PARASHA PINJAS - RAB. DAVID PINTO HANNANIA Z"LT

 

Pinchas

 

All Jews Must Ensure that Hashem’s Honor and Mitzvot are Respected

It is written, “Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest, turned back My wrath…. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace, and it shall be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of eternal priesthood’ ” (Numbers 25:11-13).

The Torah tells us that when Pinchas saw Zimri’s vile deed, he realized that the honor of Heaven was being desecrated, and that thousands of Jews would die. Motivated by feelings of jealously for Hashem’s honor, Pinchas therefore arose and took his spear to kill Zimri without hesitating or wavering, thereby saving Israel from death.

Pinchas’ bravery was impressive in Hashem’s eyes, which is why He told Moses to inform Pinchas that he would be rewarded on account of his great deed. What was his reward? It was a covenant of peace for himself and his descendants after him, a covenant of eternal priesthood, meaning that his descendants would always possess the holiness of the priesthood.

We need to understand this incident, for when Zimri sinned and disaster was about to strike, many of the Children of Israel saw and were fully aware of what he was doing. That being the case, why was it only Pinchas who decided to arise and carry out Hashem’s wrath?

We also need to understand the meaning of the statement, “Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace, and it shall be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of eternal priesthood.’ ” Although Pinchas was rewarded in this way, elsewhere we have learned that there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world (Kiddushin

39b)!

The explanation is the following: When Pinchas saw what Zimri was doing, he not only perceived the physical reality around him, but also looked into himself and perceived his own strength, sensing an incredible awakening inside. He felt that the hidden forces within him were suddenly telling him to get up and carry out Hashem’s vengeance. At that point not using these forces would have been regrettable. Although Pinchas was not one of the most important figures among the tribes, he was a descendant of Aaron, one of the greatest figures in Israel, and he sensed that the merit of his fathers would help him carry out Hashem’s vengeance. Hence the verse states, “Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest.” Pinchas’ name alone would have sufficed here, so why mention his lineage as well? It is in order to tell us by allusion that Pinchas relied on the merit of his fathers to help him fulfill Hashem’s will, thereby preventing a plague.

Pinchas also understood that he was precisely the person who had to take action, for at that point the Halachah had been forgotten, and even Moses did not know it. Pinchas

therefore saw Zimri’s deed and recalled the Halachah, leading him to the realization that Heaven had chosen him to kill Zimri. Pinchas understood what was happening, and he sensed that things now depended on him. If he hesitated or wavered at that point, a plague would break out and kill thousands of people. This completely explains our first question, which is why it was Pinchas who took action. He did so because he felt that Heaven gave him the strength needed for this task, and he realized that he was precisely the person chosen to carry it out.

The great proof that what Pinchas did was for the sake of Heaven – that his intentions were pure, not tainted in any way by self-interest – lies in the fact that twelve miracles were performed for him, as the Targum explains at the end of Parsha Balak. This is the greatest proof that all he did was solely for the sake of Heaven, completely devoid of self-interest.

This is why the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Pinchas His covenant of peace, for his only intention was to bring peace between the Children of Israel and their Father in Heaven. As the Sages have said, “Resh Lakish stated: Pinchas is Eliyahu. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: ‘You have made peace between Me and the Children of Israel in this world, and in the future you will also make peace between Me and My children.’ ” Pinchas merited the priesthood for himself and all his descendants, and death had no power over him (Zohar III:214a). According to this, we can understand the question that we raised earlier, namely how Hashem could have rewarded Pinchas for his deed, since there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world. The question can be answered in several ways:

1.  A person does not merit a reward in this world for a mitzvah that he performs, since his reward is reserved for him in the World to Come. However what he adds to a mitzvah, meaning the devotion and effort that he puts into completing it to perfection, is rewarded in this world. Here Pinchas risked his very life by acting as he did for Hashem’s honor.

2. When we say that there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world, we are speaking of a material reward. A person nevertheless merits a spiritual reward in this world, such as the priesthood and long life, since Pinchas was rewarded with these.

3.  There is no reward for a mitzvah in this world when it is performed with the sentiment that personal merit is the cause. Pinchas did not act as he did by relying upon his own merit, but upon the merit of his fathers. Although he had a number of personal merits in his favor, Pinchas still humbled himself, and therefore it is fitting that he was rewarded. It was not a personal reward that he received, but the reward of his fathers, accompanied by its fruits.

Pinchas’ brave deed teaches us that when we see the honor of Heaven being desecrated or Judaism’s sacred values being trampled upon, we are not allowed to ignore it and weigh our options in order to save face. Although we are not called upon to emulate Pinchas’ deed, there are still many ways that we can ensure that Hashem’s honor is being respected. As the Sages have said, “ ‘There is neither wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the L-RD’ [Proverbs 21:30]. Whenever the Divine

Name is being profaned, honor must not be paid to one’s teacher [i.e., Pinchas did not wait for Moses’ ruling upon seeing Hashem’s Name being profaned]” (Sanhedrin 82a). Every Jew must therefore ensure that the honor of Hashem and His mitzvot are respected, in which case the glory of the Torah will be exalted and Hashem’s Name will be sanctified in the world.

 

The Reward for a Mitzvah is a Mitzvah

It is written, “Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace, and it shall be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of eternal priesthood’ ” (Numbers 25:12- 13). Here the Sages say, “It is right that he should receive his reward” (Bamidbar Rabba 21:1).

