Rebbetzin Chava Kuperman
This woman is spoken of in the book of Proverbs: “The wisdom of women has built her house. Who is being referred to? The wife of ben Pelet.” (chapter 14, verse 1).
The event that revealed how truly extraordinary this woman was was Korach’s rebellion.
But first, a word about her husband. On, son of Pelet, comes from the tribe of Reuven, and Reuven, as we know, is the firstborn of the Jewish people. Before the sin of the Golden Calf, those who performed the service (that is, offered sacrifices to G-d) were the firstborn. Members of the tribe of Reuven saw themselves as the firstborn among the firstborn. And then, “suddenly,” this position was taken from them, and it was announced that Aharon would be the High Priest. This is very painful for them. And when Korach starts a rebellion against Moshe, the tribe of Reuven joins him.
On ben Pelet is one of those who join. He comes home and tells his wife everything: how outraged he is by Moshe’s actions, how he will not put up with such injustice, how he will go tomorrow with Korach and all those ready to fight for the truth...
His wife does not share her husband’s enthusiasm, but she understands that if she starts trying to prove anything to him now, we all know how it will end. With nothing good. Just try telling him that he is wrong, that one must not rebel against Moshe, and that in fact he is planning to go against the Almighty... In the state he is in! The argument will go on until morning, each will stick to their own opinion, and her husband will only dig his heels in harder.
The first thing she does is give him food and drink: there is no point arguing with a hungry husband.
Moreover, she shows not just wisdom, but feminine ingenuity. Having worked out the cause, the root of On’s dissatisfaction, she says to him: “You want to be first in the Service? But right now Moshe is first and you are second. If you go with Korach and overthrow Moshe and Aharon, Korach will be first, and you will still be second. What will you gain, dear? What difference will it make to you?”
He says: “But I promised! I can’t let people down now!”
“Ah, yes, of course, you’re right, you’re right. If you promised, you have to go. But you’ll need your strength for that. Here, have a good meal, have a drink, get some sleep.”
She talks to him and gives him wine, little by little, until he is drunk. And On, of course, sleeps past the appointed time.
It should be said that Korach’s men need every supporter. And when they see that the son of Pelet is not among those who have come, they immediately send for him. The “delegation” approaches the house; the messengers are about to wake him. His wife realizes that they will wake him.
What does this clever woman do? At the entrance to the tent, just behind the flap, she sets about washing her hair. When the men sent for the son of Pelet see a married woman without a head covering, they run away (after all, they are religious men and cannot permit themselves such immodesty!).
And On ben Pelet goes peacefully on sleeping. And he wakes up when the earth has already swallowed the rebels...
Now the son of Pelet is afraid to leave the tent, since he is the only one who escaped the terrible fate. On stays at home all the time. And once again, his wife helps him. She goes to Moshe and asks him to come to their tent, take her husband by the arm, and invite him out for a walk. From that moment on, On ben Pelet is no longer afraid to leave the tent.
To be continued