Parashat Devarim – Tisha b’Av 5774, 2014

The Three Weeks and Preparing for Tisha b’Av

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shmuel David ben Moshe Halevy, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam, Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and to the safety of the soldiers of Tzahal in their holy mission to protect the Jewish people.


The beginning of Midrash Eichah analyzes a verse from our parasha that connects it for- evermore to Megillat Eichah (Lamentations), the sefer of Tisha b’Av:

Three prophesized using the word “eichah.” [They were] Moshe, Yeshayahu, and Yirmiyahu. Moshe (Sefer Devarim 1:12) said: “How (eichah) can I bear alone.” Yeshayahu (Sefer Yeshayahu 1:21) said: “How (eichah) the faithful city has become a harlot!” Yirmiyahu (Sefer Eichah 1:1) said: “How (eichah) she sits alone! The city that had a multitude of people has become like a widow.”

While the usual translation of “eichah” is “how,” it is clear in these three instances that contextually it can be translated as “alas,” or perhaps most properly with the Yiddish word “Oy!” It connotes misery, grief, depth-being sadness, and dark depression. Little wonder then that it has become an Ashkenazi custom to read the “ eichah” verse from this week’s parasha with the same exact musical notation (trop) and intonation as we read Megillat Eichah. For a brief and bitter moment, even the beauty and peace of Shabbat is placed squarely in the context of the Three Weeks and Tisha b’Av.

The Three Weeks and Tisha b’Av in a “normal” year are challenging and difficult. National mourning for the loss of the Beit HaMikdash, and for all for which it stood, is always heartrending.  It is a time of despondency and despair. This year, however, we are living in the giant shadow of the barbaric kidnapping and murder of Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrah - t’hah nafshoteyem tzururot b’tzrur hachayim (may their souls be bound in the bonds of eternal life). In addition, our brothers and sisters in Israel are living under the constant threat of war, terror and misery, enduring some of the greatest challenges they have faced since the founding of the State. Indeed, the major population centers of Israel have not suffered ongoing and relentless attacks of this nature since 1948. As a result, our soldiers, in the flower of their youth, are continually and heroically putting their lives at risk in defense of our country.  Surely, if there ever was a time to utter “eichah,” it is now.

Yet, in the midst of all of this trial and tribulation, in the midst of all this sorrow and unmitigated misery, Megillat Eichah offers us a ray of hope. In the immortal words found in the penultimate verse of the megillah we find: “Hashiveinu Hashem alecha v’nashuvah, chadash yemeinu k’kedem.” (“Bring us back to You, Hashem, and we shall return, renew our days as of old.” Artscroll Tanach translation) Once again, Midrash Eichah (5:22) gives us clear guidance as to how we can properly interpret Yermiyahu’s famous words:

Knesset Israel [the grand trans-historical entity of the Jewish People] spoke before HaKodesh Baruch Hu and said: “Master of the Universe, it is up to You to bring us back to You!” He responded to them: “It is up to you! [After all] it is said: ‘Return unto Me and I will return unto You says Hashem’ (Malachi 3:7).” Knesset Israel once again spoke before Him and said: “Master of the Universe, it is up to You [to bring us back to You!] [After all] it is said: ‘Return us, G-d of our salvation…(Tehillim 55: 5)’” Therefore the verse states: “Bring us back to You, Hashem, and we shall return…”

Rav Baruch Halevi Epstein (1860-1942), known as the Torah Temimah after the name of his monumental work, explains that the Midrash is teaching us that we need both Hashiveinu Hashem alecha and v’nashuvah, since one of them alone is necessary but not sufficient. In other words, even Hashem bringing us back to Him will fail unless we, too, make the effort to do heartfelt teshuvah (repentance). As a result he writes, “Therefore it says ‘Hashiveinu’ from Your efforts and ‘v’nashuvah’ from our efforts.” In sum, we are partners with Hashem in the teshuvah (repentance) process. He is ready to help us when we are ready to help ourselves. Man is not alone. Hashem is constantly ready to assist us. No matter how dark and dismal the hour may be, we believe that salvation will come. These, indeed, are comforting thoughts as we journey through the Three Weeks and prepare ourselves for Tisha b’Av.