We need to understand what this means, since the Gemara states that there is no reward in this world for performing a mitzvah (Kiddushin 39b).

We may explain this by saying that we do not deserve a reward in this world solely for carrying out an actual mitzvah, whose reward is reserved for the World to Come. However we are rewarded in this world for adding to the mitzvah, embellishing the mitzvah, or performing it with devotion.

Pinchas, whose father and grandfather served as High Priest, was infused with tremendous zeal for Hashem, and this zeal pushed him to emulate them. Now that he had an opportunity to kill Zimri and thereby stop an epidemic, he elevated himself and merited the level of the High Priesthood. Thus by carrying out all the laws concerning the High Priest, he could stop the epidemic and atone for the Children of Israel on Yom Kippur. He could also atone for the sin of Lashon Harah by means of his garments. Even after Pinchas decided to kill Zimri, he saw two reasons for doing so. The first was that he could thereby grow and inherit the High Priesthood of his father. The second was to stop the epidemic that was raging among the Children of Israel. From here we see the greatness of Pinchas, for although these two reasons were for the sake of Heaven, and despite the difficulty of calculating pros and cons at such a difficult and critical time (especially since it related to himself and his own honor), he nevertheless only had the welfare of others in mind. He preferred to kill Zimri only in order to stop the epidemic that was raging among the Children of Israel, not for any other reason, since stopping the epidemic was so important. Thus we read, “The epidemic was stopped” (Numbers 25:8) – it was the only reason why Pinchas killed Zimri. Hence it was fitting for Pinchas to be rewarded.

We may explain the situation in another way: Pinchas did not, in fact, receive a reward for his deed. However since he carried out a spiritual action, he received a spiritual reward, namely the High Priesthood and a long life of helping and defending the Children of Israel. This does not mean that he was rewarded for his deed, but that one mitzvah leads to another.

We must also say that a person does not receive a reward in this world for performing a mitzvah by his own merit. Pinchas did not perform this deed by his own merit, but by

relying upon the merit of his fathers. He possessed numerous merits of his own, and he also knew that this deed would earn him the High Priesthood. Nevertheless, Pinchas humbled himself and carried out this deed by the merit of his fathers, for he believed that it would help him. That is why it was fitting for Pinchas to be rewarded. It was not his own reward that he received, but that of his fathers, with Pinchas receiving the fruit of this reward.

In reality, Pinchas drew his strength from Abraham, concerning whom it is written: “The L-RD appeared to him on the plains of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day. He raised his eyes and looked, and behold: Three men were standing over him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them” (Genesis 18:1-2). In other words, once Abraham circumcised himself and became complete, he also merited becoming a vehicle for the Shechinah. Yet Abraham still sat by his tent and waited for guests, even though Hashem appeared to him. When he saw three passers-by whom he did not know, he ran to meet them as if they were longtime friends. This is very surprising for two reasons: (1) While still standing before the Shechinah, how could Abraham leave to run after potential guests, regardless of how important they were, and especially since they appeared to be simple Arabs? (2) How did Abraham have the strength to run on the third day following his circumcision, which is the most painful day of all, as it is written: “On the third day, as they were in pain” (Genesis 34:25)? His pain was so intense that even angels noticed and wanted to leave, as the Sages state, especially since a person who is occupied with one mitzvah is exempt from another mitzvah.

It seems that we may explain this as follows: Abraham, in realizing just how hot it was outside (since Hashem had taken the sun out of its sheath), was afraid that people would not want to venture out as a result. He therefore thought that now he had to overcome his weakness and pain, which were trials. Since this depended solely on him, especially now that he had become a vehicle for the Shechinah and was complete, he had to run after every passer-by and bring him into his tent. This was despite the fact that Abraham knew that for every moment he stayed with Hashem, he could elevate himself and reach unparalleled heights. Therefore each instant was more precious than gold, and by taking the action that he did, Abraham was damaging his service of Hashem. Nevertheless he decided to put aside his personal interests and the spiritual levels that he could have reached by staying close to the Shechinah. Instead of serving Hashem and receiving a reward, he preferred to use his strength to help others, so they too could recognize Hashem with perfect faith. They too could therefore benefit from the World to Come, just as he was now benefiting from the Shechinah. Abraham’s great spiritual level would make itself known by this deed, which is why the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: “Your reward is very great” (Genesis 15:1). Likewise Pinchas, who put all his personal interests aside and redeemed the Children of Israel solely because of his love for Hashem, merited a reward. By this merit, all his descendants after him would be priests. Pinchas also followed this path, and because he was concerned for others and not for himself, he merited the High Priesthood for himself and his descendants after him, as we have explained.

Aided by the Merit of his Fathers

It is written, “Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the kohen, turned away My wrath from the Children of Israel” (Bamidbar 25:11). Rashi cites the Sages in explaining why the verse describes Pinchas’ lineage: “Since the tribes were disparaging him, saying, ‘Have you seen the son of Puti, whose mother’s father pitem [fattened] calves for idols, and who killed a leader of an Israelite tribe,’ Scripture traces his lineage to Aaron” (Sanhedrin 82b). We are familiar with the Sages’ statement that everything Pinchas did was solely for the sake of Heaven, and that he devoted himself entirely to the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, and to the sanctity of Israel’s camp (Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 10:2). Another comment appears in a halachic discussion that we find in the Shulchan Aruch concerning the name “Pinchas,” namely whether to write it with a yud or not (see Responsa Even HaEzer 129). The letter yud in Pinchas’ name testifies to the fact that everything he did was for the sake of Heaven.

