(א) ויקהל עליהם קרח. בְּדִבְרֵי לֵצָנוּת, כָּל הַלַּיְלָה הַהוּא הָלַךְ אֵצֶל הַשְּׁבָטִים וּפִתָּה אוֹתָם — "כִּסְבוּרִין אַתֶּם שֶׁעָלַי לְבַדִּי אֲנִי מַקְפִּיד? אֵינִי מַקְפִּיד אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל כֻּלְּכֶם, אֵלּוּ בָאִין וְנוֹטְלִין כָּל הַגְּדֻלּוֹת, לוֹ הַמַּלְכוּת וּלְאָחִיו הַכְּהֻנָּה" עַד שֶׁנִּתְפַּתּוּ כֻלָּם (שם):
(1) ויקהל עליהם קרח AND KORAH CONVENED [ALL THE CONGREGATION] AGAINST THEM, by means of scoffing language: that whole night he went round to all the tribes and tried to win them over: “Do you really think that I care for myself alone? It is only for all of you that I have a care! These men come and occupy every high office: royal rank for himself, for his brother the priesthood!” — until in the end all of them submitted to his persuasion (Midrash Tanchuma, Korach 7).
When else had Korach used לצנות?
(טז) אך השני, הנה הוא קשה מאד, והוא השחוק והלצון, כי מי שטובע בם, הוא כמי שטובע בים הגדול שקשה מאד להמלט ממנו. כי הנה השחוק הוא מאבד את לב האדם, שכבר אין הטעם והדיעה מושלת בו, והרי הוא כשכור או שוטה אשר אי אפשר לתת להם ערמה או להנהיגם, כי אינם מקבלים הנהגה.
(16) The second detrimental factor, laughter and levity, is very severe. For one who is immersed in these is like one immersed in the great sea, from which it is extremely difficult to escape. For behold, laughter destroys a man's heart until reason and knowledge no longer rule in him. He becomes like a drunkard or a madman whereby it is impossible to give counsel or guide them for they are incapable of accepting any direction.
(יח) וכל כך למה, לפי, שכמו שכל מציאות הזהירות תלוי בשימת הלב על הדבר, כן כל עצמו של השחוק אינו אלא מסיר הלב מן המחשבות הישרות והעיוניות, ונמצא שלא יבואו הרהורי היראה בלבו כלל.
(18) Why is this so? Because just like the essence of "watchfulness" involves putting matters to mind, so the essence of laughter is to remove from one's mind straight, rational thinking so that thoughts of fearing G-d do not enter his heart at all.
(יט) ותראה קושי הלצון והשחתתו הרבה, כי כמו המגן המשוח בשמן אשר ישמיט ויפיל מעליו החצים ומשליכם לארץ ולא יניח אותם שיגיעו אל גוף האדם כן הלצון מפני התוכחה והמרדות, כי בליצנות אחד ובשחוק קטן יפיל האדם מעליו ריבוי גדול מן ההתעוררות וההתפעלות מה שהלב מתעורר ומתפעל בעצמו מדי ראותו או שומעו ענינים שיעירוהו אל החשבון והפשפוש במעשים.
(19) Consider the severity of levity and its destructive power. For just like a shield smeared with oil deflects and drops arrows from him, causing them to fall to the ground, preventing them from reaching the body of the man, so too is levity before rebuke and reprimand. For with one act of levity or a little laughter, a man casts from himself a great many rousings and impressions that the heart was made to feel due to stimulation in seeing or hearing matters that awakened him to an accounting and examination of his deeds.
(כ) ובכח הליצנות יפיל הכל לארץ ולא יעשה בו רושם כלל. ולא מפני חולשת הענינים ולא מפני חסרון הבנת הלב, אלא מפני כח הלצון ההורס כל עניני המוסר והיראה.
(20) The power of levity knocks it all to the ground thus not making any impression whatsoever on him. This is not due to the ineffectiveness of the matters nor to lack of understanding on his part, but rather to the power of levity which demolishes all matters of Mussar (ethics) and fear of G-d.
(כב) וכבר גזרו אמר חכמים זכרונם לברכה (ע"ז יח): שהלץ מביא היסורין עליו, והוא מה שהכתוב עצמו מבאר בפירוש (משלי יט): נכונו ללצים שפטים, כי זה הוא דבר שהדין נותן אותו, כי מי שמתפעל מן ההתבוננות ומן הלימודים, אינו צריך שיתיסר בגופו, כי כבר ישוב מחטאותיו בלי זה מכח הרהורי תשובה שיולדו בלבבו על ידי מה שיקרא או שישמע מן המוסרים והתוכחות.
