The Fight of Two Men

I will start with a disclaimer: I am simply sharing my opinion and how I understand the verses. Some may not agree, but again, this is just my opinion. 

In Parashat Ki Tetzeh 25:11-12 says: "כִּֽי־יִנָּצ֨וּ אֲנָשִׁ֤ים יַחְדָּו֙ אִ֣ישׁ וְאָחִ֔יו וְקָֽרְבָה֙ אֵ֣שֶׁת הָֽאֶחָ֔ד לְהַצִּ֥יל אֶת־אִישָׁ֖הּ מִיַּ֣ד מַכֵּ֑הוּ וְשָׁלְחָ֣ה יָדָ֔הּ וְהֶחֱזִ֖יקָה בִּמְבֻשָֽׁיו׃  - If two parties are fighting—one man with another—and the wife of one comes up to save her husband from his opponent and puts out her hand and seizes him by his genitals,  וְקַצֹּתָ֖ה אֶת־כַּפָּ֑הּ לֹ֥א תָח֖וֹס עֵינֶֽךָ׃ - you shall cut off her hand; show no pity."

The words that raise a red flag for me would be the words ְוְשָׁלְחָ֣ה יָדָ֔הּ - VeShalkha Yada - She sent her hand - the word Yada has a dagesh, and the word אֶת־אִישָׁ֖הּ - Et Yisha has a dagesh - a DOT in the letter הּ - Hey. Why? 

To understand the above statement, let's look at another statement in the Torah, and then I believe the above will make sense.

I believe Adam made another mistake. I believe it was swept under the rug. I believe it has received little "media attention" or discussion over the centuries. And I think it is the key to unlocking the above pasuk. 

In Parashat Bereshit 3:6, Chava gave Adam HaRishon a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, and he ate it. It says: "וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה כִּ֣י טוֹב֩ הָעֵ֨ץ לְמַאֲכָ֜ל וְכִ֧י תַֽאֲוָה־ה֣וּא לָעֵינַ֗יִם וְנֶחְמָ֤ד הָעֵץ֙ לְהַשְׂכִּ֔יל וַתִּקַּ֥ח מִפִּרְי֖וֹ וַתֹּאכַ֑ל וַתִּתֵּ֧ן גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ עִמָּ֖הּ וַיֹּאכַֽל׃  - When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate." 

Per our Oral Torah tradition, the word לְאִישָׁ֛הּ - Le Yisha is translated as to her husband, due to a dagesh in the Hey - a dot in the last letter Hey. But as you know, when the text is written in the Sefer Torah scroll, it has no vowels and no Dagesh in the word לאישה - Le Yisha is written, so this word can also be translated as To a Woman. 

So, here goes my question: Is there a connection between the woman in the case of two men fighting and Chava, when she gave the fruit to Adam?

I strongly believe there's one. 

When G-d told Adam HaRishon not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam told his wife not to touch the tree in order to prevent his wife from breaking the word of G-d and from eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Persuaded by the snake, Chavah ate from the tree and made Adam eat it. But what drove her to do this? Besides the snake, it was her Chutzpah.

A quick search in the dictionary gave the following definition:

Chutzpah: 
Utter nerve; haughtiness.
Nearly arrogant courage; utter audacity, supreme self-confidence; exaggerated self-opinion;
(Yiddish) unbelievable gall; insolence; audacity.

For Chavah, Adam's word and the word of G-d - did not mean much, and this led her to listen to the Snake and eat from the Tree. 

The same behavior is noticed in the incident of two men fighting. A woman must be loyal to her husband no matter the situation, but this woman, driven by the desire to save her husband, had the Chutzpah to grab her husband's opponent by his private part, thus going against the laws of modesty given by G-d, and did it right there in the presence of her husband.

The Torah continues: "You shall cut off her hand; show no pity." This trait of behavior: Chutzpah was noticed in Chavah and later in the above-mentioned woman, who still carried that same trait.

As a remedy, the Torah introduces us to the Holy Scroll.

Shmuel Katanov