re: #3 Bob Levin

Then the question becomes, then what is intention contained in the Talmud?

Bob, you know as well as I that we could sit here for hours talking about those few lines in Sanhedrin, and we would only be scratching the surface!

I think that one of the points is what On’s wife told him. Why stick your neck out when there is nothing in it for you? That’s timeless advice. It’s similar to what is written in Proverbs “He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife not his own, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.”

Another point is the nature of Korah and his friends. On’s wife gave On wine to drink, and he fell asleep inside their tent. Then she sat at the door of the tent with her hair uncovered. Korah’s friends were very pious: The site of a woman with her head uncovered drove them away and deterred them from pursuing the matter with On who remained sleeping in the tent. However, the entire insurrection came from a very impious source, the pursuit of honor. Be careful of those pious people!