BH
Parshat Eikev is read as we enter the forty-five-day period before Rosh Hashanah. In Breslov, these weeks are marked by intensified yearning and prayer to merit being with Rebbe Nachman for Rosh Hashanah.
The opening Parshiyot of the Book of Devarim—Devarim, VaEtchanan, Eikev and Re’eh—contain many of Moshe Rabbeinu’s final moral teachings. Before leaving the world, Moshe prepares Am Yisrael to enter Eretz Yisrael by reviewing why they must love Hashem, remain faithful to the Torah, avoid sin and understand the purpose of the Land and the Beit HaMikdash. He reminds them of Hashem’s miracles, calls them to teshuvah and teaches them the perspective they will need for the future.
In Chapter 11 of Parshat Eikev, Moshe tells the Jewish people to love Hashem and keep His commandments. They personally witnessed enough to know that Hashem is their God. They saw the miracles in Egypt, the splitting of the Yam Suf and everything Hashem did for them in the desert.
Moshe then reminds them of another event:
They saw what Hashem did to Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eliav from the tribe of Reuven, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents and everything standing at their feet.
Rashi explains that “everything standing at their feet” includes their wealth, possessions and vessels.
Yet Rashi’s comment on the end of the verse—“among all Israel”—reveals a dispute between Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nechemiah over precisely how the followers of Datan, Aviram and Korach were swallowed.
Behind their disagreement lies a profound lesson about punishment, setbacks and Hashem’s determination to leave a person an opening for teshuvah.
One Mouth or Many?
According to Rabbi Yehudah, if one of Datan and Aviram’s followers fled from their encampment, the ground opened directly beneath him and swallowed him wherever he stood.
He could run into another section of the camp, but he could not escape. The earth would crack open at that very place and take him down.
Rabbi Nechemiah objected. In Parshat Korach, the Torah says that the earth opened “its mouth,” in the singular. According to Rabbi Yehudah, however, the earth would have opened many mouths throughout the camp, wherever the members of Korach’s assembly attempted to hide.
Rabbi Yehudah responded that the verse in Parshat Eikev says the event occurred “among all Israel.” This seems to indicate that wherever these people were among the nation, they were swallowed. How could Rabbi Nechemiah explain that language while maintaining that there was only one opening?
Rabbi Nechemiah answered that the ground became like a sloping tube or funnel.
Wherever a member of the assembly stood, the earth tilted and carried him toward the original opening. They rolled downward until they reached the one place where the earth had opened its mouth.
This itself required an extraordinary miracle. As the ground sloped, only the guilty people, together with their homes, tents and possessions, were drawn into the funnel. The other Jews, their families, houses and animals were not swept away.
There remained only one mouth, but the entire surrounding area directed the guilty parties toward it.
Why does Rashi preserve this disagreement? What difference does it make whether the earth opened immediately beneath each person or carried them toward one central opening?
Either way, the members of Korach’s assembly were punished.
The difference is the time between the beginning of the punishment and its completion.
The Moment Before the Fall
According to Rabbi Yehudah, the punishment was immediate.
The person sinned, the earth opened beneath him and he disappeared. There was no time to reflect, regret or change.
According to Rabbi Nechemiah, the person began rolling.
He knew where he was headed, but he had not yet reached the mouth of the earth. Between the realization that judgment had begun and the moment it was completed, he had time to think.
That interval created the possibility of teshuvah.
We find this idea explicitly with the sons of Korach. Chazal teach that as they were being swallowed, they repented. At the final moment, a protected ledge or elevated place was created for them within Gehinnom, and they did not share Korach’s ultimate fate.
They had fallen almost completely, but not instantly. The brief delay gave them the opportunity to reconsider what they had done and return to Hashem.
The same possibility is contained in Rabbi Nechemiah’s funnel.
His very name hints to nechamah (consolation). His interpretation leaves room for hope. Even those who joined Datan, Aviram and Korach were given a final chance to regret their rebellion.
Rabbi Yehudah’s view expresses strict judgment: one who denies Moshe Rabbeinu and damages faith in the Tzaddikim deserves immediate punishment.
Rabbi Nechemiah’s view adds another dimension: before the punishment is completed, give him time to wake up.
Hashem Always Leaves Another Chance
This reflects Hashem’s way throughout Parshat Eikev.
Moshe repeatedly reminds Am Yisrael that even after their gravest failures, Hashem allowed them to begin again.
They made the Golden Calf, yet after Moshe’s prayers and the renewal of the covenant, Hashem continued leading them toward Eretz Yisrael.
Later, the generation accepted the spies’ report and refused to enter the Land. That generation lost its opportunity, but Hashem did not abandon the Jewish people. Their children would enter instead.
The individual may lose one opportunity, but the nation continues. Even within judgment, there is a future.
Hashem continually leaves an opening for another beginning.
If even the followers of Korach were given time to repent while rolling toward the earth’s mouth, then no person should conclude that his own situation is hopeless.
There is always a second chance.
The Betishah of Lesson 24
Rebbe Nachman describes this interval in Likutey Moharan Lesson 24 through the concept of a betishah – a striking or pushback.
A person is moving through life, and everything seems to be progressing properly. He believes he is making the correct decisions and following the right path.
Then something unexpected happens.
He is struck by a serious disappointment, crisis or reversal. His plans collapse, and he feels thrown completely off course.
“What is Hashem doing to me? I thought everything was going well. I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do. Why have I suddenly been hit like this?”
