Pinchas – Page 12 – Peninim on the Torah

“Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon Ha’Kohen turned back My wrath from upon the Bnei Yisrael when he zealously avenged Me amongst them.” (25:11)

Pinchas’ act of zealousness is described in Parashas Balak, while his reward is presented in this parsha. Was it necessary to “wait” between the deed and the reward? Horav Yitzchak Goldwasser, Shlita, explains that, indeed, it was necessary to contemplate whether a reward was appropriate! This concept applies to every act of kana’us, zealousness. Is it truly a deed motivated l’shem Shomayim, for the sake of Heaven, and — therefore — worthy of reward Or is it what it appears to be — a wanton act of murder cloaked in a banner of zealousness? Only after contemplating the act, the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Pinchas, 5755

“Therefore, say: ‘Behold I give him My covenant of peace. And it should be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of eternal priesthood.” (25:12,13)

If one were to look in a Sefer Torah or even in many Chumash texts, it would be noticeable that the vov, ( u ), of the word ouka, peace, is somewhat broken. This is referred to as a a broken vov. What is signified by the break in the vov of shalom? Horav Shlomo Yosef Zevin, z.l., offers the following novel insight. There are two forms of unity. The first one is mechanical, perfunctory or automatic unity. This is an external consolidation of different parts, merged together to create the appearance of wholeness. The second form of unity is…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Pinchas, 5755

“The sons of Reuven, of Chanoch, the family of Chanochi.” (26:5)

Rashi cites Chazal who state that Hashem added two letters of His Name to each Jewish family name. He added the letter, v hay, as a prefix, and the letter h yud, as a suffix. These letters form a Name of Hashem which attests to the purity of Klal Yisrael. What does it mean to have Hashem’s Name attached to ours? What responsibilities are evoked as a result of having the Name of the Almighty integrated with ours? In the Shemoneh Esrai which is recited on Yom Tov, we say ub,rjc v,tw “You have chosen us.” At the end of…

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Sruly Schnair In Pinchas, 5754

“When he zealously avenged My vengeance (jealousy) among them.” (25:11)

Pinchas is lauded for endangering himself, demonstrating exemplary love for Hashem by working towards cleansing Klal Yisrael of those who had been defying Hashem. The Torah emphasizes that Pinchas remained “among them,” not isolating himself from the general community. Rather, he executed his act of purification as a member of the community. Pinchas’s devotion to Hashem provides us with the Torah‘s paradigm for kana’us, zealousness. Applying homiletic exegesis, Chazal develop the essential characteristics required for such singular acts of devotion. The kanai acts out of love for Hashem, His Torah and His Nation. At no time does he hate the…

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Sruly Schnair In Pinchas, 5754

“Then drew near the daughters of Tzlafchad, the son of Chefer, the son of Gilaad, the son of Machir, the son of Menashe, of the families of Menashe son of Yosef.” (27:1)

Rashi explains that the Torah emphasizes the lineage of the daughters of Tzlafchod from Yosef Ha’Tzaddik because, just as Yosef cherished Eretz Yisrael, so, too, did his daughters cherish the land. This was demonstrated by their desire to actually attain a portion of Eretz Yisrael. One would think the contrary! Would it not have been more admirable to state that their love for Eretz Yisrael emanated from their own personal inclination, rather than merely following in their ancestors footsteps? We may also question the need to concretize this affinity with Eretz Yisrael by actually owning a parcel of land. Would…

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Sruly Schnair In Pinchas, 5754

“Let Hashem set… a man over the congregation… who shall go out before them and who shall lead them out and who shall bring them in; that the congregation of Hashem (be not) as sheep which have no shepherd for them.” (27:16,17)

The commentators derive a variety of lessons from these pesukim concerning the Torah‘s concept of the consummate leader. What is the analogy between the relationship of a shepherd with his flock and a Torah leader’s relationship with Klal Yisrael? As he lay on his deathbed, the Ksav Sofer answered this question in the following manner. A shepherd will invariably lead his flock to places that have the best grazing, lush grass, cool waters and the finest climate. The shepherd does this in order to serve his personal interests. The sheep are his property. Their health and welfare represents money in…

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Sruly Schnair In Pinchas, 5754

“Let Hashem set.. a man over the congregation… and Hashem said to Moshe. Take to yourself Yehoshua ben Nun, a man in whom there is spirit.” (27:16,18)