He Taught the Halachah Before His Teacher

We should still be surprised, however, for Moshe was also present at the time, as were Aaron and the 70 elders of the people, since the Sages have said: “One does not teach the Halachah before his teacher” (Yerushalmi, Gittin 1:2). That being the case, how could Pinchas have killed a tribal leader on his own initiative?

There is something else even more surprising, for the Sages said that Pinchas “saw what was happening and remembered the Halachah” (Sanhedrin 82a). Therefore why did Pinchas not mention this Halachah before Moshe? Had he done so, he would have received Moshe’s permission to kill the transgressor and he would not have needed to act like one who “teaches the Halachah,” the transgression of which is death.

Furthermore, it seems that Pinchas could have used the same expression that his father Elazar employed when Moshe became angry with the soldiers returning from battle and had forgotten the Halachah. Elazar said, “This is the decree of the Torah, which Hashem commanded Moshe” (Bamidbar 31:21). In other words, he said this in Moshe’s name. Therefore his son Pinchas could have done the same, saying what he needed to say in Moshe’s name.

Let us explain the statement of the Sages concerning Pinchas: “He saw what was happening and remembered the Halachah.” This means that Pinchas saw what happened to the first man and remembered the Halachah. He remembered that the Holy One, blessed be He, told Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge (Bereshith 2:17). However Adam thought that he should eat from it because he was clever, knowing that he could serve Hashem with greater vigor and strength if he ate from it.

This means that the pride of a strange fire – a fire that Hashem had not commanded

– entered Adam, which is why he sinned. In fact instead of thinking of Hashem and His commandments, Adam only thought of himself, of how he could augment his own glory, with the result being that he transgressed Hashem’s word. All this resulted from the fact that Adam could not benefit from the merit of his fathers. He had been fashioned

by the Holy One, blessed be He, and he thought that everything was permissible for him to do, which is how he came to sin. From here we see the greatness of the merit of the fathers. Adam did not have such merit to protect him, whereas Pinchas did, since the verse links him to Aaron. It was precisely that merit which helped him to overcome this trial.

Overcoming Trials

To understand the nature of the difference between Pinchas and Adam, let us first cite a statement from the Mishnah: “Reflect upon three things and you will not come to sin: Know from where you came, where you are going, and before Whom you are destined to give an accounting” (Pirkei Avoth 3:1). The commentators say that the first part (“from where you came”) was lacking with Adam, for he had been fashioned directly by the Holy One, blessed be He.

Such was not the case with Pinchas. We are told that he was “the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the kohen,” proving that he was born from a woman and originated from a putrid drop. This led him to humility and prevented him from growing proud, for he could relate to everything mentioned by the Mishnah, including “from where you came.” Adam, to whom Hashem said, “on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die,” believed the very opposite, namely that he should eat of it in order to overcome the trials of this world, to be strengthened by them, and to receive a great reward. As for Pinchas, he risked his life knowing full well that he was in tremendous danger, all in order to increase the glory of Heaven.

Personal Interests

It follows that from the time Pinchas sensed the great danger that threatened the Children of Israel because of Shimon’s tribal leader, he did not have time to seek Moshe’s advice in order to learn the Halachah. If Pinchas had addressed Moshe to learn the Halachah, thousands of Jews would have died in the meantime. He therefore took the initiative, despite the great danger that it posed to his life and even to his place in the World to Come, just to save the Children of Israel and proclaim Hashem’s Name, which had been profaned.

Thus Pinchas arose from the midst of the congregation, took a spear in his hand, and killed the transgressors in order to halt the epidemic. It was for this reason that he received the reward of long life, and henceforth he was considered a kohen (Zevachim 101b). The Holy One, blessed be He, gave Pinchas a great blessing and reward. Which one? “I give him My covenant of peace, and it shall be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of eternal priesthood” (Bamidbar 25:12-13), for everything that Pinchas did was for the sake of Heaven. On the other hand, since Adam had not risked his life in order to observe Hashem’s word, but was instead concerned with personal interests, Hashem gave him death instead of life, as it is written: “For on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.” How did Adam reach such a point? As we have said, it was because he was infused with pride and lacked the merit of his fathers.

Pinchas and the Merit of the Fathers

Concerning the words found in this week’s parsha: “Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the kohen, turned away My wrath from the Children of Israel” (Bamidbar 25:11), Rashi cites the words of the Sages: “Since the tribes were disparaging him, saying, ‘Have you seen this son of Puti [i.e., Putiel, one of Jethro’s names], whose mother’s father pitem [fattened] calves for idols, and who killed a leader of an Israelite tribe,’ Scripture traces his lineage to Aaron” (Sanhedrin 82b). Hence the verse describes the lineage of Pinchas and connects him to Aaron. We know that the Sages have said that everything Pinchas did was solely for Hashem’s sake (Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 10:2). In fact Pinchas devoted himself to the glory of Hashem and the sanctity of the camp of Israel. Furthermore, we find a halachic discussion in the Shulchan Aruch on whether to write the name “Pinchas” with or without a yud (see Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 129). The letter yud in Pinchas’ name testifies to the fact that everything he did was for the sake of Heaven.