May Hashem guard our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. May He bring Mashiach Tzidkanu (the righteous Messiah) and redemption to our people soon and in our days, and bring true and everlasting peace to our world. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here: http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

** Follow new postings on my Twitter accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

*** Interested in 21st Century Jewish Education? See my blog and Scoopit.com Pages:

http://21stcenturyjewisheducation.org

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http://www.scoop.it/t/great-digital-judaic-studies-resources

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Torah shel Ba’al Peh (Oral Law) – A Source of Our Salvation

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shmuel David ben Moshe Halevy, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam, Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and to the safety of the soldiers of Tzahal in their holy mission to protect the Jewish people.

The final verse of our parasha (Torah portion) is also the concluding pasuk (verse) of Sefer Bamidbar. It states the following: “These are the commandments (hamitzvot) and the ordinances (v’hamishpatim) that the L-rd commanded the children of Israel through Moses (b’yad Moshe) in the Plains of Moab, by the Jordan at Jericho.” (36:10, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) In contrast, Sefer Vayikra concludes with the following verse: “These are the commandments (hamitzvot) that the L-rd commanded Moses to [tell] the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.” (Sefer Vayikra 27:34) Let us briefly review some of the differences that obtain between these two pasukim:

1.     Location: Sefer Bamidbar 36:10 = “the Plains of Moab,” Sefer Vayikra 27:34 = “on Mount Sinai.”

2.     Content of the verse: Sefer Bamidbar 36:10 = “the commandments (hamitzvot) and the ordinances (v’hamishpatim),” Sefer Vayikra 27:34 = “the commandments (hamitzvot)”

3.     Moshe’s role: Sefer Bamidbar 36:10 = “through Moses (b’yad Moshe)” Sefer Vayikra 27:34 = B’yad Moshe is not stated.

Fascinatingly, there is an earlier pasuk in Sefer Vayikra that parallels the majority of the elements of our two verses that includes some new terms as well: “These are the statutes (hachukim), the ordinances (v’hamishpatim), and the laws (v’hatorot) that the

L-rd gave between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai, by the hand of Moses (b’yad Moshe). (26:46) As we can readily see in this third pasuk, the location is the same as in our first quotation in Sefer Vayikra, namely Mount Sinai. In regards to content, however, we are met with two new terms, namely, “statutes” and “laws.” In addition, Moshe’s role is front and center as it is in Sefer Bamidbar, as indicated by the phrase, “b’yad Moshe.”

The Netziv (Rabbi Naphtali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, 1817-1893) in his classic work Haamek Davar, utilized Sefer Vayikra 26:46 as the source text to analyze the interconnectivity of our three pasukim. In the phrase beginning, “the L-rd gave between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai, by the hand of Moses,” he notes:

 … the meaning of “by the hand of Moses” is explained in Talmud Bavli, Kritot 13b as referring to “Gemara,” which in this instance means the chidushim (new ideas and concepts) that Moshe developed based upon his own intellectual acumen – all through the strenuous application of the hermeneutic principles. (This, and all translations, brackets, underlining, and bolding my own)

“By the hand of Moses” becomes the introduction to the Netziv’s explanation of the differences that obtain between the concluding verses of our parasha and Sefer Vayikra:

We find that at the end of Sefer Bamidbar it is written: “These are the commandments (hamitzvot) and the ordinances (v’hamishpatim) that the L-rd commanded the children of Israel through Moses (b’yad Moshe) in the Plains of Moab, by the Jordan at Jericho.” We explained at that time the [essential] difference between that verse and the concluding verse of Sefer Vayikra wherein it states: “These are the commandments that the L-rd commanded Moses to [tell] the children of Israel on Mount Sinai,” is that at Mount Sinai the Jews had not yet received the ability to actually create new ideas and concepts (chidush) – this was not given until they [the Jews] arrived at the Plains of Moab.