(22) And our sages of blessed memory have already proclaimed: "one who is given to levity brings afflictions on himself" (Avodah Zara 18b). And scripture states explicitly: "Judgments are prepared for the frivolous" (Prov. 19:29). This is something reason dictates. For one who is aroused through reflection and study does not need the ordeal of bodily sufferings since he will repent of his sins even without this. He repents by means of thoughts of repentance awakening in his heart stimulated by the reading or hearing the reprimands and rebukes.
(כג) אך הלצים שאינם מתפעלים מן התוכחות מפני כח ליצנותם, אין להם תיקון אלא השפטים, שאלה לא יהיה כח בליצנותם לדחותם מעליהם כאשר ידחו המוסרים.
(23) But the frivolous are not impacted by the rebukes due to the power of levity. Therefore, there is no way to rectify them except through sufferings. For they are not capable of deflecting the impact of sufferings through the power of levity like they do so with the rebukes.
What then was the nature of this cynicism? Why did G-d respond in such a miraculous fashion to counteract this patently false type of mocking?
The point is that cynicism (leitzanus) has exactly this power. Cynicism does not need to be precise or accurate. The effect of a “one-liner” is basically that of a pin that, in a moment, bursts the balloon. The “press” will write it up. The fact that anyone with intelligence who thinks about this for 30 seconds will recognize it as nonsense is irrelevant. The damage has already been done. Such is the power of leitzanus.
Allowing this mome ntary bursting of the balloon of Kiddush Hashem would have defeated Avraham’s entire purpose in making the party. Thus, G-d needed to make a miracle to restore the inspirational nature of this festive meal.
The Mesilas Yesharim writes in Chapter 5: “With the smallest joke, a person can deflect from himself the greatest amount of inspiration and enthusiasm. One joke pushes away 100 rebukes.”
Consider the Biblical incident of Eliyahu at Mt. Carmel [Melachim I Chapter 18]. Eliyahu duels with the prophets of Baal. He is trying to prove that idols are false and that the Almighty is the Only G-d. He brings down fire from heaven to consume his offering, after the prophets of Baal fail miserably when calling out to their gods.
All Eliayhu had to do was to cry out “Answer me, my G-d, Answer me.” (Anneini Hashem Anneini). Why the repetition of the word “Answer me”? Chazal explain that Eliyahu offered a dual prayer: (1) Answer me, G-d, that a fire will come down fr om Heaven; and (2) Answer me, that the people not say that my actions were witchcraft (ma’aseh keshafim). In other words, “G-d, please save me from the cynics.” Save me from the proverbial guys in the back of the shul that no matter what the Rabbi says, no matter what happens, always have a “one-liner” to make a mockery out of anything inspirational or thought provoking.
Eliyahu was worried that he might be able to bring down fire from Heaven and have everyone shout “Hashem is the L-rd! Hashem is the L-rd!”… and that one cynic might undermine it all by saying: “Eh. It’s magic!” That is what Eliyahu was worried about and that is what the Almighty was worried about when he miraculously made Yitzchak look exactly like Avraham. Such is the destructive power of leitzanus. The Almighty felt that it was imperative to combat it, even at the cost of making a miracle.
Rabbi Frand
(1) Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path of sinners, or joined the company of the insolent;
(ב) (וּבֶאֱמֶת אֵלּוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הֵם גַּם כֵּן בִּכְלַל מַחֲטִיאֵי הָרַבִּים, כִּי מֵחֲמַת טִבְעָם זֶה הָרַע, שֶׁהֵם מְמַהֲרִים לְהִתְלוֹצֵּץ עַל בְּנֵי אָדָם וְלִשְׁפֹּךְ עֲלֵיהֶם בּוּז וְקָלוֹן, הֵם מַּכְרִיחִים לָאֲנָשִׁים הַתְּמִימִים וְהַיְשָׁרִים בְּלִבּוֹתָם שֶׁיֵּלְכוּ גַּם כֵּן בְּדַרְכֵיהֶם, וּמִתְּחִלָּה הוּא בְּהֶכְרֵחַ, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יְפַרְסְמוּ אוֹתָם הַלֵּצִּים וּבַעֲלֵי הַלָּשׁוֹן הַנַּל לְשׁוֹטִים וּפְתָאִים אוֹ לְכַנּוֹתָם בְּשֵׁם צְבוּעִים, וְאַחַר כָּךְ מִמֵּילָא נִגְרָרִין אַחֲרֵיהֶם דְּהֶרְגֵּל נַעֲשָׂה טֶבַע, וְכַיָּדוּעַ מַאֲמַד הַגְּמָרָא בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה: אִם הָלַךְ סוֹפוֹ לַעֲמֹד, וְאִם עָמַד סוֹפוֹ לֵישֵׁב.)
