Ziv: Parashat Pinchas

The story of Pinchas begins at the end of last week’s parasha. After the story of Balaam and the curses that turned into blessings. We read that “while Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab” (Numbers 25:1). According to traditional interpretation, it was Balaam’s idea to induce the children of Israel to whoredom with the women of Moab once he realized that the children of Israel could not be cursed, as we read in a verse of last week’s haftarah. There it speaks of what happened in Shittim (and not prior to that): “O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the Lord” (Micah 6:5). It is here that, through the temptations of the women of Moab, Israel “yoked himself to Baal of Peor” (Numbers 25:3).

At this idolatry, God tells Moses: “Take all the chiefs of the people, and impale them in the sun before the Lord, in order that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel”. And Moses even goes one step further and says to the judges of Israel: “Each of you shall kill any of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor” (Numbers 25:4-5).

Upon hearing these words, a man of the clan of priests decides to take action and try to stop these massacres - even at the risk of his own condemnation and death, and the risk of never being able to become a priest. As Moses was speaking these words, “one of the Israelites came and brought a Midianite woman into his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the Israelites” (Numbers 25:6). When Pinchas “son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he got up and left the congregation. Taking a spear in his hand, he went after the Israelite man into the tent, and pierced the two of them, the Israelite and the woman, through the belly” (Numbers 25:7-8).

Legally, Pinchas should not have done this. He was not one of the “judges” that Moses had commanded to kill those who have “yoked themselves” to the Baal of Peor. In addition, he was a priest - and any man who has killed a human being, even by accident, is banned from the priesthood. However, by doing this, “the plague was stopped among the people of Israel” - and Pinchas in fact saved the lives of countless Israelites.

Our paracha begins with the aftermath of these events with the words : “Pinchas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Israelites by manifesting such zeal among them on my behalf that in my jealousy I did not consume the Israelites. Therefore say, ‘I hereby grant him my covenant of peace. It shall be for him and for his descendants after him a covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the Israelites’ ” (Numbers 25:11-13). Here we learn that Pinchas was in fact a man of peace and therefore received God’s “covenant of peace” and we realize that his intention was “to make atonement” for the people of Israel - the furthest thing from cold-blooded murder. In his actions he restored peace between God and His children - the children of Israel. According to Hazal (the Midrash of the sages of Israel): “Pinchas is Elijah” who would also do the same. This is the same spirit that would be sent to prepare the way for the Messiah: “Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6). Shabbat Shalom.