He Saw and Remembered the Halachah

An explanation is still required because Moshe, Aaron, and the 70 elders were also present at the time. Furthermore, the Sages have said, “One does not teach the Halachah before his teacher” (Yerushalmi, Gittin 1:2). Therefore how could Pinchas have gone out and killed a leader of Israel on his own initiative?

Something even more surprising is the fact that the Sages say of Pinchas: “He saw what was happening and remembered the Halachah” (Sanhedrin 82a). That being the case, why did he not remind Moshe himself of this Halachah? He would have then received Moshe’s full permission to kill the transgressor, and he would not have needed to fall under the category of moreh Halachah (“one who teaches Halachah”), whose punishment is death!

Furthermore, it seems that Pinchas could have used the same expression as his father Elazar the kohen did when Moshe was angry with the soldiers who returned from battle and had forgotten the Halachah. At that point Elazar said to them: “This is the decree of the Torah, which Hashem commanded Moshe” (Bamidbar 31:21), meaning that he was speaking in Moshe’s name. Hence Pinchas, the son of Elazar, could have done the same: He could have said this in Moshe’s name.

To explain what the Sages said about Pinchas the son of Elazar (“he saw what was happening and remembered the Halachah”), we may say that Pinchas saw the deed of the first man and remembered the Halachah. That is, he remembered that G-d had told Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge (Bereshith 2:17). Now Adam thought that it was better to eat from it, for he was intelligent and knew that if he ate from it, it would enable him to, as it were, serve Hashem with even greater strength and vigor.

This means that pride from an alien fire – which Hashem had not commanded him

– entered Adam and led him to sin. Instead of thinking of G-d and His commandments, Adam thought only of himself. He thought only about increasing his own glory, which is what led him to transgress Hashem’s command. All this occurred because the first

man did not benefit from the merit of his fathers. He had been fashioned by the Holy One, blessed be He, and he believed that he was allowed to do anything. That is how he came to sin. From here we see the importance of the merit of the fathers. The first man did not have this merit to protect him, whereas Pinchas did. That is why the verse traces his lineage to Aaron, for it was precisely this merit that helped him the most during his trial.

To Increase the Glory of Heaven

In order to understand the difference between Pinchas and Adam, let us first cite the words of the Mishnah: “Reflect upon three things and you will not come to sin: Know from where you came, where you are going, and before Whom you are destined to give an account” (Pirkei Avoth 3:1). The commentators say that the first part (“from where you came”) did not apply to Adam, since he had been fashioned by Hashem.

What of Pinchas? Of him it is said, “the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the kohen,” proving that he was born from a woman and that he came from a putrid drop. This led him to humility, to not growing proud of himself, for all three things mentioned in the Mishnah applied to him, including “from where you came.” This is why Adam, to whom G-d said, “on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die,” thought the very opposite, namely that it was good to eat in order to overcome the trials of this world and receive a great reward. As for Pinchas, he risked his own life with the knowledge that he was in gave danger, all in order to increase the glory of Heaven.

A Personal Decision

Therefore when Pinchas felt the great danger that threatened the Children of Israel because the leader of the tribe of Shimon was sinning, he did not have time to seek Moshe’s advice and receive the Halachah from him. If he had addressed Moshe to know what the Halachah was, thousands among the Children of Israel would have died. Pinchas therefore took a decision on his own – despite a grave danger to his own life, and even at the risk of losing his portion in the World to Come – solely to save the Children of Israel and avenge G-d’s Name, which had been profaned.

This is why Pinchas immediately arose among the community, took a spear in his hand, and killed the transgressors to stop the plague. This earned him the great reward of long life, and at that point he earned the crown of the priesthood as well as the great blessing: “I give him My covenant of peace, and it shall be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of eternal priesthood” (Bamidbar 25:12-13). All this because his deeds were solely for the sake of Heaven. As for Adam, because he did not do everything to fulfill Hashem’s orders, but was concerned with his own interests, he received death rather than life, as it is written: “For on the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.” Why did this happen to him? It was because he grew proud and did not benefit from the merit of the fathers.

The Devotion of Pinchas as Compared to Adam

Commenting on the verse, “When Pinchas saw…he arose from amid the assembly and took a spear in his hand” (Bamidbar 25:7), the Gemara explains: “He saw what was happening and remembered the Halachah” (Sanhedrin 82a).

In this regard, we may ask the following questions:

1. What did Pinchas see, and what Halachah did he remember?

2. Our Sages teach that it was on account of the spear which Pinchas held in his hand that the kohanim receive the shoulder as their share from the offerings (Devarim 18:3; Rashi, Sifri 18:46). What connection exists between these two body parts? Finally, the phrase “in his hand” seems redundant, since Pinchas could only hold his spear in his hand.

3.  Commenting on the phrase, “[Pinchas] took a spear in his hand,” the Zohar teaches that the numerical value of the name Pinchas (208) is equal to the letters resh

(200) and chet (8). When Pinchas saw the letter mem (numerical value: 40) flying in the air (Zohar III:237a), he grabbed hold of it and added it to resh chet, making romach [“spear”] (numerical value: 248). In other words, he used the 248 limbs of his body to fulfill this mitzvah. What happened to his 365 sinews with which mitzvot must also be fulfilled?

