CHOCHMAS NASHIM: ADVOCACY
By: Suri Davis
In this week’s Torah portion, G-d wants to destroy the entire nation, He has had enough of their rebellion. Moshe advocates for the people, taking G-d’s frustration, and focusing it on the latest act of rebellion, that of Korach’s and his group.
וַיִּפְּל֤וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶם֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֕ל אֱלֹהֵ֥י הָרוּחֹ֖ת לְכׇל־בָּשָׂ֑ר הָאִ֤ישׁ אֶחָד֙ יֶחֱטָ֔א וְעַ֥ל כׇּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה תִּקְצֹֽף׃ {ס}
But they. [Moses and Aaron] fell on their faces and said, “O God, Source of the breath of all flesh! When one member sins, will You be wrathful with the whole community?”
אל אלהי הרוחות O GOD, THE GOD OF THE SPIRITS [OF ALL FLESH] — i.e., “[O God] who knowest the thoughts of every man”. Thy nature is not like that of human beings, who are of flesh and blood: an earthly king, who are flesh and blood, against whom part of his country commits an offence, does not know who the sinner is, and therefore when he becomes angry he exacts punishment from all of them. But Thou — before Thee all human thoughts lie open and Thou knowest who is the sinner. [G-d said] “You have spoken well; I know and shall make known who has sinned and who has not sinned” (Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 7).
כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה ק֣וֹל בְּרָמָ֤ה נִשְׁמָע֙ נְהִי֙ בְּכִ֣י תַמְרוּרִ֔ים רָחֵ֖ל מְבַכָּ֣ה עַל־בָּנֶ֑יהָ מֵאֲנָ֛ה לְהִנָּחֵ֥ם עַל־בָּנֶ֖יהָ כִּ֥י אֵינֶֽנּוּ׃ {ס}
כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה מִנְעִ֤י קוֹלֵךְ֙ מִבֶּ֔כִי וְעֵינַ֖יִךְ מִדִּמְעָ֑ה כִּי֩ יֵ֨שׁ שָׂכָ֤ר לִפְעֻלָּתֵךְ֙ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְשָׁ֖בוּ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ אוֹיֵֽב׃
Thus said GOD:
A cry is heard in Ramah —
Wailing, bitter weeping—
Rachel weeping for her children.
She refuses to be comforted
For her children, who are gone.
Thus said GOD:
Restrain your voice from weeping,
Your eyes from shedding tears;
For there is a reward for your labor
—declares GOD:
They shall return from the enemy’s land.
Rachel weeping for her children The Midrash Aggadah states (see Lam. Rabbah Proem 24) that the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs went to appease the Holy One blessed be He concerning the sin of Manasseh who placed an image in the Temple but He was not appeased. Rachel entered and stated before Him “O Lord of the Universe, whose mercy is greater, Your mercy or the mercy of a flesh and blood person? You must admit that Your mercy is greater. Now did I not bring my rival into my house? For all the work that Jacob worked for my father he worked only for me. When I came to enter the nuptial canopy, they brought my sister, and it was not enough that I kept my silence, but I gave her my password. You, too, if Your children have brought Your rival into Your house, keep Your silence for them.” He said to her, “You have defended them well. There is reward for your deed and for your righteousness, that you gave over your password to your sister.” Rashi
Moshe questions G-d about His being a king as compared to human kings. G-d is sui generis as a King of Kings who is omnipotent. Rachel compares G-d to herself, a comparison as to who has greater compassion, G-d, or man who is flesh and blood.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, in his Toras Menachem, raises the question as to why Abraham who pleaded for mercy on behalf of the people of Sodom, did not use this tactic of asking G-d to single out the sinner among the others and kill that one person, rather than sacrifice an entire community, as G-d did in Sodom, and planned on doing in this week’s torah portion.
The Rebbe, in his commentary states that Rashi differentiates between a group of sinners whose intent to sin are core in each person, like the people of Sodom, versus the situation with Korach, who was an inciter, and cajoled and deceived the others to sin. A mortal king will not know who was the inciter, and who merely followed, but G-d knows the thoughts of man, and He does know how to differentiate between the inciter(s), and those who merely were convinced to follow.
It is fascinating to note the advocacy of man with G-d. It is encapsulated with Rachel’s aggressive question to G-d, whose mercy is greater, Yours or that of man who is flesh and blood.
Objectively the bible reader sees that there is evil being done by those in Sodom, by those in the desert, in the time of the Temple in Jerusalem. Yet, they as mortals, have the ability to challenge G-d by showing their mercy at a time when G-d’s mercy and patience seems to be at its end. In the face of man’s mercy, kivyachol/as it were, G-d does not want to be shown up by man, so it cannot be said, as questioned by Rachel, whose mercy is greater, that of G-d, who is the Master of the Universe, or mortal imperfect man.
We learn over and over again, that in the face of adversity, we should advocate for ourselves and our communities, and it is never too late to repent, as it says in Ethics of our Fathers Avot (4:17): “One moment of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than the entire life of the world to come.”
The last verse of this week’s haftorah is:”For G-d will not abandon His people for the sake of His great Name, because G-d desired to make you a people for Himself.”
Good Shabbos.
-Suri