Rabbotai, I want to ask a question here. We’re talking about heads of Sanhedrins here; notable men. The Mishna in Avot teaches: Which dispute is not for the sake of heaven? The dispute of Korach and his congregation. The Malbim asks: Korach and his congregation were on the same side; so who were they disputing with according to the text of this Mishna? It should say “Korach and his congregation, versus Moshe.” The Malbim says no. It’s among themselves that Korach and his gang were disputing. Each wanted something different. Korach wanted to be Kohen Gadol. The sons of Reuven wanted the Kehuna to return to the tribe of Reuven. The 250 heads of Sanhedrins wanted the Avodah to return to the firstborns of every house, as before Cheit Ha’Eigel. The dispute of Korach and his congregation, as per the Mishnah, was that each wanted something different than the next. The main thing they had in common was protest and that Aharon should not be Kohen Gadol.
How did Korach pull everyone in? Rashi writes, with words of mockery. Mockery is a topic in itself which we don’t have time for today, but perhaps tomorrow we’ll discuss it in greater detail. He mocked the mezuzah, the tallit, the widow, the forgotten sheaf, the corner of the field, tithes, and Korbanot. He made a mockery of all the Mitzvot, as the Mesilat Yesharim writes (Chapter 5). Mockery is like oil on the road – a huge truck hits it, brakes, and it’s gone. Nothing works with oil; just as mockery brings down great people.
Aharon was chosen by Hakadosh Baruch Hu – fire came down from heaven to consume his offering. What more proof do you need? Why argue with that? The Chizkuni writes (Beha’alotcha) that Aharon lifted and waved all 22,000 Levi’im in a single day. Think about that – how do you even begin to physically lift 22,000 people? It’s beyond comprehension. This wasn’t just a ceremony; it was a miracle. And instead of standing in awe of Aharon’s divine strength and role, Korach mocked the process and turned it into a joke. He complained that they shaved him bald, claiming even his wife didn’t recognize him when he came home. He had to give her signs before she believed it was him. That’s what he focused on – the shaved head, not the wonder of Aharon lifting Levi after Levi without rest or strain. At a wedding you lift one groom and check afterward to make sure your spine’s intact, and here Aharon lifted thousands. That alone should have silenced any argument. Instead, he mocks. That’s the trait of mockery.
I saw in the book Ma'ayan HaShavua something very nice. He talks about this idea and to better understand it, he asks how much time passed between Yetziat Mitzrayim and Korach’s dispute. A year and a half. Just a half year prior was the inauguration of the Mishkan. Moshe Rabbeinu descends with the Torah – how can anyone say he’s a liar? How can anyone possibly suggest he appoints whomever he wishes? Truly bewildering. Aharon the Kohen – when the Mishkan was dedicated, everyone fell to the ground and fire down came from heaven. How can you mock that? That’s the question he asks, and he provides a wonderful answer, via a Tunisian story. Listen to his story, a very cute one.
A fox entered a vineyard and began eating, or in other words, destroying the vines. Suddenly, he sees the owner approaching with all ten of his children. Perhaps a war was raging and the schools were closed, so he brought the kids to help – reasonably assuming there was a shelter there and not dragging them out irresponsibly. The fox, panicking, thinks, “They’ll kill me, they’ll take my...” Fearing slaughter, he decides to play dead.
The fox lies on the ground, legs up, mouth open, drooling, appearing lifeless. The children arrive and say, “Dad, look, a dead fox!” The father warns, “Don’t touch it – it’s full of diseases!” The kids shrug, “Diseases, whatever, let’s do something fun with it.” They decide to make a fox doll, like a snowman with a carrot and props. They dress up the fox. One child takes a scarf, drapes it on the fox, and turns it into Little Red Riding Hood. Another girl says, “Let’s put shoes on him,” removes her shoes, places them on the fox, and they fit perfectly. Her sister adds, “Take yours off too – let’s put four shoes on and take a selfie!” It’s not every day you get such a miracle!
The father returns and says, “Kids, let’s go home,” but the children protest, “Dad, wait!” He insists, “Enough nonsense, come now!” They argue, “But Dad, there’s a dead fox we’ve dressed up.” He tells his eldest, “Moishe, take a shovel and toss it over the fence, quick!” Moishe grabs a shovel, scoops the fox, and throws it over. The fox, sailing through the air, waves goodbye, lands, and runs off with the shoes and scarf. Soon, in the forest, a lion appears. “Ah, I haven’t eaten a fox in ages,” it growls. The fox replies, “Eat me? I’m just ten kilos – not worth it. Kill me, and you lose the forest’s top shoe-fitting expert. Look, I have shoes! I can step on glass, thorns, nothing bothers me. Let me go, and I’ll make you army boots, tightly tied – truly amazing boots!” The lion says, “Fine, I’ll lie down, and you start working.” The fox responds, “First, I need leather. I can catch a hare, but that’s way too small. Bring me a zebra or giraffe – something to match your color.” The lion says, “Wait here, I’ll bring something good.”
The story says the lion finds a camel, kills it, eats 300 kilos of dinner, and skins it for boots. He returns, camel skin in mouth, and says, “Here’s the skin. I ate well, so I’ll rest a bit.” Lions, after eating, sleep like zombies. While the lion sleeps, the fox takes the camel skin, ties the lion’s front and back legs tightly, like a lasso. He then wakes the lion, saying, “Mr. Lion, all okay? I made you eternal boots. Goodbye – you’ll never walk again!” The lion struggles, unable to free his legs, and roars, “I’ll get you! What should I eat first – your stomach, your liver?” The fox mocks him, jumping left and right, unafraid. But on one jump, the fox’s tail dips near the lion’s mouth, and the lion bites it off. Now a tailless fox, he thinks, “I don’t need a tail, but if the lion escapes, there are no other tailless foxes in the jungle – he’ll know it’s me and eat me.” What to do? He can’t kill the lion, so, he decides to cut off all the foxes’ tails in the market. No tails for anyone.
The cunning fox calls a fox council meeting. “Gentlemen, an