4.  Commenting on the phrase, “When Pinchas, son of Elazar, son of Aaron the kohen,” the Gemara asks why the verse connects him to Aaron, and responds by explaining: “The tribes now began abusing him, ‘You see this son of Puti, whose maternal grandfather pitem [fattened] cattle for idols’ ” (Sanhedrin 82b).

5. Why did the tribes humiliate him now, rather than earlier? Did they not know that Pinchas was Aaron’s grandson?

To answer these questions, we must go back to Adam.

We know that when someone fulfills a mitzvah, he should do it with the utmost devotion and without any ulterior motives. One must use all the 248 limbs and 365 sinews of his body, completely annulling his ego, by pouring out his soul and demonstrating the greatest degree of humility. The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Adam not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, “for on the day that you eat of it, you will surely die” (Bereshith 2:17). The Gemara calls this an easy mitzvah (Shabbat 55b), at least in regards to the first man. Nevertheless, Adam did not control himself, and he ate it. How could this man, this Divine creation (Kohelet Rabba 3:14), not fulfill such an easy mitzvah? Even if it had been a difficult mitzvah, the fact is that he did not adhere to his Creator’s will! On the other hand, since Hashem threatened him with death if he were to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, why did He not carry out His threat right away? Why was Hashem content on simply cursing him, as it is written: “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread” (Bereshith 3:19)?

The answer is that he ate from the Tree of Knowledge because his wife Eve encouraged him to do so (v.6). Moreover, our Sages teach that a woman is more

intuitive than a man (see Bereshith Rabba 18:1), and knows how to influence him. Perhaps she convinced him that eating from the Tree of Knowledge could help him to serve G-d? Thus he may have believed that he could only adhere to G-d’s will, devoting body and soul to the fulfillment of Divine precepts, by eating from the Tree of Knowledge. He was aware of the fact that he was risking death in so doing, but he was ready to literally risk his life in order to serve his Creator in the loftiest possible way, thus putting into practice the saying of Rabbi Yaakov: “A single hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is greater than all of the World to Come” (Pirkei Avoth 4:17).

Nevertheless, as soon as he ate from the Tree of Knowledge and his mind grew sharper, he became aware of his minor importance, as it is written: “And they knew that they were naked” (Bereshith 3:7). The Midrash explains: “They even stripped themselves of the one mitzvah which they possessed” (Bereshith Rabba 19:6). Adam certainly understood that he had transgressed, but he took the decision to conform to G-d’s will from now on, and to taste from the Tree of Life as well. He thus demonstrated tremendous pride, for not only was he not content with breaking the Creator’s will, he dared to ask Him not to be punished! Hashem then expelled him from the Garden of Eden, saying: “Now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat and live forever” (Bereshith 3:22). He did not sentence him to death, however, for Adam only sought to spiritually elevate himself in doing what he did.

This incident shows us that if we break G-d’s will, even for the sole purpose of spiritually elevating ourselves, we are fulfilling a mitzvah through a sin (Sukkah 30a), something which may lead to other sins. We will then not succeed in increasing our fear of G-d, even if we put an effort into it, and we will have committed a grave sin.

Pinchas saw what Adam did, namely that he increased his fear of G-d. As we saw above, Adam thereby broke G-d’s will and his plan did not succeed. Pinchas remembered the Halachah, which consists precisely of not breaking G-d’s will, even if we seek to increase our faith in so doing. It is forbidden to demonstrate pride and arrogance in order to achieve this. On the contrary, we must demonstrate humility by conforming solely to G-d’s will.

After seeing all this, Pinchas the son of Elazar actively prepared himself to carry out his sublime deed, and he implored G-d for help. He needed an abundance of mercy from Heaven, a real miracle, for as a kohen he was liable to render himself impure by the action he was preparing to undertake (see Sanhedrin 82a). He therefore did what he had to do with the upmost degree of sincerity and devotion, without the slightest trace of pride. He placed a romach (“spear”) beyado (“in his hand”), meaning that he put his 248 limbs into action. Yet what of his shasa gidim (365 sinews)? The term beyado has the same numerical value as gido [“his sinew”] (plus one for the kollel = 23). Thus Pinchas also used his 365 gidim (sinews) with perfect devotion. The kohanim became worthy of receiving the shoulder of an animal that is brought as an offering to G-d because the arm personifies heroism and self-annulment. Furthermore, the terms zeroah and chassid have a combined numerical value of 365, representing the 365 sinews which

Pinchas used in taking action bizroah netuyah (“with an outstretched arm”), the numerical value of which is 365. He thereby conformed to the retzon aviv (will of His Father), the numerical value of which is also 365, contrary to Adam, who broke it.

The Holy One, blessed be He, Who probes hearts and minds (Tehillim 7:10), valued the exemplary deed of Pinchas, who turned Divine anger away from the Children of Israel by demonstrating his zeal for G-d (see Bamidbar 25:11). As the Sages say, “In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man” (Pirkei Avoth 2:5). By acting in this way, Pinchas certainly put his life in danger, for one who teaches the Halachah before his teachers is liable to the penalty of death (Berachot 31b; Tanchuma, Acharei Mot 6). However in seeing Zimri’s sin, which endangered the entire Jewish people, Pinchas was prepared to risk his life in order to save the Jewish people from extermination.

