Parshas Pinchas
25:11a
It seems to be a human response to rebuke to try and undermine
the credentials of the one who is chastising. The phrase "Who
are you to tell me what to do?" isn't just a challenge of legal
authority, but also a challenge of moral authority by the one
who wants to avoid the uncomfortable experience of censure and
criticism. The Talmud in Eruchin 15b quotes Rabi Tarfon to such
an effect. The Torah itself sees fit to address this challenge
by marking the lineage of Pinchas to Aaron HaCohen implying
that it is indeed necessary for a moral corrector to be beyond
the criticism himself. This is verified in Jewish Law
25:11b
Rashi, as explicated by the Maharal, tells us that the definition
of zealousness for God's honor is in action. It is not sufficient
to simply be indignant and appalled by the disgrace. One's
emotional response has to be translated into concrete steps
that will contribute to the solution of the the problem and
not passively bemoan its existence. This additional dimension
is what propelled Pinchas into greatness while the others were
resigned to cry from grief.
25:13
Rashi points to the fact that what Pinchas achieved was something
which merited reward specifically in terms of the Priesthood.
If we recall the incidents with Korach and the subsequent plague
that was halted by Aaron's incense offering(17:13), we see a
parallel in Pinchas' action which similarly halted the raging
plague. We can conclude that 'Priestly actions' are ones that
appease Divine wrath that has been unleashed on the Jewish
People. We can now appreciate why there was reference made
to 'Shalom' in association with this 'Pact of Priesthood'. The
function of the Priesthood is to reunite and reinstate harmony
between God and His People ie. Shalom.
25:14
The Torah wants us to be able to steel ourselves to be critical
of those who have more standing in society then we. Meekness
and humility are for our self-appraisal and attitude toward
our own accomplishments. We are not permitted to cower behind-
let alone ingratiate ourselves towards- people of power and
influence when they perpetrate despicable crimes against God
or man. It takes strong inner resolve to overcome the tendency
to leave things alone and to not stir up controversy which may
actually damage our personal self-interests. Being zealous for
God often means forfeiting the luxuries of tranquility and
popularity. Yet the eternal appreciation that the Torah shows
to Pinchas should embolden us to not consider the temporary
social setbacks or damage inflicted on our image.
25:15
Here we see an aspect of Anti-Semitism that rears its head
sporadically throughout Jewish history- when hatred leads to
self-debasement and lowering of the hater's usual ethical
standard. There is a perverse pleasure attained when you've
been able to corrupt someones soul. And the drive for this
pleasure will lead you to betray yourself in the process.
25:17
Rashi highlights the special nature of this command not just
to wage war against the Midianite people, but to drum up a
personal animosity towards them. The Ohr HaChaim commentary
on this unique directive explains the need for Yisrael to regain
its lost aversion to sexual misconduct that was brought upon
them through the exploitation of the Midianite women by their
own people. This restoration is achieved by evoking a sheer
hatred for that element that was previously lusted for. Only
when such emotional repugnance of Midian is reached will Yisrael
be in a position to cleanse itself of the weakness of being
overcome by illicit cravings that Midian elicited.
25:18
Here we see the massive difference in the way we look at punitive
justice and the cosmic justice seen from God's infinite
perspective. We humans would certainly have lumped Moab together
with Midian as accomplices in the devious plot they hatched
which lead to the death of tens of thousands of our people.
Yet God sees the situation quite differently. The command to
attack Midian was a strategy God devised specifically to rectify
our moral defects as noted above--not exclusively as tit-for-tat
retaliation. There is always more going on within the infinite
realm of God's motivation than meets the naked eye. And the
decision to abstain from dealing with Moab in a fashion similar
to Midian would take take centuries to be rationalized! We need
to stand back in awe at the extremely complex and far reaching
factors that go into each calculation of Divine Justice--whether
they are national and global events or our own small little
lives. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your
methods similar to My method, says Hashem." (Isaiah 55:8)
26:1a
We again see how Hashem is simply beyond the craving for vengeance
or petty grievances that we humans are subject to harboring.
Once the Divine wrath has been appeased by the single act of
bravery of Pinchas, Hashem turns to Yisrael with tenderness
and care as a Shepperd counts his depleted precious flock.
26:1b
The analogy of Rashi informs us that Moshe did not lose
consciousness of the fact that he had a Divine charge to be
accountable for. Just as the very first encounter with Hashem
while tending Yisro's sheep, Moshe's posture till the end was
never to put his own interests at the forefront of his concerns.
The agenda and the proper methods of meeting the demands of
that agenda were always dictated by Hashem's instructions. No
wonder the Zohar refers to Moshe as "Reyeh Mehimnah"-faithful
shepard.
26:5
Here we have evidence of Yisrael's high level of fidelity and
commitment to preserving its unique spiritual character well
before the Torah formally commanded them in this realm. One could
derive the existence of a deep sense of Jewish identity etched
into the psyche of every Jew powerful enough to last for
generations, despite their proximity to a foreign host culture.
