This week’s Torah portion discusses the Rebellion of Korach. Much ink is spilled over the arguments brought by Korach and his followers and how Moshe dealt with the confrontation. Off the page though, hidden away in a Sanhedrin 109b, our Sages reveal how women were pulling the strings behind the scenes that lead to certain characters’ salvation or ruin…
The first line of the parsha lists On ben Pelah as one of the leaders of the rebellion. Yet his name does not come up again in the parsha. Why not? Our Sages fill us in, that On’s righteous wife convinced him to abandon the rebellion. She argued that he would be no better off serving under Korach than he would under Moshe, so he didn’t have anything to gain. When he asked how he could get out of his verbal commitments to join the other rebels, she said she would take care of it for him. She got him drunk until he passed out. Then she loitered outside their tent, with her hair revealed immodestly, and the other rebels were too embarrassed to approach. Then the whole rebellion (and it’s failure), then proceeded without On.
Meanwhile, Korach’s wife pushed him harder to rebel against Moshe. She chided Korach that Moshe was mocking him. After all, Moshe told Korach and the Levites to have all their hair shaved off. She then waved off the fact that Moshe also had his own head shaved. She accused Moshe of nepotism for his brother Aharon and his nephews (despite the fact that it was G-d who appointed those positions). She gave Korach the argument about how a fully techeiles dyed garment shouldn’t need it’s fringes dyed, as an analogy for how Moshe shouldn’t be placed above other Jews (despite the fact that her goal was just to emplace Korach above other Jews instead).
Both Korach and On ben Pelah start the parsha heading in the same bad direction. But On is saved by his wife’s good advice and actions. While Korach is lead further astray by his wife, ending in both of them getting swallowed up by the ground.
None of us is in this world alone. We have spouses, family members, and friends. They all do or say foolish things sometimes. Do you get wrapped up in any craziness in front of you and push it further out of control? Or can you take a step back and help those around you course correct to a more holy path?
People don’t always ask us what they should do. And if they don’t ask, it’s often a good idea not to push. Someone has to have their ears open before they can hear.
But when they do come to us, we shouldn’t be afraid to nudge them in a more positive direction.
For as we see from the wife of On, you don’t have to be the one in the spotlight to be the hero who quietly saves someone’s life.
Good Shabbos,
Rabbi A and the JET Team