Next, the Netziv suggests that his explanation creates a contradiction of sorts, for if he is correct, Sefer Vayikra 26:46 should not contain the expressions, “the statutes (hachukim) and the ordinances (v’hamishpatim),” since in this context “the statutes” refers to Midrashot, and “ordinances” refers to “the laws that are derived from textual analysis according to the hermeneutic principles of explication.” If that is the case, how can the statutes and ordinances be mentioned here, since the Jews had not yet arrived at the Plains of Moab – where the right to engage in such chidushei Torah was first granted?

The Netziv’s answer to our seeming contradiction is captivating in its profundity and its application to Jewish survival in the Diaspora:

The truth is, however, that even at Mount Sinai it [the ability to engage in novel Torah analysis] was made known – uniquely in the context of the section of the tochacha (rebuke) and the depiction of the Jewish people in exile. In such a context, the essence of the survival of the Jewish people is contingent upon the study of Torah shel Ba’al Peh (the Oral Law) and the development of new Torah concepts [and laws] in each generation.

Clearly, for the Netziv, the continued existence of our people hinges upon sophisticated and creative study of Torah shel Ba’al Peh  - inclusive of chidushei Torah.

At this point, the Netziv explained the somewhat mystifying expression, “the L-rd gave between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai”:

[This means,] that even in the midst of the Covenant of Sinai, Hashem gave a great (literally, “good”) present [to the Jewish people] – namely, statutes and ordinances [derived through the Torah shel Ba’al Peh] in order that they should bring about Hashem’s divine Providence (hashgacha) [upon our nation].

Hashem’s hashgacha is a fundamental aspect of the inextricable relationship that obtains between Him and our people. This unique bond is based upon our desire and willingness:

 … to perform the new [statutes and ordinances, literally, chadashot] in the same manner as when they were promulgated “by the hand of Moses.” … It was in the sense that the Prophet Malachi stated: “Keep in remembrance the teaching of Moses, My servant - the statutes (chukim) and ordinances (mishpatim) which I commanded him in Horeb [i.e. Mount Sinai] for all Israel.” (3:22)

For the Netziv, Torah shel Ba’al Peh and all that it constitutes emerges as a, if not, the fundamental factor in the redemption of our people, since it leads to the enhancement of the unique and powerful relationship that exists between Hashem and our people. Little wonder, then, that the next and final two verses of Sefer Malachi speak of Eliyahu heralding the time of the Mashiach (Messiah), “Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd, that he may turn the heart of the fathers back through the children, and the heart of the children back through their fathers …” (3:23-24)

May we be zocheh (merit) to witness the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy and the ultimate redemption of the Jewish people through the agency of the Mashiach – and the great and awesome hand of Hashem. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here: http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

** Follow new postings on my Twitter accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

*** Interested in 21st Century Jewish Education? See my blog and Scoopit.com Pages:

http://21stcenturyjewisheducation.org

http://www.scoop.it/t/educational-technology-yeshiva-edition

http://www.scoop.it/t/great-digital-judaic-studies-resources

Parashat Matot 5774, 2014

Lessons Learned From The Tribes of Gad and Reuven

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shmuel David ben Moshe Halevy, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam, Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka, and to the safety of the soldiers of Tzahal in their holy mission to protect the Jewish people.

The tribes of Gad and Reuven are the main protagonists at the end of our parasha (Torah portion). The Torah describes them as having a great deal of livestock: “The descendants of Reuben and Gad had an abundance of livestock very numerous…” (Sefer Bamidbar 32:1, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) Moreover, they were singularly focused on their animal husbandry needs:

… they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. The descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben came, and they spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the Kohen and to the princes of the community, saying, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, and Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land that the L-rd struck down before the congregation of Israel is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” They said, “If it pleases you, let this land be given to your servants as a heritage; do not take us across the Jordan.”

