Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Genesis 29:34

“And a man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi.” Rashi explains that he had separated from her, etc. It seems that he learned this from the verse saying “and a man went,” without specifying from where he went and to where he went. Also [the phrase] “from the house of Levi” — it should have said “and a Levite man went.” Rather, because we find the language of “going” used in divorce, as it says: and she shall go and be to another man (Deuteronomy 24:2). And a woman is called a “house,” and “Levi” is a term for the connection between husband and wife, as in this time my husband will be attached to me. Therefore, it says and a man went from the house of Levi, meaning he departed from his house, that is, his wife, and from the connection through which he was attached to her. And afterward, he returned and took the daughter of Levi. He made a second taking [marriage] with her, because this time her first husband would be attached to her again. This is why it says “the daughter of Levi.”

According to the allusion from the verse, besides the statement of the Talmud, there is room to interpret the names in a different way, which is: Scripture certainly doesn’t depart from its plain meaning that the names are as they plainly appear, but since all this lineage is detailed, it seems that his name and the names of his ancestors were an indication of the future, that they would produce a son who would break through the fence of the world, and he is Korach. For the names allude to his arguments and his dispute because Korach is a term for baldness of hair, as is concluded in the chapter Chelek (110), “and further, he shaved your [referring to the Levites] hair and mocked you, etc.” For he ridiculed you for making you bald from your hair. So we find that he took this as an argument against Moses, that he made the Levites bald.
Son of Yitzhar — this is from the term for oil, as he contested the priesthood because [Moses] poured the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, half of which was 250 [measures], as is found in the portion Ki Tisa (30:23). And therefore he took 250 men for his dispute. Even though some say he took this number so that it would also amount to the number of a small Sanhedrin for each tribe when you add to them the three — Dathan, Abiram, and On — excluding the tribe of Levi from which no one was among them. Nevertheless, according to our approach, we can say that he took this number to say, “These are the sons of ‘oil’ who deserve to be anointed with the anointing oil, half of which is 250 [measures], just as Aaron was anointed with it.”
Son of Kehat — this comes from the expression and to him shall be the gathering [yikhat] of peoples (Genesis 49:10), and it is an expression of gathering and assembly, because he gathered them and his spirit collected them to assemble against Moses and Aaron, as it says, And they gathered against Moses and Aaron.
Son of Levi — Rashi explained in the portion Vayetzei (29:34) that he was called Levi because “they accompanied him with gifts” [livuhu bematanot], and Korach also took the [matter of the] gifts as an argument against Aaron, as is concluded in the Yalkut on this portion (16:1) in the story of a widow who had a sheep and came to shear it, then Aaron came and took the first of the fleece, etc. For all these reasons, the term “taking” applies, as he took all of them as arguments to strengthen his dispute.

A kabbalistic approach to the words יהודה אתה יודוך אחיך, sees in the name Yehudah the beginning of an expanded awareness of a mystical connection between this world of matter and the celestial world of the spirit. The word יוודך אחיך suggests that he will be the one who transmits greater awareness of these connections to the other brothers. If Yehudah mastered the attribute of גבורה it was due to his ability to acknowledge his own mistakes. The letters in his very name are indicative of this. We find something similar in Genesis 29, 34-35 where Leah acknowledged with thanks that she had given birth to more children for Yaakov than she was entitled to on the basis of each of Yaakov’s wives bearing him three sons. Leah expressed her feelings in naming her fourth son יהודה. [The ethical lesson to be learned from all this is that gratitude, i.e. acknowledging that G’d does more for us than we are entitled to, leads to a deeper understanding of the mystical bonds that hold the terrestrial world and the celestial world together. Ed.]

כי גם זה FOR THIS ALSO — also means additional to you, over and above Joseph. Our Rabbis explained that with each of Jacob’s sons a twin-sister was born, whilst with Benjamin an additional twin sister was born (Genesis Rabbah 82:8).