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Parsha Perspectives by Ozer Alport
(ונתתה מהודך עליו למען ישמעו כל עדת בני ישראל (27:20
“And you (Moses) shall place some of your majesty upon him (Joshua), so that the entire assembly of the children of Israel will pay heed.”
As the end of Moses’s life began to approach, Hashem commanded him to appoint his disciple Joshua to succeed him. Why wasn’t Pinchas, the righteous “hero” of the parsha, selected to take over the leadership after Moses’s death? In risking his life for the sake of the nation, didn’t he display the extent of his dedication and commitment to them and to his beliefs, a valuable trait for a successful leader to possess?
The following episode may shed light on these questions. The Talmud (Shabbos 33b) records that because of comments he had made, the non-Jewish government decreed that the great Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai should be executed. He fled with his son, Rabbi Elazar, to hide in a cave. For twelve years, Hashem miraculously provided their food and drink, and they spent the entire day engrossed in the study of Torah.
After twelve years, Hashem sent Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet) to announce at the opening of the cave that the person who made the decree had died, and Rabbi Shimon’s life was safe. Rabbi Shimon and his son emerged to see the light of day for the first time in more than a decade. However, while they had spent this time climbing to great spiritual heights, the rest of the world had continued in its more mundane fashion.
When Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Elazar saw men “wasting” their time on what they viewed as frivolous non-spiritual matters like plowing and planting, the Rabbis looked at them with such anger and disdain that the farmers were immediately burned by a mystical fire. A Divine voice called out, “Have you left the cave to destroy My world?” Rabbi Shimon and his son returned to study Torah in the cave for another year.
At the end of the year, they left the cave. The results were similar, but with one crucial difference. When Rabbi Elazar saw people engaging in earthly matters, he again burned them with his wrath, but this time, Rabbi Shimon looked at them and healed them, explaining to his son, “It’s enough for the world that you and I exist.” On a subsequent Friday afternoon, they saw a man carrying two bundles of sweet-smelling myrtle in honor of Shabbos. Noting the devotion of Jews to mitzvos, Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Elazar were pacified.
If the initial twelve years in the cave had placed such a divide between Rabbi Shimon and the rest of the world, how did an additional year in the cave solve the problem when it should have only exacerbated it? The commentators answer that the additional year brought Rabbi Shimon to true greatness. He gained the ability to understand those who were not on his level, the need to appreciate them for their good qualities and to relate to them on their levels.
In light of this explanation, we can appreciate the answer given by the Kotzker Rebbe to our original questions. The very fervor and passion demonstrated by Pinchas, while appropriate and incredibly useful in that particular episode, rendered him ineligible to serve as the national leader. Rashi writes (27:16) that Moses requested a successor who would be able to understand that every person has his own individual foibles and needs, and who would be able to patiently bear the burden of interacting with each person and his idiosyncrasies. Pinchas’s passionate devotion for truth and righteousness served him well, but would have made him an ineffective leader if he was unable to understand and interact with each person on his unique level. return to top
Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org
talking points - parshas Pinchas
Rabbi Elazar Meisels
1. The Right Intentions
“Pinchas, the son of Elazar, son of Aharon the Kohen, has turned back My anger from Bnei Yisroel by zealously avenging My vengeance among them, so that I did not destroy the Bnei Yisroel in My vengeance.” 25:11
- By Zealously Avenging My Vengeance - By avenging My vengeance - by his rage where I should have been enraged. – Rashi
Vigilantism is generally a scary proposition, as it has the potential to lead to mayhem and even injustice. Yet, the Torah insists that in this instance, Pinchas got it exactly right. His secret? While performing his act of vigilantism, he experienced no base emotions of his own. All he felt was the rage of Hashem. His purity of motive, and lack of personal animosity toward the offender, are what distinguished his act from that of insincere vigilantes throughout the ages. He was repulsed by the wrong that was being perpetrated and refused to accept it, yet bore no enmity toward Kosbi and Zimri as individuals.