The Kotzker Rebbe z.l. questions the selection of Yehoshua as successor to Moshe Rabbeinu. Pinchas, the zealot who endangered his life in order to uphold the sanctity of Klal Yisrael, seems to have been overlooked. The position of Kehunah Gedolah is conferred upon Pinchas, but not the role of Klal Yisrael’s leader. Why? The Kotzker Rebbe responds that a kanai, zealot, is not an appropriate choice for leader, since he can not relate equitably to all people. Indeed, the kanai distinguishes himself in his unique temperament. He endangers himself on behalf of Hashem, risking his life to uphold the sanctity…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Pinchas, 5753

“In that he was jealous for My sake.” (25:11)

Through his zealous action, Pinchas was in fact carrying out the halachah of uc ihgdup ihtbe ,hnrt kgucvw “One who is intimate with a gentile is to be struck down by zealous people.” This injunction refers to those who are so sensitive about the sanctity of Hashem’s Name that any incursion against it is intolerable. Why, then, is Pinchas lauded and praised? Indeed, he was doing only what was expected of him. Horav M. Gifter, Shlita, explains that this halachah is unique in that its fulfillment is to performed only by one who is a “kana’ie,” a zealot. He explains…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Pinchas, 5753

“(Pinchas) has turned away My wrath from the Bnei Yisrael in that he was jealous for My sake among them (so) that I did not consume the Bnei Yisrael in My jealousy.” (25:11)

In its purest form, zealousness is contingent upon three criteria. The zealot must perform his act totally “le’shem shomayim,” for the sake of Heaven. There should be no personal prejudice or vested interest which “motivates” his urgent reaction. Second, it is imperative that the zealot not remove himself from the community. He must challenge any incursion from within. Running away and hurling stones at the sinners does not reflect true kana’us, zealousness. Horav Nissan Alpert, z.l., points out that a third contingency is regrettably often overlooked. Those individuals who exhibit unbounding devotion to Hashem’s ideals may react zealously and swiftly…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Pinchas, 5753

“And the name of the man of Yisrael who was slain . . . (was) Zimri ben Salu . . . And the name of the woman who was slain, the midyanis (was) Casbi bas Tzur . . . (25:14,15)

The Yalkut Reuveni cites the Ra’mah Mi’Panu, who states that the famous Tanna Rabbi Akiva was the gilgul nefesh (reincarnation) of Zimri. The wife of Turnus Rufus, on the other hand, who later became Rabbi Akiva’s wife, was in reality the gilgul of Casbi. Indeed, the illicit advances which Casbi made to Zimri were “corrected” through her future gilgul’s marriage to Rabbi Akiva. He explains that this is the reason that Rabbi Akiva died in such a torturous manner, by having his flesh raked off his body with metal combs. When Zimri came before Moshe with Casbi, he grabbed her…

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“Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon Ha’Kohen turned back My wrath from upon the Bnei Yisrael when he zealously avenged Me amongst them.” (25:11)

“Therefore, say: ‘Behold I give him My covenant of peace. And it should be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of eternal priesthood.” (25:12,13)

“The sons of Reuven, of Chanoch, the family of Chanochi.” (26:5)

“When he zealously avenged My vengeance (jealousy) among them.” (25:11)

“Then drew near the daughters of Tzlafchad, the son of Chefer, the son of Gilaad, the son of Machir, the son of Menashe, of the families of Menashe son of Yosef.” (27:1)

“Let Hashem set… a man over the congregation… who shall go out before them and who shall lead them out and who shall bring them in; that the congregation of Hashem (be not) as sheep which have no shepherd for them.” (27:16,17)

“Let Hashem set.. a man over the congregation… and Hashem said to Moshe. Take to yourself Yehoshua ben Nun, a man in whom there is spirit.” (27:16,18)

“In that he was jealous for My sake.” (25:11)

“(Pinchas) has turned away My wrath from the Bnei Yisrael in that he was jealous for My sake among them (so) that I did not consume the Bnei Yisrael in My jealousy.” (25:11)

“And the name of the man of Yisrael who was slain . . . (was) Zimri ben Salu . . . And the name of the woman who was slain, the midyanis (was) Casbi bas Tzur . . . (25:14,15)

YEARS

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