And the land opened its mouth, and swallowed them (Dassan, and Aviram and their families), along with their houses, and all the men that were aligned with Korach, and all their goods. (BaMidbar 16,32)
Rabbi Menashe ben Porat of Illiya was in great demand as a teacher, because of his wonderful drashos. And so he used to travel regularly to the city of Mohilov to lecture. Once when he was giving one of these lectures, he happened to refer to something from the books of the famous philosophers Aristotle and Plato. On hearing this, one of the young married men in the congregation interrupted Rabbi Menashe by calling out rudely, “It is a great sin to mention the wise people of the gentiles here in the Shul in front of the Aron Kodesh.”
A tumult arose in the Shul, and many people rebuked the young man for his arrogance in interrupting such a great teacher as Rabbi Menashe. Rabbi Menashe did not say a word about the interruption however, and he continued his lecture as if nothing had happened, and when he had finished he sat down. Not only did the young man who had disturbed him not come to ask his forgiveness for his brazen behavior, but he even went on to warn Rabbi Menashe that he dare not lecture on the same topics again. Once again Rabbi Menashe acted as if he were deaf and dumb and did not reply or react.
One of the wealthy people in Mohilov was Rabbi Shemaryahu Luria, and it was he who had brought Rabbi Menashe to Mohilov to lecture. After the lecture, Rabbi Shemaryahu went up to Rabbi Menashe and asked him, “How can you stand the chutzpah of that young man?” Once again Rabbi Menashe did not reply.
As Rabbi Shemaryahu was escorting Rabbi Menashe to his house, a calf approached them suddenly and jumped upon Rabbi Shemaryahu causing his coat to fall on the ground. Only then did Rabbi Menashe finally reply, “Why are you silent and not rebuking the calf for its chutzpah? Does the calf have any sense? Does it even know what it is doing? The answer to these questions will also answer your questions about that young man.” (Ketzes Ha-Shemesh BiGvuraso, p.152)
Rabbi Menashe reveals some excellent advice which can help us avoid quarreling with another person: if you begin to feel agitated, judge the other favorably, and simply realize that at this time he lacks the good sense to know how to behave and what to say. This is a valuable lesson in any relationship, where quarreling can cause great harm.
Rabbi Menashe Illiya
Rabbi Menashe Illiya was the son of R’ Yosef ben Porat. Born in 5527 (1767) and died in 5531 (1831). Known as a child prodigy, in his youth he visited the Vilna Gaon regularly. He developed his own unique style and did not refrain from interpreting differently from the Rishonim when they seem to deviate from the pshat of the Gemara.
Unlike the people surrounding the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Menashe refused to ostracize the Chassidic movement. Eventually he paid a visit to Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi praising him as a sage well-versed in all matters of Torah, a perfect Tzadik and through Chabad Chassidus one can certainly achieve wisdom.
Due to his independent views, Rabbi Menashe had difficulty holding a job. He did publish a number of seforim, of which the best known is Aifei Menashe.
His first work, published in 1807, was titled Pesher Davar, a plea not to rush to condemn Chassidus, without investigating or understanding it. Most of the copies were promptly burnt. In the sefer, he called for a meeting of Europe’s sages to work together on finding answers to questions of Emunah. But he warned that it is difficult to dissuade people from viewing their long-held opinions as “Torah from Sinai.”
Notwithstanding the controversy that surrounded Rabbi Menashe in his lifetime, later generations of Torah sages praised him as a mighty sage and investigator of matters to their end.
