Peace is the vessel that holds blessing (Midrash Rabbah (21:1). Even man's fury will render You praise (Tehillim 76:11).
Pinchas
Reb Shlomo Minyan HarNof
(R. Raphael, email: [email protected])
The Power Of Faith
"And Pinchas saw �"(Bemidbar 25:7). Pinchas saw everything that was happening: the seduction of the Israelite men by the Moabite and Midianite women; the idolatry of Baal Peor; Moshe's decision to execute judgment; the consternation of those who should implement the din. When Zimri, prince of the tribe of Shimon, brought out the Midianite princess Kazbi to challenge his authority, Moshe was paralyzed. Zimri said, "You took for your wife Tziporrah, daughter of the Midianite high priest Yitro, so how can you now condemn us?" Rashi says that when Pinchas saw this he had the presence of mind to remember the teaching of Moshe that a public act of licentiousness is to be avenged by a zealot. Through his individual act of mesirat nefesh, his willingness to be a vessel for Hashem's will even in circumstances where it might mean surrendering his life, he was able stand as a righteous individual against popular corruption.
Rebbe Nachman says that Pinchas was able to stop the plague that had killed 24,000 revelers because of the utter power of his jealousy for Hashem. While din, judgment, that emanates from Heaven, annihilates till one-half, human judgment has the ability to destroy completely. Since it is so powerful, once human vengeance comes into play, the Divine judgment returns to its place, no longer needed. The wonder of the cure that came from Pinchas is that he had the strength to mete out the judgment in proper measure, and this is his merit, for though he was a zealot he was merciful.
With the strength of his faith he prepared for battle. While killing involves the powers of the "other side," Pinchas's goal was weighted towards prayer and serving Hashem. As it says, "He stood and prayed." (Tehillim 106:30) And this helps to explain what it says in the Zohar, "One who kills is usually exempted from the priesthood (since the hands that bless should be kept in complete purity), but Pinchas was granted a covenant of peace�and when he left the world it was with holy yearning and the Divine kiss."
The Sefat Emet says that this has to do with Pinchas's "seeing." He saw in truthfulness that now was the time to avenge the unfaithful of Israel. That is, he was able to act, not to shed blood, but for the sake of peace and the good of Israel. Seeing in this way is called "completeness," which was acknowledged by Hashem in His brit with Pinchas, a covenant of completeness by which Pinchas merited to be high priest. While the kohen is the man of peace, Pinchas had the distinction of meriting priesthood through an act of din, combining the two facets of rulership, achieving completeness.
The Midrash Rabbah says that when Pinchas killed the prince of Shimon the people recalled Pinchas's lineage: "He is 'ben Putiel' [his mother's side, descended from one of Yitro's daughters]. He is 'the son of one who fattened calves for idolatry.'" The Sefat Emet learns this as a praise, i.e., that Pinchas arose from among the people, himself connected with idolaters. He nevertheless aroused the people to jealousy for Hashem, expressing what they only experienced in potential, bringing them to teshuvah. And this is another reason why Pinchas merited the high priesthood: he was able to bring the people's hidden will for teshuvah to expression through his willingness to give his life for Hashem. This epitomizes the role of the kohen gadol, whose essential task is to arouse the people to awe of Hashem through his actions. Now, as Israel was about to enter the land, moving away from the miracles of the wilderness where Hashem had guided them from above, it was fitting that Pinchas should arise from amongst the people, representing an arousal from below, the service that typifies dwelling in the land.
Nadav And Avihu
Pinchas, says the Zohar, is the tikkun for Nadav and Avihu, the two sons of Aharon, who brought incense in the Mishkan on their own initiative, without consulting Moshe Rabbeinu. This is considered a transgression, moreh halacha lifneh rabo, initiating a Torah judgment by oneself when there is a greater authority present. But their love was so great they could not restrain themselves from joining with Hashem through their offering and they felt in their ecstasy that it was not necessary to ask. But because they went beyond the mitzah connection of Moshe, their action was considered in some respect to be "strange fire," ecstatic fervor that is outside the boundary of strict holiness. Nevertheless, Moshe said of Nadav and Avihu that they were higher in some sense than he, Moshe, who brought down the Torah, and Aharon, the high priest, precisely because their action was an arousal from below done with mesirat nefesh. Nevertheless, because it came before its time they were burnt by Heavenly fire, signifying that there was some sort of pagam, defect, in their service.
