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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

 ---------------------------------------------------------
 --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
  ---------------------------------------------------------

  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
  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  * 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)
  ---------------------------------------------------------------

   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
     ---------------
     The Jews could rebel for the sake of rebellion -- they
     e.g. could refuse to do little inconsequential things
   * PROVOCATIVE REBELLION
     ---------------------
   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