#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
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VERSE: Ex01-13a
RASHIS COVERED: Ex01-13a Ex16-20a Nu16-27a
===== WHY DOES RASHI THINK Ex01-13 refers to DATAN/AVIRAM ======
This Rashi is really wild. It comes from a SHMOTH Rabbah that
even the wittiest of commentators cannot understand. Let us
review the original sources
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--Shmoth Rabbath 1:29
* Dathan/Aviram were the two people fighting in Ex01-13
* Dathan/Aviram violated orders and left over the manna
* Dathan/Aviram wanted to return to Egypt (Nu14-04)
* Dathan/Aviram rebelled by the Reed Sea (Nu21-05)
--Shmoth Rabbah 25:10
* Rav Shimon Ben Lakish said it was Dathan & Aviram
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Why are these anonymous episodes connected with Dathan & Aviram
Various wild explanations are given. The following 3
explanations are given by Midrash Avcir presented by Matnoth
Kehunah; Midrash Avcir presented by MAHARZU; The Talmud in
Aracin and te Midrash Rabbah 1:29 respectively
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* Whatever you can attribute to the wicked do
* They said WILL YOU KILL US(Ex01-14) hinting to deathby Korach
* Both here & by Korach they are called DISTINGUISHED PEOPLE
* The text calls them FIGHTERS (here,Ex01-13 and by Korach)
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None of these arguments looks very strong. In fact the MHARZU
points out that their are dissenting opinions and that it
is only one opinion that Dathan/Aviram were fighting in
Ex01-13
Why then did Rashi bring it? Why did Rashi only accuse DATHAN
and AVIRAM of SOME of the above incidents (Why not accuse
them of all 4--keeping over manna, wanting to return to Egypt,
rebelling by the Reed sea and Korach?)
My opinion is simple. As the LIST below shows there are three
types of rebellions
* MATURE REBELLION
----------------
The Jews eg could say that they had no food or were
outnumbered and didnt want to take the risk of fighting
* PETTY REBELLION
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The Jews could rebel for the sake of rebellion -- they
e.g. could refuse to do little inconsequential things
* PROVOCATIVE REBELLION
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You can disagree and e.g. say I DONT BELIEVE GOD CAN GIVE
ME ISRAEL. Or you can disagree in a provocative way and
create a scene.
Rashis point is very simple. Only certain psychological
types do PETTY rebellion. They usually have poor marriages
and an incapacity to delay gratification. Hence they
have a compulsion to be petty.
As we glance thru the list below we see that Rashi
accused DATHAN/AVIRAM AND THEIR 250 FOLLOWERS of
instigating the Petty Rebellions. (Notice how I
expand Rashis statement DATHAN/AVIRAM to DATHAN/AVIRAM
AND THEIR 250 FOLLOWERS. For all 250 of them were
characterized by PETTINESS. This makes Rashi more
plausible)
The footnotes on the LIST below detail how DATHAN/AVIRAM
were accused of instigating the PETTY/PROVOCATIVE REBELLIONS.
================================================================
REBELLION VERSE REBELLED AGAINST PETTY/MATURE NOTE
========= ======= =================== ============ ====
Manna Ex16-20 dont leave over PETTY *1
Korach Nu16-12 Lets talk(Moses) Petty *2
Korach Nu16-27 Involved children Provocative *3
Spies Nu13-31 Overcome Canaanites Mature *3
Food Nu11-01 Dont like Manna Mature
Water Nu20-02 Complained no water Mature
FistFite Ex01-13 Fought each other Provocative *4
NOTES
=====
*1 The need to hoard is the classical symptom of the PETTY
person. (S)he has an incapacity to delay gratification
and hence must hoard. So Rashi connects the sin of HOARDING
manna with DATHAN/AVIRAM who were known for their pettiness
*2 Notice how angry Moses got (Nu16-15) -- Moses saw them
as having the right to rebel; he did not see them as
having the right not to talk They were being PETTY.
*3 Cf Eg the Rebellion of the spies. The Jews didnt believe
that God could help them overcome the Canaanites. Although
this was rebellion against a prophetic order nevertheless
it was a mature rebellion (Since they didnt believe they
could overcome). THEY DID NOT INVOLVE THEIR CHILDREN
Hence the Bible makes a point that their children DID
inherit the land (Nu14-31). By contrast as Rashi says
discretely Dathan/Avirams children DIED in the controversy
But a Divine court does not punish till 20 and a human
court does not punish till 13. Why then were they
punished? Rashi is silent but the point seems to be
that like modern day terrorists they trained their
children to hate Moses and not take orders. Hence their
was no hope for their children--they could not grow up
and make their own decisions--hence God let them die
with them.
Notice how although the Midrash Rabbah says that Datan/
Aviram did instigate the spy rebellion , nevertheless
Rashi is silent since it does not fit into the
paradigm of rebelling on petty things.
*4 Recall that when Moses came over to stop them they
said WHO MADE YOU A RULER OVER US. ARE YOU GOING TO
KILL US THE WAY YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN. Thus we
see the same provocative atmosphere here that we
see by the KORACH REBELLION. Since the personality
type is the same the Midrash/Rashi/Talmud conclude
that the people fighting were from the 250 supporters
of Dathan/Aviram.
(Again the point is one of PETTY PROVOCATION. By Korach
Dathan/Aviram refused to even talk (Hence I call this
Petty Provocation). Similarly in Ex01-13 they accused
Moses who was simply trying to stop a fight of trying
to own them. We see here the same petty provocation.
On the other hand, by contrast, the Midrashic statement
that Dathan/Aviram instigated the Spy incident is
Rejected by Rashi. All the instigators said there is
(Nu14-04) let us go back to Egypt (hardly a petty
statement, though it was a rebellion).
Finally note that the classical Talmudic derivation
based on SIMILAR WORDS (FIGHT FIGHT(Ex01-13 vs Nu16-30)
can now be see as a deep insight --- it is not just
the words FIGHT FIGHT that are the same--it is
rather PERSONALITY TYPE that is the same--both in
Ex01-13 and in Nu16-30 they were PROVOCATIVE FIGHTERS.
==========================================================
NOTE
====
I have classified this Rashi as REASONS/IMPLICATIONS. For
Rashi is explaining something beyond the text; Rashi is
deriving a moral inference from the text.
RASHIS RULE USED: REASONS/IMPLICATIONS
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Volume 10 Number 17
#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
Volume 10 Number 17