Mrs. Korach was a force for destruction; Mrs. Ohn ben Peles was a force for reconciliation
A well-known midrash introduces us to the wily wife of the biblical Korach. In the privacy of her home, she ridicules Moshe Rabbeinu and the laws of the single “cord of blue,” the techeiles component of the tzitzis cords that are required on a four-cornered garment. She sews a garment made entirely of techeiles and tells her husband to ask Moshe if this, too, requires a single cord of techeiles. When Moshe replies that it does, she laughs at the “illogic” of this law, unaware that her argument is built on erroneous premises. Ultimately she is responsible, say the Sages, for leading her husband, herself, and his rebels into the pit of sheol. (Cf. Midrash Tanchuma on Bamidbar 16 ff.)
Aha! A modern feminist might say. An early example of the patriarchy: blaming women. Here again is the anti-female bias of the ancient misogynist rabbis.
But wait! See the full midrash: Although Ohn ben Peles is listed as a leading rebel at the beginning of the narrative, his name is missing in the climactic scene when they gather around Moshe to taunt him. Where is he? Say the Sages: his wife dissuaded him from rebelling, and so he absented himself from the final confrontation and was saved from the destruction that met Korach and his malcontents.
Thus, Mrs. Korach was a force for destruction; Mrs. Ohn ben Peles was a force for reconciliation.
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