Contrary to Adam – who committed a very grave sin, was cursed for it, and yet dared to ask for a reward – Pinchas acted solely for the sake of G-d, without asking for even the smallest reward. In fact he asked G-d to help him so that nothing evil would result from his deed. The Holy One, blessed be He, nevertheless gave him a reward and added the letter yud to his name, just as Moshe added the letter hei to the yud of Joshua’s name (thus becoming Y-H, for Moshe prayed: “May Y-H save you from the plan of the spies”). This Name has a numerical value of 15, which is the same as ga’avah (“pride”), from which Hashem wanted to spare Pinchas so he could act solely in G-d’s Name. Thus by increasing His glory, Pinchas would demonstrate his total devotion. This extra yud also allowed Pinchas to never sin again. In fact the numerical value of the name Pinchas (208) is equal to that of ve’ein chet ba’al-yado (“no sin through his hand”). By acting in this way, Pinchas demonstrated chesed, lovingkindness towards the Jewish people. Furthermore, the name Pinchas has the same numerical value as chesed yesovevenu (“surrounding oneself with loving kindness”).

Pinchas also merited a long life, for the Angel of Death had no power over him (Zohar III:214a), and as we know, Pinchas is Eliyahu (Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer 47). As opposed to Adam – whose life was shortened “pen [lest] he put forth his hand and take also of the Tree of Life” – Pinchas lives eternally, as we said earlier. This is the meaning of the name Pinchas (“pen-chas”). His pen corrected the pen of Adam, while chas has the same numerical value as chaim (“life”).

All this will help us to better understand the teaching of the Tanna Akavia, son of Mahalalel: “Reflect upon three things and you will not come to the hands of transgression. Know from where you came, where you are going, and before Whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting” (Pirkei Avoth 3:1). Just asking where you are going – and recalling before Whom you will have to give an accounting – can certainly dissuade a person from sinning. Yet how can just knowing from where you came dissuade a person from sinning? The answer is that it is not enough to recall punishment in order not to sin. We must do everything with the utmost degree of humility (like Pinchas), and not demonstrate the least degree of pride (like Adam). In that case, we will fulfill all the mitzvot with the utmost of perfection. Thus by thinking

about where we came from (a putrid drop), we will act with humility and a contrite heart, solely to adhere to the will of our Creator.

“Why did Adam sin?” asks Midrash Pliyah. It is because he saw two; and if he had seen three, he would not have sinned. In other words, the first man did not think about where he came from. In fact he had not been created like all other men after him, from a putrid drop, but was instead the work of G-d’s hands. Adam only reflected upon “where you are going, and before Whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting.” Hence we may say that he sinned with the utmost devotion, and since he could not reflect upon where he came from, he continued to demonstrate pride and even asked for a reward: To taste from the Tree of Life. The result was that he was punished.

Adam’s sin did not constitute a “descent for the sake of ascent” (Makkot 7b), for even at birth Adam was so perfect a creation, says the Midrash, that the angels mistook him for a divine being and wanted to sanctify him. They had no idea that he could sin, for they knew that his deed was essentially geared to intensifying his service of G-d. That is why the angels asked the Holy One, blessed be He: “Why did You impose the penalty of death upon Adam?” (Shabbat 55b). He replied, “I gave him an easy [kalah] command, and yet he violated it!” In other words, the first man did not come from a putrid drop, and instead of demonstrating humility (kal ve’anav), he grew proud. Since he did not act for the sake of G-d, he merited death.

Pinchas, on the other hand, knew from where he came: From a putrid drop (from Elazar, the son of Aaron the kohen). It was from his grandfather that he inherited humility, as it written: “For what are we?” (Shemot 16:7). Since Pinchas thought of the three things which the Tanna mentioned (cited above), he did not sin.

The tiny yud in the name Pinchas alludes to his humility, and the broken vav in the word shalom (Bamidbar 25:12), may be considered as a regular yud and vav, which together have a numerical value of 16. This is the same value as the initials of chayil bala vayekiyenu (“he devoured wealth, but will disgorge it” – Job 20:15). As we have seen, according to the writings of the holy Arizal, this Name is effective in rectifying blemishes to the sign of the holy covenant. In this regard, kabbalistic writings teach that Adam sinned because he did not wait until Shabbat to cohabit with Eve, which according to the Sages (Bereshith Rabba 18:6) caused the serpent to desire her. Adam thus blemished the sefirah of yesod (sign of the covenant), which encompasses the 613 mitzvot. Instead of attaining shelemut (perfection) – which is shalom (peace), as it is written: “He makes shalom [peace] in His heights” (Job 25:2) – he blemished the sign of the covenant and experienced death. On the other hand, Pinchas did not blemish it (Zohar III:220a), and he turned G-d’s anger away from the Children of Israel. This is why Hashem granted him briti shalom (“My covenant of peace”), the term brit (“covenant”) having the same numerical value (612 plus 1) as taryag (613 mitzvot). He attained abundance and even received the name chavu (on account of the broken vav). He was therefore able to rectify the blemish of Adam.

