Why did chazal interject women into parshas korach?
Rabbi Frand on Parshas Korach
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 378 - Truth Telling to Patients. Good Shabbos!
The Brilliance of Common Sense
"Korach, son of Yitzhar, son of Kahas, son of Levi, separated himself with Dasan and Aviram, sons of Eliav, and O'ne son of Peles, the offspring of Reuvain" [Bamidbar 16:1]. On many occasions, we have quoted the Medrashic elaboration on Parshas Korach that contrasts two types of wives — the wife of Korach and the wife of O'ne ben Peles [Sanhedrin 109b]. Although O'ne ben Peles is listed prominently in the opening pasuk of the Parsha among the co- conspirators of Korach's rebellion, he did not die. Korach died. Dasan and Aviram died. But our Sages teach us that O'ne ben Peles's wife saved him.
According to the Talmud, Korach's wife goaded him on and encouraged him to stand up against Moshe and his family's nepotism. O'ne ben Peles' wife, on the other hand, counseled her husband to avoid the dispute. "Listen, O'ne, what are you going to get out of this? Whichever way things play out, you will still emerge as just a 'bit player'. Either Moshe will emerge as the unchallenged leader or Korach will emerge as the leader. In either case you will be nothing more that a 'second fiddle'! You stand to gain nothing by getting involved in this fight!"
The Talmud quotes the pasuk "Chochmas Nashim bansa baysah" [The wisdom of a wife can save a household] [Mishlei 14:1]. The Gemara explains that this refers to the wife of O'ne ben Peles. She exhibited tremendous wisdom by convincing her husband that there was nothing to be gained by getting involved in Korach's rebellion. Shlomo was alluding to this wisdom in the above quoted pasuk.
The question can be asked, however, where was the great wisdom here? It was a rather elementary conclusion that her husband would not be the leader either way. Where was the great brilliance? She did nothing more than point out an obvious fact to her husband.
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz raises this question and explains that when most people are involved in disputes (machlokes), they 'lose their cool' and lose their common sense. The fire of machlokes — picking sides, getting involved, becoming part of it — is all-powerful. There is an over-riding tendency and evil inclination to throw away one's common sense and jump into the blinding dynamics of machlokes. It requires brilliance to overcome that tendency and instead use such a simple and down to earth approach. Maintaining common sense in moments of tension requires great wisdom.
This is the lesson of the Gemara. "The wisdom of a wife can save a household." Merely telling her husband a simple truth demonstrated great sagacity because most people would have 'gotten involved' and 'lost their cool'.
Judaism.com
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Horav Hatomim Chaim C. quoted Isaiah Berlin saying that “in England, taking an idea seriously is a sign of mental decay” {- please correct if you know the exact quote}
If everyone always listened to what this Gemoreh {praising her selfish attitude} is telling us - we would still be in the dark ages.
(unless, and this is quite plausable, Chazal were simply sneaking in some advise for woman who are dealing with their husbands involvement on the wrong side of the struggle. and that really, it isn’t this exact argument that is true, but rather, they praised her wisdom of being able to come up with a custom tailored argument, the only one that her selfish Oyn would listen too. avadeh, the “what do you have out of it?” argument holds no water as “kol yisroel areivim seh l’zeh.”}
fortunately, we have a plethora of other Maamorei Chazal that encourage growth, individuality, challenging and standing up to the establishment. {not to mention the actual ancient rebelion, J’s favorite Chazal, in Broches 27b-28a}.
We have plenty to lose by standing by idly, as the herd is being suppressed into being mislead by leaders who do not level with them.
Long live the Revolution!
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
radha
that’s looking at it too kleinkeppig.
all she did was take away his negies, after that he saw for himself.
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:37 pm
i see two tendencies in chazal. one is to take something as serious as the korachic rebellion which undermines the entire basis of moshe emes v’toroso emes. it is the story of a man at zman matan torah that questions Moses’ legitimacy and chazal turn it into an episode of “I Love Lucy” with those crazy dames stirring up trouble once again. It is what turned our religion into the stuff of cheder yinglach.
second, a nearly constant strain of seeing everything as sexual tension and rivalry starting with the nochosh hakadmoni who instead of wanting to unseat god just wants to fuck chava. freud would be proud. it seemingly had the effect of effiminizing all of judaism a la wittgenstein, hitler and yissocher frand’s vort.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:34 pm
shit
the medrash he’s bringing contrasts three women letoivo three lero’o ayin shom
also look at the chasam soifer on ki shomatu bekoil ishtecho vataoichal, he says they’re two separate aveiros.