The phrase, “do not take us across the Jordan [River]” is at once striking and disconcerting. G-d was on the cusp of fulfilling the promise to the Jewish people that He had proclaimed immediately prior to the Exodus: “I will bring you to the land, concerning which I raised My hand [i.e. made oaths] to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you as a heritage; I am the L-rd.” (Sefer Shemot 6:8, brackets my own) It is almost inconceivable that the tribes of Gad and Reuven repudiated the gift of the Land and it’s glorious promise. Yet, sadly these tribes myopically focused upon the needs of their animals: “They approached him [Moshe] and said, ‘We will build sheepfolds for our livestock here and cities for our children.’” (Sefer Bamidbar 32:16) As Rashi famously noted in his Midrashically-inspired comment on this verse, “They were more concerned about their possessions than about their sons and daughters, since they mentioned their livestock before [mentioning] their children.”

Moshe was legitimately concerned that the tribes of Gad and Reuven were so enamored with the lush pastures of Jazer and Gilead that they would refuse to join their fellow tribes in conquering of the Land of Israel. As a result, he spent no less than 10 verses berating them and deriding their self-centered request - all in the context of demonstrating the destructive nature of their plan. The last two of these verses are particularly powerful since they encapsulate his contention that the tribes of Gad and Reuven were not only turning away from the Land, but from G-d, as well:

And behold, you have now risen in place of your fathers as a society of sinful people, to add to the wrathful anger of the L-rd against Israel. If you turn away from following Him, He will leave you in the desert again, and you will destroy this entire people. (Sefer Bamidbar 32:14-15)

This passage is followed by 17 verses of back and forth statements and counterstatements between Moshe and the tribes of Gad and Reuven. In the end, they recognized their obligation to help klal Yisrael (the Jewish people) conquer Eretz Yisrael (Israel), and accepted the condition that their future possession of Jazer and Gilead would be contingent upon their active participation in the impending military campaign. In the midst of this protracted conversation, we are met with the phrase: “…and you shall be freed [of your obligation] from the L-rd and from Israel…” (v’heyitem nekiyim mei’Hashem u’mi’Yisrael, Sefer Bamidbar 32:22). While this expression specifically refers to the tribes’ complete fulfillment of their promise, Chazal (our Sages) view it in a much broader ethical context – namely, the manner in which we are required to relate to others.

Our pasuk (verse) is the source text upon which Talmud Yerushalmi, Shekalim 3:2 formulates the principle that man is obligated to deal with his fellow man with the same degree of honor, respect, and dignity he shows his Creator:

Rabbi Shemuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: We find (i.e. recognize) the concept that a person is obligated to treat his fellow man in the same manner he treats G-d. This notion is found in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. In the Torah: “…and you shall be freed [of your obligation] from the L-rd and from Israel…” (Sefer Bamidbar 32:22), in the Prophets: “G-d, G-d, the L-rd, G-d, G-d, the L-rd, He knows, and Israel, he shall know…” (Sefer Yehoshua 22:22), in the Writings: “and find favor and good understanding in the sight of G-d and man.” (Sefer Mishle 3:4) Gamliel Zuga asked Rabbi Yossi bar Yossi: “Which one of these verses is the clearest and most direct [regarding our concept]?” Rabbi Yossi bar Yossi responded: “…and you shall be freed [of your obligation] from the L-rd and from Israel…” (Translation, parentheses, and brackets my own)

Rabbi Baruch Halevi Epstein (1860-1941), in his commentary on the Torah, “Torah Temimah,” offers two explications of our Talmudic passage. I would like to emphasize his second explanation, wherein he suggests that the essence of our passage is man’s nearly absolute obligation to act in a pleasant and pleasing fashion with his fellow man. In support of his contention, he references the following section from Talmud Bavli, Ketuvot 16b-17a:

Our Rabbis taught: “How does one dance before the bride?” [i.e. What is the degree of honesty demanded in recounting the beauty and positive characteristics of the bride when you are before her?] Beit Shammai said: “Describe the bride as she actually is.” Beit Hillel said: “Beautiful and kind [Rashi] bride!” Beit Shammai said to Beth Hillel: “If she was lame or blind, does one say of her: ‘Beautiful and graceful bride?’ Did not the the Torah say, ‘Distance yourself from a false matter.’” (Sefer Shemot 22:7) Beit Hillel said to Beit Shammai: “According to your words, if one has made a bad purchase in the market, should one praise it in his [friend’s] eyes or deprecate it? Surely, one should praise it in his eyes [since his friend clearly thought it was a good purchase - Maharsha].” Therefore, the Sages said [based upon the words of Beit Hillel, Rashi]: “One should always have a pleasant disposition with his fellow man [in order to honor and meet each person’s needs, Rashi].” (Translation, The Soncino Talmud, with my emendations and added explanations)

I believe our two Talmudic passages speak volumes about the preciousness of each individual and how he or she deserves to be treated. Indeed, they remind me of the famous Mishnah in Pirkei Avot 3:14 that speaks about our beloved status before Hashem: “He [Rabbi Akiva] would also say: ‘Beloved is man, for he was created in the image [of G-d]; it is a sign of even greater love that it has been made known to him that he was created in the image, as it is says, “For in the image of G-d, He made man.’” (Sefer Bereishit 9:6, translation, Chabad.org)

In conclusion, I believe we can view the narrative depicting the initial behaviors of the tribes of Gad and Reuven as describing a series of misguided and misplaced priorities in regards to their national and familial responsibilities. Fascinatingly, Chazal utilized this negative incident to give voice to our responsibility to act respectfully and with dignity toward our fellow man. May we, too, learn and internalize these lessons as we continue on our journey of introspection during the period of the Three Weeks. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email [email protected].

*** My audio shiurim for Women on “Tefilah: Haskafah and Analysis,” may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd

*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. They are available here: http://tinyurl.com/82pgvfn.

** Follow new postings on my Twitter accounts: @theRavZatzal and @Torahtech613.

*** Interested in 21st Century Jewish Education? See my blog and Scoopit.com Pages:

http://21stcenturyjewisheducation.org

http://www.scoop.it/t/educational-technology-yeshiva-edition

http://www.scoop.it/t/great-digital-judaic-studies-resources

Parashat Pinchas 5774, 2014

Pinchas and Self-Sacrifice

Rabbi David Etengoff

Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Shmuel David ben Moshe Halevy, and the refuah shlaimah of Yosef Shmuel ben Miriam, Devorah bat Chana, and Yitzhak Akiva ben Malka.

Toward the end of last week’s parasha, Parashat Balak, we find the following verse: “Phineas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the Kohen saw this, arose from the congregation, and took a spear in his hand.” (Sefer Bamidbar 25:7, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) At first glance, it appears very straightforward. Based upon the preceding verses, Pinchas witnessed the public immorality of a Jewish man, identified as “Zimri the son of Salu, the chieftain of the Simeonite paternal house,” and his Midianite consort, later identified as “Cozbi the daughter of Zur, a national leader of a paternal house in Midian.” Apparently upon witnessing Zimri and Cozbi entering Zimri’s tent, Pinchas “arose from the congregation, and took a spear in his hand” in preparation for executing this lewd and licentious couple. The Talmud, however, offers three possibilities as to what exactly Pinchas saw:

And it is also written, “And Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it.” Now, what did he see? — Rab said: He saw what was happening and remembered the halacha [law], and said to him, “O great-uncle! Did you not teach us this on your descent from Mount Sinai: ‘He who cohabits with a heathen woman is punished by zealots?’” He [Moshe] replied. “He who reads the letter [i.e. states the law] let him be the agent [to carry out its instructions].” Samuel said: “He saw that ‘There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the L-rd’ (Sefer Mishle 21:30) [meaning] - Whenever the Divine Name is being profaned, honor must not be paid to one's teacher.” [Therefore, Pinchas acted without Moshe’s counsel since Zimri’s action was a profanation of Hashem.] R. Isaac said in R. Eleazar's name: “He saw the angel wreaking destruction amongst the people.” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 82a, translation, Soncino Talmud, emphasis and brackets my own)

Let us briefly review the three positions:

1. Rab (Rav) - Pinchas “saw what was happening and remembered the halacha” that Moshe had taught regarding the permissibility of summarily executing “he who [publicly] cohabits with a heathen woman.”
2. Samuel (Shmuel) - Pinchas “remembered” a yet-to-be formally given verse from Shlomo Hamelech’s Sefer Mishle that served as the warrant for his zealous behavior, without having first sought out Moshe’s permission, since he (Pinchas) deemed this to be a moment of chilul Hashem (defamation of the Divine Name).
3. Rabbi Yitzchak, in the name of Rabbi Eleazar - Pinchas had a prophetic vision: “He saw the angel wreaking destruction amongst the people,” i.e. the Angel of Death brought a plague as a result of their profligate behaviors with the Moabite women (Sefer Bamidbar 25:1-2). Pinchas then did what was in his power to stop this from happening – first and foremost, the execution of Zimri and Cozbi.

I would like to analyze the opinion of Rabbi Yitzchak, who spoke in the name of Rabbi Eleazar. In order to do so, I believe we need to focus upon Pinchas’ genealogy, and the actions of his grandfather, Aharon Hakohen, so we may better understand who he was and why he performed this act of zealotry. At the beginning of our verse, the Torah teaches us that Pinchas was “ … the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the Kohen.” Eleazar, Pinchas’ father, became the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) upon the death of his father, Aaron (Sefer Bamidbar (20:24-28). Therefore, Pinchas’ paternal lineage was one of kedushah (holiness) and near-royalty, since he was the son and grandson of these two illustrious figures in our history.

Aharon, Pinchas’ grandfather, was one of the most beloved individuals in all of Jewish history. The Torah relates that upon his death, “The entire congregation saw that Aaron had expired, and the entire house of Israel wept for Aaron for thirty days.” (Sefer Bamidbar 20:29) Klal Yisrael (the nation of Israel) was so overcome by Aharon’s death that they simply could not believe that he had passed away. If that is the case, however, why does the Torah state, “The entire congregation saw that Aaron had expired?” Rashi (1040-1105) provides a powerful and poignant Midrashic explanation:

The whole congregation saw: When they saw Moses and Eleazar coming down, and Aaron did not come down, they said, “Where is Aaron?” He said to them, “He died.” They said, “Is it possible that the one who stood up against the angel and stopped the plague can be overpowered by the angel of death?” Whereupon Moses asked for mercy, and the ministering angels showed him [Aharon] to them, lying in the bed. They saw [him] and believed. — [Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 17, Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 19:20]

Why was Aharon so thoroughly beloved by klal Yisrael? Rashi answers this question, as well, in his explanation of the phrase “the entire house of Israel”:

the entire house of Israel: [both] the men and the women, for Aaron had pursued peace; he promoted love between disputing parties and between man and wife. — [Avot d’Rabbi Nathan 12:4, Midrash Aggadah]

This theme is also addressed in the well-known Mishnah in Pirkei Avot 1:12: “Hillel would say: Be of the disciples of Aaron - a lover of peace, a pursuer of peace, one who loves the creatures and draws them close to Torah.” (Translation, Chabad.org) On a certain level, it is very possible that no one has ever loved the Jewish people in quite the same manner and with the same depth and intensity as Aharon Hakohen.