In fact the Children of Israel, who allowed themselves to pursue falsehood and answer the call of Zimri (who scoffed at Moshe by asking if he was permitted to marry his Midianite wife), did not look upon the deed of Pinchas with favor. They did not explain to Zimri that Moshe had married the daughter of Jethro before the giving of the Torah. Since they demonstrated pride, they humiliated Pinchas by reminding him that he was the son of Puti, meaning that they questioned his lineage – not on the side of Elazar and Aaron – but on the side of Jethro, who had worshipped idols. His complete humility and sincere devotion teach all the generations when to truly grow spiritually, and when to be careful that this growth does not blemish and destroy the foundations of holiness. We learn not to act like Adam when he cut the shoots (i.e., veered from the right path) and experienced death, but rather to emulate Pinchas, who demonstrated zeal for G-d amid the assembly of Israel, and who earned a right to the place reserved for the tzaddikim.

 

Pinchas’ Act of Total Self-Sacrifice:

Rectifying the Sin of the Tree of Knowledge

It is written, “Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the kohen, turned away My wrath from the Children of Israel” (Bamidbar 25:11).

Rashi cites the Sages (Sanhedrin 82b) in stating, “Since the tribes were disparaging him, saying, ‘Have you seen this son of Puti [i.e., Putiel, one of Jethro’s names], whose mother’s father pitem [fattened] calves for idols, and who killed a leader of an Israelite tribe,’ Scripture traces his lineage to Aaron.”

Our Sages affirm that everything Pinchas did was solely for G-d’s sake, meaning that he completely devoted himself to Hashem (Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 5:2). Despite this, the question is raised as to whether his name (Pinchas) should be written with or without a yud. In fact the presence of this letter testifies that all his actions were performed for the sake of the Divine Name, from which we learn that “in a place where there are no men, strive to be a man” (Pirkei Avoth 2:5).

However a difficulty remains: Moshe Rabbeinu, as well as Aaron the kohen and the 70 elders of Israel, were in the camp [when Pinchas took action]! Now we know that “one does not teach the Halachah before his teacher” (Yerushalmi, Gittin 1:2). That said, how could Pinchas have killed a leader of Israel on his own initiative?

Furthermore, in regards to Pinchas we read: “He saw what was happening and remembered the Halachah” (Sanhedrin 82a). That being the case, why did he not simply remind Moshe of this Halachah? Moshe could have then given him complete permission to kill the transgressor, and Pinchas would not have needed to “teach it” himself!

Furthermore, Pinchas could have reprimanded the transgressions as his father Elazar had done. When Moshe, who had been angry with soldiers returning from battle, had forgotten a Halachah (Bamidbar 31:14), Elazar said: “This is the decree of the Torah, which Hashem commanded Moshe” (v.21). In other words, he spoke to them in

Moshe’s name. His son Pinchas could have done the same by mentioning the Halachah

in Moshe’s name.

Let us try and solve all these difficulties. “He saw what was happening…” What did he really see? He saw the sin of the first man…“and remembered the Halachah.” He remembered that Adam had not received permission to eat from the Tree of Knowledge (Bereshith 2:17). Adam took the initiative to eat from it because he was intelligent, believing that it would allow him to serve G-d with even greater vigor.

Hence because of his pride, the first man sought to introduce an “alien fire” that G-d had not commanded him. That is where his sin lay. In fact rather than thinking of G-d and His commandments, Adam allowed himself to transgress His order with the hope of gaining even more glory for himself! Of his own free will, Adam introduced the evil inclination into himself so it would constantly fight him, something that G-d absolutely did not want.

All this happened to the first man because he did not possess any “merit of the fathers.” He was the direct work of G-d’s hands (Devarim Rabba 11:3), and he thought that everything was permissible to him. That is how he ended up sinning. From here we see just how valuable is the merit of the fathers, for Adam could not benefit from such protection, as opposed to Pinchas. This is also why the text points out that Pinchas was a descendant of Aaron, for it was precisely the “merit of the fathers” that helped him to overcome this trial.

Nevertheless, how are we to understand that the first man, fashioned by G-d himself, could have been led into disobeying Him? After all, Hashem warned him by saying: “On the day you eat of it, you will surely die” (Bereshith 2:17). We must say that Adam did not understand the full significance of death, and therefore he could not grasp the severity of this prohibition (eating from the Tree of Knowledge), which is why he sinned. Probably because of his fear of G-d, Adam thought that he was able to defeat the evil inclination, which in turn led to his arrogant behavior. However his sin lay in transgressing G-d’s word.

It is now easier to understand the main difference between Pinchas and Adam. In Pirkei Avoth 3:1 we read, “Reflect upon three things and you will not come to sin: Know from where you came, where you are going, and before Whom you are destined to give an accounting.” According to some commentators, “from where you came” did not apply to the first man, since he was the work of G-d’s hands. He did not come from a putrid drop, and therefore he was not used to engaging in soul-searching.

Such was not the case with Pinchas, concerning whom the text specifies that he was “the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the kohen,” meaning that he did come from a putrid drop. That is what encouraged him to be humble, not to grow proud, for he felt that all three points of the above saying applied to him, including “from where you came.” Hence Adam – to whom G-d said, “On the day you eat of it, you will surely die” – acted in the very opposite way as Pinchas, who risked his life (while fully realizing the significance of doing so) solely for the purpose of glorifying G-d.

We can now better understand things. Pinchas felt the great danger which the Children of Israel were in because of the sin committed by the leader of the tribe of Shimon. There was no time to speak to Moshe and assure himself of the Halachah, for the plague was spreading and thousands among the Children of Israel were still dying. That is why he took this decision on his own, thereby putting his life in danger and even risking his portion in the World to Come. His only goal was to save the Children of Israel and demonstrate zeal in preventing a desecration of Hashem’s Name.