We should bemoan our failure to have instilled such an
instinctive recoil from any intimate contact with our own
Non-Jewish milieu of yesterday and today. "What was their
secret?" is a most relevant question for our generation to
research.
26:11
Rashi records an interesting sequence of stages that the sons
of Korach went through. At first they counted themselves among
their father's rank and file. Then, when it came to actual
confrontation with Moshe and the polemics and ridicule started
in earnest, they lost their appetite for supremacy at any cost.
This faint tinge of regret already qualified for "Hirhurei
Tshuvah" which spared them their father's catastrophic fate.
This gesture of remorse was totally concealed within their own
hearts and not brought out into action, yet it was powerful
enough in God's eyes to make the difference between existence
and oblivion! This supports the statement of Rav Yisrael Salanter
that it is better to sin with a sigh of grief and regret than without it.
The resulting effect can be enormous because God "discerns
the heart in judgement". (High Holiday liturgy)
26:12-51
In the final tally we see a striking picture that emerges from
the Jews' wandering in the desert. There is barely an increase
in the overall male population from two full generations of
growth! My teacher Rabbi Berel Wein often pointed out to us
that at the time of the Roman empire there were approximately
as many Jews as there was Chinese. And after 2,000 years, we
Jews have hardly grown to 15 million while the Chinese have
well passed the billion mark. Rashi throughout these verses
explains the causes for such a low turnout: internecine conflicts
and Divine punishments that riddled the time line of Jewish
History. It seems that the Jews are destined to always "live
in interesting times" without any long stretches of centuries
unmarred by tragedies and watersheds. We do not have the luxury
of being 'Chinese' nestled away somewhere in a remote corner
of the globe, left to ourselves to develop and prosper unhindered
by outside so-called 'civilisations'. The side-effects of being
a nation chosen to elevate and ultimately perfect humanity
requires a confrontation with a reality that always manages
to jeopardize our homeostasis. But this is our Divine calling
for good or for better and will prove itself to be worthwhile
in the long run. To conclude with a quote of Rabbi Wein: "The
Jews come out behind at the half but we always have a winning
fourth (ie. end) quarter".
26:53-57
Rashi describes the special nature of the division of territories
within the Land of Israel among the 12 tribes. It was an uncanny
combination of the ideal and the pragmatic in one stroke. The
size of their portions was calculated according to population
mass, yet the portions themselves were distributed by Divine
designation and fitted perfectly to the requirements of their
respective tribes. Exactly how material needs can be met without
compromising the spiritual dimension necessary for maintaining
higher awareness and refinement is a juggling act that is hard
to master. But already in the very earliest theoretical stages
of settling the Land Hashem is providing the model for such
harmony. As we noted at length in Parshas Shelach, this blending
of spirit with the mundane was and is the challenge of mature
Jewish religious expression.
26:55
Rashi points out another unique facet of the division of the
Land: Reverse Inheritance. The harking back to the original
generation of the exodus when assigning the individual allotments
within a family indicates a 'branches to roots' relationship
as part of the character of Israel. This character was
perpetuated long after the original settlement of the Land
through the institution of Yovel laws and is still felt by the
spiritually attuned till this day. The knowlege that each Jew
has very deep and rich roots in our long history is a consistent
wellspring of inspiration and purpose that should be cultivated
lavishly. It is an anchor that fortifies us against giving up
our eternal potential future which flows directly from our past
in return for a fleeting fashionable present.
26:64
Rashi notes the amazing spiritual fortitude that the Jewish
women possesed. When we combine this trust in God's promise
to bequeath the Land of Israel with the persevering spirit of
the women in Egypt to encourage the men to raise another
generation of Jews despite the slavery, a certain general picture
emerges. The Jewish men tend to be over-impressed with what
appears to them as a hopeless situation. If they don't have
enough confidence in their ability to control the flow of events,
they will soon resign to dispair. The women, on the other hand,
don't take for granted that a problem is directly soluble and
refuse to yield to a bleak prognosis. Parallel to the physical
strength vs. endurance attributes of men and women, emotional
attributes of control vs. trust seem to follow this contrast.
27:1-4
Again we see the impact that lineage has on future decendants.
Not that there is necessarily a genetic predisposition to good
or evil passed on from ancestors, but rather a family history
from which to draw values and inspiration is presented to the
offspring to drink from and further develop. This idea is
reinforced by the position of Rabi Shimon that states Tzelafchad
was among those who immidiatly regretted the Jewish people's
rejection of the Land of Israel and tried to storm the Cannanite
border without God's authorization. The effort ended tragicly
in a rout, but seemed to have left its impression on the next
generation. His daughters interalized the value of the Land
of Israel and brought it to proper expression by initiating
their own campaign, but in the form of a non-aggressive but
cogent appeal to the proper authoritative body and submitted
to its ruling. Rashi in verse 4 mentions the Tzelafchad
daughters' wisdom in the fact that they realized that would
their claim be rejected based on legal realities, thay would
not have pushed their agenda one iota. The wisdom lies perhaps
also in the ability to take the positive traits from antecedents
and improve on their shortcomings. In this case it was to realize
that 'storming the fortress' of Divine authority is a