In my opinion, one of the best proofs of Aharon’s overwhelming love for klal Yisrael is to be found in the narrative of the Chet Haegel (the Sin of the Golden Calf). According to the Ramban (1194-1270) and Seforno (1475-1550), Moshe Rabbeinu (our Teacher Moshe) perceived Aharon’s actions in a purely negative fashion. He placed indisputable blame squarely upon Aharon’s shoulders for the creation and subsequent worship of the Golden Calf. Therefore, an angry Moshe rebuked him and said: “What did the people do to you, that you brought upon them such a great sin?” (Sefer Shemot 32:21) We are compelled to ask, what could have motivated Aharon to act in this manner, i.e., what could have caused him to fall to this level? Was it fear? After all, Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 7a, relates how Aharon’s nephew, Hur, was murdered by the people for refusing to participate in the construction of the Golden Calf. Yet, even if Aharon was motivated by a visceral and understandable fear of death, it would have been insufficient cause to engage in any form of avodah zarah (idol worship) since, as the Ramban points out, it is “… in the category of those sins that one should be willing to die for rather than violate.” (y’aharag v’al y’a’avor, Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 74a).

Why, then, did Aharon help create the Golden Calf? The answer is found at the end of the above-referenced passage in Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 7a:

R. Benjamin b. Japhet says, reporting R. Eleazar: He [Aharon] saw Hur lying slain before him and said [to himself]: If I do not obey them [the advocates for a molten image], they will now do unto me as they did unto Hur, and so will be fulfilled [the fear of] the prophet, “Shall the Priest and the Prophet be slain in the Sanctuary of G-d? [Megillat Eichah 2:20] - and they [i.e. the Jewish people] will never find forgiveness. Better let them worship the Golden Calf, for which offence they may yet find forgiveness through repentance. (Translation, Soncino Talmud, brackets my own)

In short, in a poignant and profound act of self-sacrifice, Aharon compromised himself and his schar l’olam habah (reward in the world to come) to save klal Yisrael. He did this out of overpowering love for his fellow Jews and a desire to achieve peace; his actions were motivated by pure devotion to the Jewish people. His intentions were unparalleled in the care and concern for others they represented – irrespective of the heavy personal cost he may have had to pay.

I believe we can now more fully understand Pinchas and his actions. As Rashi makes eminently clear in his first comment on our parasha, Pinchas, like Hur and Aharon before him, acted with tremendous self-sacrifice when he executed Zimri and Cozbi, for upon their death the people began to speak against him and stress his maternal lineage:

Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the Kohen: Since the tribes were disparaging him, saying, “Have you seen the son of Puti, whose mother’s father [Jethro] fattened (פִּטֵּם) calves for idols (See Rashi, Exod. 6:25), and who killed a chieftain of an Israelite tribe?” For this reason, Scripture traces his pedigree to Aaron. — [Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 82b, Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 21:3, Midrash Tanchuma, Pinchas II]

Given our people’s challenging and rebellious behaviors in the Desert (Pirkei Avot 5:4, Talmud Bavli, Arachin 15a), one can readily surmise that Pinchas put his life in clear and present danger to save them from the decimating plague that had begun to take its toll. Yet, out of love and devotion to klal Yisrael, nothing, including his own potential death, could prevent Pinchas from doing what he deemed necessary on their behalf. He knew that he had to act zealously to bring about his nation’s salvation. Therefore the Torah states:

Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the Kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal. (Sefer Bamidbar 25:11)

Hashem swiftly rewarded Pinchas’ altruism, as is illustrated in the following two pasukim (verses):

Therefore, say, “I hereby give him My covenant of peace. It shall be for him and for his descendants after him [as] an eternal covenant of Priesthood, because he was zealous for his G-d and atoned for the children of Israel.” (Underlining my own)

We, of course, do not have permission (heter) to act as Pinchas did. It is forbidden for us to act like zealots and take matters into our own hands. Yet, we can learn from Pinchas to have undying love and devotion for klal Yisrael, and do all that we can to be mekadash shame Shamayim (sanctify Hashem’s Name) – even if this entails struggle and self-sacrifice.

Shabbat Shalom

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