Bamidbar Chapter 25: 6-12 is the backdrop to this week’s Parshah. The great Pinchas emerges as the recipient of the divine Covenant of Peace. Due to his act of zealotry he is awarded entry in the Kehunah Gedolah – High Priesthood. In rabbinic literature he is spiritually associated with Elijah the Prophet who will usher in the Messiah.
Take a look:
ו וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּא, וַיַּקְרֵב אֶל-אֶחָיו אֶת-הַמִּדְיָנִית, לְעֵינֵי מֹשֶׁה, וּלְעֵינֵי כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְהֵמָּה בֹכִים, פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד
6. And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting.
ז וַיַּרְא, פִּינְחָס בֶּן-אֶלְעָזָר, בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן, הַכֹּהֵן; וַיָּקָם מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה, וַיִּקַּח רֹמַח בְּיָדוֹ.
7. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand.
ח וַיָּבֹא אַחַר אִישׁ-יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-הַקֻּבָּה, וַיִּדְקֹר אֶת-שְׁנֵיהֶם--אֵת אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאֶת-הָאִשָּׁה אֶל-קֳבָתָהּ; וַתֵּעָצַר, הַמַּגֵּפָה, מֵעַל, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
8. And he went after the man of Israel into the chamber, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
ט וַיִּהְיוּ, הַמֵּתִים בַּמַּגֵּפָה--אַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים, אָלֶף. {פ}
9. And those that died by the plague were twenty and four thousand. {P}
י וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר
10. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
יא פִּינְחָס בֶּן-אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן, הֵשִׁיב אֶת-חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּקַנְאוֹ אֶת-קִנְאָתִי, בְּתוֹכָם; וְלֹא-כִלִּיתִי אֶת-בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּקִנְאָתִי
11. 'Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was very jealous for My sake among them, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in My jealousy.
יב לָכֵן, אֱמֹר: הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת-בְּרִיתִי, שָׁלוֹם
12. Wherefore say: Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace;
Now I ask you, do you want your sons and daughters to grow up and be a mini Pinchas? Is this the type of peaceful behavior we strive towards? It would seem not. Yet, divine rewards he merits for his violence is incredible! How shall we understand this?
We must take a deeper look to understand how a seemingly brutal act of murder is blessed with the divine Covenant of Peace.
The Talmud and commentators explain that Pinchas did not act out of anger, resentment or even resentment; rather he acted from a place of strength, truth and conviction. The narrative in the Talmud explains that before Pinchas meted out the divine retribution he consulted with Moshe who indeed instructed him to advance and eliminate Kasby and Zimry.
Basic actions in their own right do not determine their worth. A hug and a kiss can be an act of love or an act of infidelity and defiance against Hashem. Talking can be healing and therapeutic or damaging and pain inflicting. So too killing can be cold blooded murder, or it can be fulfilling a divine command by slaughtering animals, executing a death penalty imposed by the Sanhedrin or in this case calm but forceful zealotry.
Indeed Pinchas brought peace to the world. He brought peace between man and G-d, he restored a state of peace to the Israelite camp. He sought peace in the eyes of G-d.
Our task is to bring joy, peace, wisdom and goodness to the world as defined by G-d and Torah. While multiple forms of love and marriage may be licensed and sanctioned in our society, this does not make them acceptable in the eyes of Torah and authentic Judaism. While we must live and abide by the law of the land we dwell in, it does not mean that we should subscribe to its morals and values. We are commanded not to.
May we learn from Pinchas to stand up for our convictions and pursue Divine Truths. And may Hashem reward us with a new covenant to rebuild the Third Beit Hamikdash, see truth and true peace in our times – Amen.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Epstein
