gift of Torah that Hashem bestowed upon Moshe Rabbeinu on Har Sinai. It's crucial to understand that this gift wasn't just the parchment we hold in our hands. Rather, it was a comprehensive body of knowledge, comprising both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. Hashem told him what to write over the next forty years, completing the Chumash from Parashas Yisro onwards. But in addition to that, he also received the Oral Torah, which explains the laws written in the Written Torah. Without one, the other would not exist. Meaning, for instance, when Hashem commanded us to keep Shabbos, He didn't tell us how to keep Shabbos – what a melacha is, what a shiur is, what is permissible and what is forbidden. That's why we have the Oral Torah. Similarly, when Hashem told us to put on tefillin, He didn't tell us how the tefillin are made, what shape they are, what color they are, what's inside them, or even the precise procedure for wearing them. All of these essential details are explained within the Oral Torah. So too, when Hashem gave us the mitzvah of kashrus, regarding kosher food, He didn't provide all the intricate details in the Written Torah itself. Everything we have, all the halachos that we uphold today, are elucidated and explained in the Oral Torah. And in addition to that, there are also profound teachings about the upper worlds, one of them being Gehinom, which illuminate deeper spiritual truths. It's a vast ocean of wisdom that guides our every step.

1:51My dear friends, we understand that the Torah we received at Sinai was not merely the Written Torah, the Torah Shebichtav, but simultaneously, the Torah Sheba'al Peh, the Oral Torah. The Written Torah, by its very nature, is a foundational text, a framework that requires the intricate explanations and elaborations of the Oral Torah to truly be understood and fulfilled. He didn't tell us how the tefillin are made, what shape they are, what color they are, what's in them. That's the Oral Torah. So when God told us about kashrut, about kosher food, He didn't give us all the details. That's in the Oral Torah. Everything that we have, all the halakhot that we have, are explained in the Oral Torah. In addition to that, there are also teachings about the upper worlds. One of them being Gehinnom. Indeed, the Torah Sheba'al Peh not only clarifies the practical mitzvot, but also illuminates the profound mysteries of creation and existence. These teachings, passed down from generation to generation, provide us with invaluable wisdom concerning these spiritual dimensions. We often speak about the profound wisdom contained within our holy Torah, both the Written and the Oral. The depths of its teachings are boundless, and understanding certain concepts requires delving into the rich tapestry of our tradition. Take, for instance, the profound subject of Gehinnom. And there are many, many different sources, thousands, indeed thousands upon thousands, of sources from the different Chazal who discussed it, teachings about Gehinnom. And in fact, one of the primary sources for teachings about Gehinnom is Moshe Rabbeinu, A"H, his personal experience, where HaKadosh Baruch Hu actually showed him Gehinnom. So HaKadosh Baruch Hu showed him Gehinnom, and Moshe Rabbeinu wrote it down. And in essence, he transmitted what he saw, and the questions he asked, to the rest of the people, so that we know until today. This brings us to a fundamental principle: you have to understand that there is a Torah Shebichtav, a Written Torah, and there is a Torah Shebe'al Peh, an Oral Torah. If a person doesn't believe in the Oral Torah, that means they will never truly understand the Written Torah either, because the Oral Torah is the very key to unlocking its meaning.

2:48Good evening, dear talmidim. We are discussing tonight the profound unity of the Torah. We know that when Moshe Rabbeinu ascended Har Sinai, he received not only the words of the Torah Shebikhtav, but also the explanations and the underlying principles of the entire Torah Shebe'al Peh. And he wrote, and in essence, he transmitted to all subsequent generations what he perceived and the elucidations he received. Therefore, you must understand that there is a Torah Shebikhtav and there is a Torah Shebe'al Peh. If a person does not believe in the Torah Shebe'al Peh, it means they will never truly understand the Torah Shebikhtav. This is why the Torah Shebe'al Peh is not merely commentary, but the very key to unlocking the profundity of the Divine wisdom in the written text. Without it, the words of the Torah Shebikhtav would remain an incomprehensible enigma. One simply cannot truly comprehend the profundity of the Written Torah without its essential counterpart, the Oral Torah. Indeed, without it, one will never understand the Written Torah either. And unfortunately, many people don't realize that these two have to go together. As far as all of the information that we have, kol haTorah kulah, while all of it ultimately gets sourced from the Written Torah in some form or another, it is the Oral Torah that unpacks and reveals its true intent and application, guiding us in halakha and aggadah. , it is precisely because of this profound depth that there's a vastly greater body of teachings in the Oral Torah than the Written Torah, because it's an expansion of every single idea, every single word. You know, so if, let's say, we take the first verse of the Torah, which states, 'In the beginning, Hashem created,' right? So the word Bereshit, this single, foundational word holds immense significance and layers of meaning.