Thus Pinchas immediately rose from the midst of the assembly, took a spear, and went to kill the transgressors in order to end the plague. It was precisely because of this action that he merited long life, for he became a kohen (Zevachim 101b) and received the blessing: “I give him My covenant of peace” (Bamidbar 25:12).

For the action that he took, G-d conferred great merit upon Pinchas. Which one? “I give him My covenant of peace, and it shall be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of eternal priesthood” (ibid. vv.12-13), for his deeds were done without self- interest. On the other hand, Adam – who did not devote himself to G-d, and who was only concerned with his own glory – received death instead of life, as it is written: “On the day you eat of it, you will surely die.”

 

A Jew’s Name

The end of Parsha Balak describes the horrific sin that Zimri the son of Salu, a leader from the tribe of Shimon, committed with the Midianite Cozbi the daughter of Zur. The Torah describes the incident in the following way: “Behold, an Israelite man came and brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in the sight of Moshe” (Bamidbar 25:6). It does not mention their names, for they caused the concealment (if we may use the term) of the Divine Name in this world. Their names are mentioned afterwards, when Pinchas kills them with a spear at risk to his own life, thereby earning the Torah’s praise and being rewarded by G-d with an “eternal covenant of priesthood.” In fact after this incident, the verse explicitly mentions their names: “The name of the slain Israelite man…was Zimri the son of Salu…and the name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi the daughter of Zur.” My dear son Rabbi Mikhaël asked me why the Torah waited for this moment to mention their names, rather than doing so earlier.

A person’s given name reveals the nature of his unblemished soul, which emanates from the supernal worlds. Each name that Jewish parents give their child is inspired by divine providence in relation to the child’s connection to the supernal worlds. This is why our Sages said that Rabbi Meir verified the names of people he dealt with, for in this way he could determine their character traits and nature (Yoma 83b). Our given name connects us to the root of our soul. Through sins, however, especially through grave sins, we break our connection to the supernal worlds and the holy Shechinah, and we destroy (G-d forbid) our root connection to the world of life. The connection now broken,

a person’s given name disappears because it connected him to his source, leaving him nameless.

This is what happened with Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, and her son Ishmael. Sarah did not mention their names when speaking of them, but instead said: “Drive out this slavewoman and her son” (Bereshith 21:10), for Ishmael did not follow the path of Torah and mitzvot. As he grew older, Ishmael adopted the behavior of a wild man, taking to the wrong path and even turning to idolatry. Since he separated himself from G-d – from the root of his soul beneath the Throne of Glory – he lost his name, which is what connected him to his root. The same happened to his mother, who led him along this path and who also lost her name.

We can now understand why the Torah does not explicitly mention the name of Zimri the son of Salu at first. As a result of his grave and premediated sin, he cut himself off from Hashem, which made him a stranger to the Torah. This in turn made him lose the name that connected him to the source of his soul, which was rooted beneath the Throne of Glory.

Now we know that Zimri the son of Salu was not an ordinary man; he was not among the lower classes. According to the Midrash, he was called Schlemiel ben Tzurishadai, and he was a giant in Torah. He was a leader from the tribe of Shimon, and was worthy of serving as a judge on Moshe’s court. However the evil inclination suddenly ignited in him, and he took a Midianite woman and sinned with her before the eyes of all Israel. Through this reprehensible act, and by the desecration of the Divine Name that ensued, he cut himself off from G-d and His Torah. Furthermore, his root connection to the world of life was severed and he lost his name at the time of his transgression.

Yet at soon as Pinchas arose to avenge G-d’s honor by killing Zimri, his soul (if we may say) was rectified. In fact his death served as his atonement. Not only that, but since Zimri’s act brought about a deadly plague among the Children of Israel, they experienced a fear of sin and understood just to what point G-d hates promiscuity. If a few members of the Children of Israel initially had a negative view of Pinchas’ excessive jealously, they immediately changed their minds upon seeing that G-d approved of his deed and even fully rewarded him for it. Hence they understood that G-d abhors such actions and kept quiet. They also examined their own behavior more closely as they tried to draw closer to G-d.

Our Sages add that at that point, 12 miracles were performed for Pinchas (Bamidbar Rabba 20:25). These miracles obviously contributed to magnifying G-d’s Name and sanctifying Him in public, this in order to compensate for the desecration of the Divine Name that had just occurred.

Since G-d’s Name was eventually sanctified after Zimri’s reprehensible act, merit was also conferred to him and his soul was rectified and became reconnected to its source. As a result, Zimri regained his name and the Torah clearly mentions him by describing him as “Zimri the son of Salu.”

Despite having been aroused by evil intentions, Zimri served as an intermediary for the sanctification of the Divine Name, enabling the Children of Israel to draw closer to G-d and infuse themselves with a fear of sin. Hence this was counted to Zimri as a merit, and the connection that had previously been severed was now restored, allowing him to regain his name.

The Ohr HaChaim writes that although Zimri sinned, he still remained a member of the Jewish people. G-d punished him so that he would not be rejected or excluded from the assembly of Israel. This is why the text states in regard to Zimri, “The name of the slain Israelite man” (Bamidbar 25:6), meaning that he was a member of the people despite his sin. In light of these words, we can better understand why the Torah decided to mention his name only after he was punished.