In
his revolt against the authority of Moses and Aaron, Korach was
supported by Dathan and Abiram and by On, the son of Peleth. The opening
verse of this sidra is the only place where On ben Peleth is mentioned;
and his name does not occur in the more detailed narrative that
follows. Noting the absence of the name from the subsequent account, the
Talmud states, that On, the son of Peleth, was saved from the
consequences of his folly by the wisdom and sound common sense of his
wife. She pointed out to him that he had nothing to gain from rebelling
because whoever remained the leader, Moses or Korach, he would be simply
a follower (Sanhedrin 109b). He took her advice, withdrew from the
rebellion and was saved.
The
Midrash finds allusions in his name to the initial involvement of On
ben Peleth in Korach's mutiny. He is called On (connected with aninut,
"mourning") because he did not cease from mourning for having sided with
Korach; and he is named ben Pelet (connected with pele, "miracle")
because he was rescued from destruction by a miracle. The Midrash also
understands the words of Proverbs "The wise among the women build her
house" (14:11) to refer to On's wife whose wisdom rescued her household
from destruction, and it takes the continuation of the verse "But the
foolish woman overthrows it with her own hands" to refer to Korach's
wife who, in encouraging her husband to rebel, destroyed him and herself
(Bemidbar Rabbah 18:15).
The
good influence a Jewish woman can have is most effectively exerted in
her home, the strongest fortress for moral values. As King David says in
Psalms: "the glory of the King's daughter is in her home." From the
earliest times in the history of Israel the honored place of the Jewish
woman was first and foremost in her home because of the Jewish values
she nurtures in her family.
The
most vital areas of a Jew's life are entrusted to women's care and
attention. Thus, the Mishna in Tractate Shabbat mentions three mitzvot
specifically highlighting the woman's powerful and central role in
Judaism: niddah (laws of family purity), challah (sanctifying a portion
of baked bread), and hadlakat nerot (lighting candles). Niddah governs
sexual relations and procreation; challah symbolizes sanctity and
kashrut in the home, and candles are a symbol of the Sabbath and the
Festivals, that we are able to sanctify time.
The
Torah states that G-d created Eve from Adam's rib in order that she
should be a helpmate for him (Genesis 2:18) – ezer kenegdo. The Hebrew
phrase is somewhat contradictory. Ezer is "a help", and kenegdo is
"against him". In the Talmud (Yevamot 63a) Rabbi Elazar solved the
difficulty by saying that if her husband is worthy she is to help him,
but if he is not worthy she is against him. Perhaps, however, she
sometimes helps him by being against him. If she smooths his rough
edges , corrects his faults and points out when he is wrong, she helps
him by not mirroring or reinforcing his shortcomings. Sometimes only a
wife can appropriately correct her husband. A man is often a poor judge
of his own character and cannot see himself objectively. Thus, the
gematriya (numerical value) of אשה (wife) in Hebrew equals מוסר (rebuke), because only a wife can properly reprove and correct her husband. Musar (rebuke) also in gematriya equals דבש (honey). For rebuke to be effective, it must be given in a sweet and pleasant manner.
***
I bring this here because Rav Eliyahu, זצוק"ל, used to live in my neighborhood before he passed, and one of his sons is the rabbi of one of the batei knesset here. I am also happy that he did so much good for Jonathan and Esther.
Of course, we also know that Jonathan listens to his wife and keeps her close — the point of this post!
***
Hodesh tov uShabbath Shalom!
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