3:49We have already seen, my dear friends, how every single letter, every tag, every nuance in the holy Torah is replete with endless meaning and equal importance. Indeed, the very first word of Sefer Bereshit itself contains unfathomable depths. The word Bereshit – from that very word Bereshit – the Gaon mi'Vilna extrapolated over a thousand laws! Yes, over a thousand laws from the first word of the Torah alone. Furthermore, the word Bereshit doesn't just mean 'in the beginning,' but also means 'with wisdom.' That is, Hashem created the world with wisdom. And the Ramban extrapolates that to teach us: 'What does He mean by "with wisdom"?' This is a profound question, my dear friends, for it invites us to delve into the very nature of creation and the Divine wisdom that underpins it all. The Ramban does not leave us without an answer, but continues to unravel the layers of meaning embedded in this foundational concept of the world created with chochmah. ...that the depth of our Holy Torah is truly boundless. Chazal reveal that every single letter, every tag, every nuance in the Torah Shebichtav holds incredible profundity, truly containing the profound wisdom of creation, a topic about which Chazal have taught us myriad lessons. Many different Chachamim have derived numerous insights, simply by delving into the hidden meanings of even the first word of the Torah. This same principle applies to every single word of the Torah. Each word in the Torah is equally significant. There is no concept of one word or one pasuk being more important than another. All pesukim and all words in the Torah are equally vital. This understanding underscores why the meticulous study of every os and every pasuk is so crucial. It's not about a superficial reading, but about plumbing the infinite depths that HaKadosh Baruch Hu has embedded in His divine word, a pursuit that truly extends beyond a lifetime, indeed, beyond many lifetimes.

4:42My dear talmidim, we delve deep into the words of our Sages, who teach us that the entire Torah is a seamless garment. It is a fundamental principle of our faith, reiterated by the Rambam and all our great teachers, that Hashem gave us not only the Torah Shebichtav, the Written Torah we find in the Chumash, but also the Torah Sheba'al Peh, the Oral Torah. This Oral Torah is not a separate entity, but rather the essential explanation, the divine commentary, without which the Written Torah would be incomplete and impenetrable. Every single mitzvah, every law, every custom we uphold, has its roots in this unbreakable chain of tradition, going back to Har Sinai. So when a person truly understands that the entire Oral Torah is extrapolated, derived, and elucidated from the Written Torah—that everything has to have a source somewhere—then they know that one cannot truly be understood or upheld without the other, that they are intrinsically bound. But again, the full scope of this profound knowledge will take more than a lifetime, indeed, more than ten lifetimes to acquire. But that is precisely what we strive to delve into a little bit more each time. This relentless pursuit, my friends, is the very essence of Avodat Hashem, our service to G-d. Each lesson, each shiur, each moment we dedicate to understanding the intricate tapestry of Hashem's wisdom, brings us closer to Him and strengthens the foundation of our mesorah. We must continuously strive to learn more, to understand more deeply, to apply more diligently, and thereby to grow in our connection to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. May we all be blessed to continue this sacred journey, to grow ever deeper in our Torah learning, and to fulfill its mitzvot with joy and understanding, b'ezrat Hashem.

5:11...My dear talmidim, we often speak about our obligation to grow in ruchniyut, to truly connect with HaKadosh Baruch Hu through His holy Torah. It's not enough to simply hear the words; we must strive for an ever-deeper engagement. So when we discuss how to genuinely advance in our avodas Hashem, what exactly does that entail? It's not merely about, as some might colloquially put it, doing a bit more of this and that; rather, it is our chiyuv, our sacred obligation, to always strive for aliyos in our avodas Hashem. This means we must leha'amik b'iyun, to delve into the profound depths of Torah with sharp analysis, and l'harbot b'limud ha'Torah lishmah, to diligently increase our learning for its own sake. Beyond just intellectual engagement, it requires us to l'kayem ha'mitzvot b'hiddur, to fulfill the commandments with beautification and extra diligence, and l'harbot b'ma'asim tovim, to increase our acts of kindness. Ultimately, this leads us to l'hakim halakha l'ma'aseh, to translate every teaching into practical application, thereby bringing the kedusha of Torah into every fiber of our being and making a true kiddush Hashem in the world. This is the true path of a Ben Torah, a path of continuous growth and spiritual refinement. May HaKadosh Baruch Hu grant us the strength and siyata d'Shmaya to pursue this noble endeavor with all our hearts, and to merit seeing the full revelation of His glory, bimheira b'yameinu, amen.