The betishah shocks a person, but it also gives him a space in which to settle his mind.
It interrupts the momentum of his life and forces him to look again at where he is going.
The setback can therefore become an opening for teshuvah.
Like the follower of Korach rolling through Rabbi Nechemiah’s funnel, the person has not yet reached the final outcome. He has been shaken, but he still has time to think, turn to Hashem and change direction.
When Hashem sends a crisis as a warning, don’t wait for it to become irreversible – ask what can still be repaired!
A Crisis Usually Has a History
People often describe a crisis as though it appeared from nowhere.
A person may say, “My marriage suddenly fell apart,” or “My wife suddenly left me.”
But serious breakdowns usually have a history. There was a gradual buildup: unresolved problems, missed signals, harmful habits or a growing distance that was not addressed.
The visible crisis may feel sudden, but it is often the end of a longer process.
That process itself contains warnings and opportunities.
Before the final collapse, Hashem frequently gives a person time to notice what is happening. He may feel discomfort, confusion or repeated setbacks. These are not moments to remain passive. They are invitations to stop and ask:
“What is happening in my life?”
“What am I doing?”
“What might Hashem be trying to show me?”
“What can I still change before it is too late?”
The funnel is frightening because it is moving downward. But as long as the person has not reached the bottom, the movement itself can awaken him.
Keter Means to Wait
Rebbe Nachman connects the betishah to the Keter.
The word Keter resembles the Aramaic word katar, meaning “wait.”
In the Book of Iyov, Elihu tells Iyov:
“Katar li ze’er va’achaveka” – “Wait for me a little, and I will explain to you.”
Elihu asks Iyov to pause before continuing to question Hashem’s judgment. He tells him to wait, listen and allow another perspective to emerge.
This is what the Keter does in a person’s life.
A person is advancing, but the Keter pushes him back and says:
“Wait.”
“Do not continue automatically.”
“Stop and consider what is happening.”
The setback may feel like rejection, but its purpose is to create time and space for a deeper response.
Instead of immediately reacting with panic—“I cannot believe this is happening to me”—the person can allow the betishah to slow him down.
He can say:
“Hashem, I do not understand this. What do You want from me now?”
The Keter does not merely block him. It gives him the gift of katar: the chance to wait, reflect and redirect his life.
Compassion Even for the Guilty
The members of Korach’s assembly were not innocent people suffering inexplicably. They had participated in a rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu and damaged faith in the true Tzaddik.
Yet even they were given time.
Hashem’s compassion extends to every person. Certainly, someone who is basically good but has made mistakes should not interpret a setback as proof that he has been abandoned.
The very fact that he is still able to think, regret, pray and choose differently means that the door remains open.
The pushback may be severe, but it is not necessarily the conclusion. It may be the final warning before the conclusion – a chance to wake up while there is still time.
Rolling Through Life
Rashi says that the members of Korach’s assembly would roll until they reached the original opening.
The word for rolling, mitgalgel, is often used by Chazal in describing the changing circumstances of life.
Life turns like a wheel.
A person may be above and then below, successful and then struggling, secure and then uncertain. Situations develop, rotate and carry him into places he never expected.
The movement of the wheel should cause him to reflect.
He should not move passively through life, accepting everything without thought and saying, “That is simply how things happen.”
Hashem wants him to pay attention.
Why has this situation developed?
Why has the wheel turned in this direction?
What response is now required?
The rolling itself is a message.
A person should make a gesture toward Hashem while he still can. He should speak to Hashem, examine his choices and take practical steps toward change.
The Funnel Is Also an Opening
A funnel narrows.
At the top, there is space to move. As a person descends, the walls close in and the number of available choices decreases.
This is how a crisis often develops. At first, many repairs are possible. If the warning signs are ignored, the situation becomes narrower and harder to reverse.
Yet the funnel also directs a person toward one point.
The confusion of ordinary life begins to disappear. He can no longer avoid the central question. The crisis forces him to confront what truly matters.
That narrowing can become a source of clarity.
For the followers of Korach, the funnel could have led only to punishment. But before they reached its mouth, it also gave them one last opportunity to choose teshuvah.
For us, the betishah can serve the same purpose.
A setback interrupts the distractions and forces a person to face Hashem.
Waking Up Before It Is Too Late
The practical lesson of Rabbi Nechemiah’s interpretation is not to wait for a crisis to become irreversible.
When Hashem sends a warning, a delay or a pushback, a person should not waste the interval.
He should stop.
He should settle his mind.
He should speak to Hashem.
He should examine his relationships, his avodat Hashem and the direction of his life.
He should ask what can still be repaired.
The person who ignores the funnel continues rolling toward the mouth. The person who uses the time may discover that, like the sons of Korach, even the final moments can contain an opening for salvation.
Parshat Eikev teaches that Hashem does not seek to trap a person without hope. Even judgment can be structured to leave time for teshuvah.
The betishah says, “Wait.”
The funnel says, “Wake up.”
Rabbi Nechemiah says, “There is still nechamah.”
May we be zocheh to recognize the messages Hashem sends us, use every setback as an opportunity for reflection and make the right decisions while the door of teshuvah remains open.
Shabbat Shalom u’Mevorach.
Meir Elkabas
This article also appears on the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/the-funnel-of-hope/
For a video presentation of this article: https://youtu.be/is62dPE_S1g
For more on this lesson: linktr.ee/breslovtherapy_lesson_24
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