June 24th, 2009 at 12:31 am
that this “i love Lucy” Torah is being offered at all pointy illustrates 7fat’s fall from her greatness of a few years back.Korach’s acceptance of Moshe’s terms for the shootout at the o.k. coral contrasted by Datan and Aviram refusal shows that there was no rebellion-rather just a pathetic belief that God should back the people who care about social justice -a belief that even back then must of seemed a pipe-dream. It was God who was insisting on hierarchy.His failed plan for shevie/yoval social justice-humanly impossible-complicates how we’re shown God in this autobiography gone wrong.The Torah clearly had a nervous breakdown over Jethro.Invert the letter N to protect from total chaos of the soul.Which happens anyways. She [Torah] comes out in a 3piece suit only to do a bizarre striptease [Bnot Midan]in front of our eyes which we proceed to deny to ourselves and this self denial becomes Yiddishkeit .Thus Josh Laufer’s concept of the SACRED LIE where we agree that Jud ism is what ever we want it to be.Regardless of what’s written -and what the crushing effect is on all our lives.This brings me to my main point that the greatness of the Chulent movement is to bring to conscience 3000 years of toxic Judaism -poisoning the world instead of fixing it.A task greater than any man could carry, rather it would destroy anyone who tried.Thus Korach-ourselves-rebelling yet clinging to that which destroys him[ourselves]that sweet slightly decaying smell of the incense connecting ourselves to the chaos above where God is unable as well to fix it.Yet this noble effort; unable to be talked about ,is what the Torah unashamed is proclaiming-unable to be heard- the inner whispering crying out to be heard.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:59 am
i disagree totally. hierarchy is the only way. chazal hid and watered things down for a diaspora that would need to be decentralized and ugh egalitarian. we wait for the return of a just monarchy.
it’s funny chasidim scream about the holiness of even the simplest jew yet they give total control to one person because they know it’s a ruse. the snags have maintained that tradition of the worship of superiority. both sides know the masses are asses. but both sides have only been given wooden blocks and play-doh to keep them occupied ad bias goel tzedek which coincidentally is also portrayed as some great donning of wisdom to all yet the king will be able to kill for treason. with korach was buried the truth - only the few will ever have power and wisdom.thank god.
in the interim there is baseball.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
“with korach was buried the truth”
No necessarily! Shmuel hanavi came later saying the same thing.
(He was a descendant of Korach)
June 25th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I don’t think there are many levi’im left who aren’t descended from either moshe or korach. Wonder who my elte zaide was. Either way to all personality cult leaders: “rav lachem. Kol ha’eidah kulam k’deishim uv’seicham Hashem. Umadua tisnas’u al kehal Hashem.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:15 am
The tendency toward fascism within the Jewish world isn’t restricted to the Hasidim or synagogues seating;creeping protestant values where god gives the rich and successful power can be found among stuck in high school minded Jews everywhere even in hip 7 fat cows.Who leads Americas Jews-who ever is richest.Israel is based on ‘were the strongest-fuck you’ God hates the weak.Both fascism and communism had Jewish beginnings.Korach offered democracy in the same way as the Baal Shem Tov offered a different way-that even the ‘lowest ‘ [read poor, unconnected ]Jew could be as holy as a learned rich hip successful 7fatter.There is no greater proof of the failure of Hasidim to bring redemption than seeing its erstwhile advocates totally reject the fundamental basis of its founder that all the Jews are holy in favor of a more convenient philosophy- fascist American post-war Israeli Puritanism -the rich are destined to rule-the strongest to prevail.This goes for ideas as well-don’t respond to what bothers you ignore it -the more connected will prevail.’Holy Zadie Korach’ is hasidut is 7fatcow.The stuck up attitude of Jews today is what is poisoning Jewish life and the life of the world which naturally takes its Que from god’s chosen to serve people.The Baal Shem Tov is being betrayed by Hasidim ;the Jews by their leaderships betrayal of European Jewry 60 years ago; Israel by the acquiescence to evil displayed by every Israel supporter ; the 7cow mission by exclusivism.
June 28th, 2009 at 1:34 am
rabbi youbeasucker fraud
June 28th, 2009 at 6:41 am
“How could you not perceive when I said to you in Iwanie: Gadu illuna beram ikier szarszohi beiare schewiku You cut down a tree, truly, the foundation of its roots remains in the ground. That signifies that all the religions that have been till now, even the First and the Second who you had, have only been temporal. All must be cut out, for all of them are only branches of the tree and all grow from the tree of death; for when they cut off branches, they dry up thereafter and that, that is what stands with you: Until every kingdom turn backwards they will not endure: that is, that all will be cut off. But in truth, the foundation of the roots [is] in the ground, therefore it is not necessary to look upwards. Like when they give a dog grub, it looks up. I wanted to catch hold of the foundation of the root, so you could then have caught hold of me and we would have all held on to the tree of life, not fearing either the ones above or below. Even so, the
ancestors said this word: When we grasp the tree of life & & … for they knew that there is a tree of life and understood that they would hold on to it by words, but they did not yet take hold of it nor do they even know where its place is.”(j/f dicta #708),,,,if you need to borrow an ax,i got a really powerfull One,,,,,,,as always…….love,,,,,,,yesod