Pinchas was also moreh halachah lifneh rabo. He decided to apply the halachah of the zealot to himself and act in the presence of Moshe out of love for Hashem. Because, in the case of Pinchas, it was, intrinsically, a decision that he could make only for himself, that he must act now for the sake of Heaven regardless of the cost to himself; it was the fulfillment of what Nadav and Avihu had attempted to do, deciding for themselves according to how they perceived the needs of the time.
Teshuvah Is Godly
The Me'or VeShemesh asks, We know from the Gemara that Hashem keeps all the commands of the Torah - for instance, it's asked what Hashem's tefillin look like, and so on with other commandments. But where do we see that Hashem, so to speak, does teshuvah?
In parshat Pinchas it is written in the section dealing with offerings that the new month sacrifice, "shall be a goat brought as a forgiveness offering 'to' Hashem" (Bemidbar 28:15). Although the simple explanation is that we are bringing an offering in order to effect our own forgiveness, the rabbis find a subtle reference in the ambiguity of the phrase "leHashem." As this can also be read as "for" Hashem, the rabbis said that Hashem, so to speak, seeks forgiveness (which we will explain) for the diminishment of the moon, a condition which was brought about when the celestial bodies were vying with one another for rulership during the seven days of creation (see Rashi and Midrash Rabbah).
The interpretation of this midrash is that the diminishment of the moon symbolizes Hashem's hiding the outward expression of His rulership (malchut) when creating this world. Thus, the moon (representing the shining forth of Gd's presence) is pale in relation to the light of the sun (the light of the "natural world") . And if not for Hashem's extreme hiddenness, it would never happen that His creations would incur sin, straying from His will.
Similarly, it is stated in the Gemara that Hashem has regret for creating the evil inclination that seduces us into doing bad in the world. When is Hashem, so to speak, aroused to teshuvah for having created the yetzer hara? It is when Klal Israel carries the heavy burden of serving Him in the trying circumstances of exile, carrying out the Torah with mesirat nefesh (giving themselves completely) and joyfully.
The yoke of our service is heavy, and our lives are full of pain and abandonment during these days of constriction before the ninth of Av when Hashem destroyed His house. Even with all this sadness and catastrophe there are those who manage to overcome, applying themselves to the Torah and commandments with all their soul. Hashem sees this service (a great "arousal from below") and He regrets, so to speak, that He destroyed His house and exiled His children among the nations, remembering the pasuk, "Happy is the king whose people praise Him in His dwelling."
The Zohar says that the essence of the various offerings in the Mikdash is "whitening the blood," i.e., transforming din to rachamim (from a guilty judgment to mercy). If a person serves Hashem with mesirat nefesh, it is called quieting the desires of the blood (i.e., he sets aside his own self-concern for Hashem's will). This is the "whitening" of the blood and he receives forgiveness through his offering.
The action of Zimri did the opposite, strengthening the "other side," arousing the prosecutor of Israel till a plague broke out ("dever" in Hebrew, meaning plague, the same letters spelling "a word," here, a bad word). Pinchas was moser nafsho to avenge the transgression of Hashem's will. This, so to speak, functioned like an offering, "quieting the blood" that was roused in anger, bringing forgiveness to the nation. With his mesirat nefsho he made a great unification and brought Hashem, so to speak, to regret thus "returning" His anger. From that point onwards He would no longer be angry at Israel but only bestow kindness. That is the explanation for the language of the pasuk, "Pinchas heyshiv [similar to causing to do teshuvah from] My fury" (Bemidbar 25:11). Pinchas's offering of himself without reservation to carry out Hashem's will caused a reunification and the flowing down of life and goodness into the world. As it says, "and He forgave Israel," entirely, as if they had offered a korban. Thus Pinchas merited the high priesthood in din, for not only did he perform the service that aroused the people, but he made of himself an offering through his mesirat nefesh (Meor VeShemesh 178).
Mitzvot
There are six commandments in the parashah according to Sefer HaChinuch.
At A Glance