(2) And in truth, these people are also in the category of machtiei harabim ["causing the many to sin"]. For because of this evil nature of theirs, whereby they hasten to mock people and to pour out shame and disgrace upon them they compel men who are pure and just in their hearts to follow in their paths — in the beginning, by force, so that those scoffers and "men of the tongue" not publicize them as fools and simpletons or brand them as "hypocrites," and then, as a matter of course, they are dragged after them, for "habit becomes nature." And, as per the well known dictum in the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 18b on Psalms 1:1): "If he goes [with the scoffers], he is destined to stand [with them], and if he stands [with them], he is destined to sit [with them]."...
(14) So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law as one who jests.
In order to answer this question, it is instructive to examine another problem in the Torah Portion. One of the main arguments of Korach and his assembly was his opposition to the appointment of Aaron to the position of Kohen Gadol (High Priest). They argued that Moses had personally made this appointment as an act of favoritism towards his brother. After the rebels were punished, God ordered Moses to prove that Aaron had been divinely appointed to his position through the test of the staffs whereby Aaron's staff miraculously blossomed proving conclusively that he deserved to be Kohen Gadol. After this test, all the discontent disintegrated.
Rav Leib Chasman(2) asks, why did God order the test of the staffs only AFTER the awesome punishments that He meted out. Had the miracle of the staff blossoming taken place right at the beginning, it could have convinced the people of the invalidity of the arguments against Moshe and Aaron, thus rendering the punishments unnecessary. He answers by teaching an important principle in human nature. Korach knew that he could not defeat Moshe in a battle of logic, he knew that Moshe's case was far too strong, and that Moshe was far too wise for Korach to rationally defeat him. Thus he resorted to the devastating weapon of (mockery) leitzanut through which he could belittle Moses and Aaron without having to logically justify his arguments. We see this in the words of Rashi when he explains how Korach was able to persuade so many people to side with him; The Torah says that he gathered the people against Moshe and Aron. The obvious question is how was he able to achieve such a monumental task; Rashi explains that he as able to do so through, "divrei leitzanut (words of mockery)." (3)
Rav Chasman continues that mockery ignores the power of the intellect and arouses the animalistic part of man where logic is meaningless. This explains the concept in the verse in Proverbs that exhorts us not to rebuke the leitz (mocker); the leitz is not interested in any form of logical argument, rather he wants to continue with his own lifestyle and will belittle any attempts to change him. Another verse in Proverbs tells us that the only way to humble the leitz is through difficulties; "Prepare punishments for the leitz." (4) Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto in Path of the Just explains that ideally a person is supposed to grow and learn from his mistakes through learning Torah and chesbon hanefesh (self-contemplation), however the leitz is immune to such methods and therefore the only thing that can affect him is some kind of difficulty.
This, writes Rav Chasman, explains why God only sent the miracle of the staffs after the punishments that struck Korach and his main supporters. The power of mockery to ignore logic is so great that it can even dismiss open miracles if they conflict with the mocker's self-interest. Had the miracle taken place before anyone had been punished, the rebels would have found a way to dismiss it and ignore its ramifications through a mocking comment. It was only after the devastating punishments that the power of mockery was broken and the survivors could internalize the lesson of the blossoming staff.
This explains how Korach was able to persuade so many people to follow such a foolish course of action and challenge Moses. By nullifying their intellect through words of mockery they became blinded to the dangers of following Korach.
The Path of the Just writes very strongly about the damaging nature of mockery.(5) He argues that it is one of the main factors that prevents a person from developing the trait of zehirut (alertness against sin). Mockery prevents him from seriously analyzing himself by belittling that which is important and turning everything into a joke. He will not follow the rebuke of anyone, rather he will use mockery as a tool to escape serious self contemplation. Indeed it seems that mockery stems from a desire to escape the serious issues that a person must face if they want to serve God in the best way. It is far easier to laugh off any possibility of growth rather than to face the challenge of dealing with one's problems.
Korach used leitzanut to trick others but the yetzer hara (negative inclination) also utilizes it in order to make us trick ourselves into avoiding growth. We learn from Rav Chasman that the only way that the power of leitzanut can be weakened is through punishments. Rather than having to suffer unnecessarily, it is surely far more advisable for a person to go through the far lesser 'pain' of mussar .(6) This can be done in a number of ways; learning works about self-growth such as Path of the Just who discuss mockery in great detail; accepting rebuke from one's Rabbis and friends; or by making a simple cheshbon hanefesh and honestly examining himself. Surely such strategies are more desirable than the alternative of going through real suffering.
R' Yehonason Geffen