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 # 244,
Tachanun. Good Shabbos!
A Tale of Two Wives
Korach (from the tribe of Levi), along with Dassan, Aviram, On ben Peles
(all from the tribe of Reuven) and 250 other men, rebelled against Moshe and
Aharons' leadership. G-d divinely confirmed Moshe and Aharon's leadership
when the earth swallowed up Korach, Dattan and Aviram, and their entire
families, and a heavenly fire consumed the 250 men.
The obvious question is, what happened to On ben Peles? While On ben Peles
and Korach started out in the same clique, they met very different ends.
Korach suffered an ignominious death, while On ben Peles escaped.
The Talmud [Sanhedrin 109b] explains how they wound up going their separate
ways. The Gemara says that the wife of On ben Peles saved him. She saw that
he was getting all fired up about Korach's rebellion. She told him, "What
difference does it make to you? If Moshe is the leader, you will be _his_
disciple and if Korach is the leader, you will be _his_ disciple. Either
way, your station in life will not change. Why are you getting all excited?"
On ben Peles told his wife that since he had already sworn allegiance to
Korach, there was no way he could now remove himself from the group. His
wife gave him alcoholic beverages to drink until he fell asleep. She then
went outside the tent as the 'mob' passed by, and did not allow them to
come in and wake her husband. They ultimately left without him. Because of
her, On ben Peles was saved.
On the other hand, the Talmud tells us that Korach's wife egged him on. It
was her teasing which angered him against Moshe and fired him up to start
his rebellion. We know the rest of the story.
The point of this Rabbinic teaching is to teach us what a difference a wife
can make. Every once in a while, we need to hear words from our wives that
set us straight and put us in our place. On the other hand, if a person does
not merit a good wife, she and her urgings can be his undoing and the cause
of his destruction.
This is the interpretation that Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (The Netziv)
gave to explain the expression "Ezer k'negdo" (a helpmate, opposite him)
[Bereshis 2:18]. Sometimes she can help by helping, and sometimes she can
help by opposing, standing up and protesting -- putting the husband,
respectfully, in his right place [Yevamos 63a].
The divergent fate of Korach on the one hand and that of On ben Peles on
the other, was the tale of two men, and even more, the tale of two wives.
The Argument of Korach and His Community
The Mishneh [Avos 5:17] says that any argument that is for the sake of
Heaven is destined to have lasting, positive results, and any argument
that is not for the sake of Heaven (in which people only serve their self
interests) will never have positive results. As the classic example of an
argument for the sake of Heaven, the Mishneh sites the disciples of Hillel
and Shammai. The paradigm of an argument not for the sake of Heaven is that
of "Korach and his community." Many have commented that in order to use
appropriate, parallel language in the Mishneh, the example should be "the
argument of Korach and Moshe" (the two adversaries), not "of Korach and his
community."
Rav Shimon Schwab (1908-1995) offers the following insight. What does the
Mishneh mean when it says that the argument of Korach and his community is
an argument that is not for the sake of Heaven? Rav Schwab says that when
there is an argument for the sake of Heaven, both parties realize that there
is another side to the argument. Beis Shammai may say 'Guilty' and Beis
Hillel may say 'Innocent', but they are both interested in arriving at the
truth. In order to get to the truth, I must hear the other side. I agree
that there is another side to the argument. I may happen to think that the
other side is wrong, but I admit that there _is_ another side.
An argument that is not for the sake of Heaven is that of Korach and his
followers. These individuals all believed that there was only _their_ side
of the argument. There was nothing to talk about. They were not even willing
to listen to the other side. They were not interested in finding the truth.
They were only interested in promoting _their_ side. It was not the argument
of Korach and Moshe. To this community, Moshe did not even exist. He had no
'side' in the dispute.
We must be tolerant enough and understanding enough to realize that there
can perhaps be two sides to an issue. We must at least be willing to listen
to and willing to consider the other side. We do not need to be willing to
agree to the other side, but we must at least admit that the other side
exists. Sometimes people become so intolerant and so closed-minded that they
are not even willing to admit this.
The Talmud tells us, "Just as the faces of people do not exactly resemble
one another, so too their opinions do not exactly resemble one another"
[Brochos 58a]. Just as no two people look exactly alike, so too, no two
people think exactly alike.
I once heard an insight into this Rabbinical comment, in the name of Rav
Shlomo Eiger (1786-1852). The meaning of the Talmud's statement is that just
as it should not bother me when someone does not look like me, so too, the
fact that someone does not think like me should not bother me.
A person is considered among the disciples of Hillel and Shammai when he is
tolerant and is not bothered by someone disagreeing with him. However, when
a person can not tolerate disagreement with his own opinion and feels that
'there is no other side', he is unfortunately considered a disciple of
Korach and his congregation.
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah portion (#244).
The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is: Tachanun. The other
halachic portions for this parsha from the Commuter Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from Project Genesis, 1-410-654-1799.