2. Seal Of Purity
“Reuven, was Yisroel’s firstborn; the descendants of Reuven are: the Chanochi family from Chanoch, the Palui family from Palu.” 26:5
- The Chanochi Family – [Why did the Torah refer to them as the Chanochi family, and not the family of Chanoch?] Because the nations disparaged them, saying, ‘what, they trace their lineage to their tribes? They think that the Egyptians had no control over their mothers? If they ruled over their bodies, then certainly they ruled over their wives!’ Therefore, the Holy One, Blessed is He, attached His Name to them, the “Hey” on one side, and the “Yud” on the other, as if to say, ‘I bear witness concerning them, that they are the sons of their fathers.’ - Rashi
- Why was it necessary for two letters of Hashem’s name to be appended to their names when either one of the letters would have sufficed? The letters “Yud” and “Hey” are not just two random letters of the Divine name. They are the specific letters that He affixed to the male and female components of a marriage; the Hey as part of the word “Ishah” [woman], and the “Yud” as part of “Ish” [man]. Since these letters symbolize the ideal male/female relationship, they are the ultimate witnesses to fidelity and commitment in a marriage. – Gur Arye
The name of Hashem demands such reverence that it may not be uttered in vain. Yet, Hashem saw fit to affix it to the names of the tribes in order to bear witness that they had maintained sexual purity under the most dire of circumstances. Clearly, this is of such great import, that this was not considered a trivial use of His name. We live in far more optimal circumstances and there is no excuse for us to lower this lofty standard set by our ancestors under the most trying of circumstances.
3.Old Time Values
“And they approached - the daughters of Tzelofchad, son of Cheifer, son of Gilad, son of Machir, son of Menasheh, of the families of Menasheh the son of Yosef…” 26:1
- Of The Families Of Menasheh The Son Of Yosef - Why is this said? Has it not already said "the son of Menasheh" [who was obviously the son of Yosef]? This teaches us that Yosef cherished the land, as it is said: "You must carry up my bones up, etc.,” and his daughters cherished the land, as it is said: "Give us possession"! - Rashi
The Torah is unusually sparing in its words. Yet it did not hesitate to write four extra words in order to teach us an important lesson in how to convey our values to our children. The love that the daughters of Tzelofchad felt toward the land of Israel, was not something cultivated in a summer trip to Israel sponsored by a communal organization. Rather, it was a deeply ingrained value that had been cultivated by their parents, who in turn, learned it from their parents, tracing back all the way to their ancestor Yosef, who lived many generations earlier. Authentic Jewish values are not a product of modern times. They stem from our ancestors who evinced their commitment to them with every fiber of their being, and made certain to pass them along to their children. These values are among our greatest assets, and we would be remiss if we neglected to responsibly transmit them to our children. return to top
Rabbi Elazar Meisels can be reached at rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org
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Apart or A Part By: Rabbi Reuven Drucker
Dear Rabbi Drucker,
When I was studying the Book of Genesis with my mentor, I remember him saying that the future events that will befall the Jewish people are related to the actions of the Patriarchs. Recently, I’ve been studying the laws of the Three Weeks, which commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temple, and I assume that the destruction is also related to the actions of the Patriachs, but I can’t figure out how. Could you help me?
Thank you, Jason
Jason,
You have a remarkable talent for synthesizing all that you’ve been learning! Your question, as it turns out, is directly addressed by one of the primary commentators on the Chumash (Five Books of Moses). Let’s take a look.
The principle that you’ve alluded to – the actions of the Patriarchs portend the future of their offspring – is indeed a powerful principle when studying the Book of Genesis. Genesis not only discusses the physical creation of the world that we know, but also all the spiritual underpinnings which guide the world. Our Patriarchs, through their enormous level of piety and righteousness, were able to influence the spiritual flow that history would take.
One of the four main difficulties that our Patriach Jacob had in his life was the 20 year mourning period that he suffered when he thought his beloved son Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. In actuality, Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him because of the favored status that he seemed to have with their father (who gave him a special tunic—Genesis 37:3) and they also despised him because of his grandiosity as revealed through the dreams he recounted to them, which inflated his status over theirs (ibid. 37:8). In addition, he spoke disparagingly of his brothers to their father (ibid 37:2).
The Sforno identifies this chapter in Jacob’s life as the events which presage what will take place with the Jewish people during the times that will lead up to the destruction of the Second Temple. They will be times of internal strife among the “brothers” – the constituents of the Jewish people. This strife will stem from jealousy and its corrosive effects will ultimately lead to disparaging speech (lashon hara). Our Sages call this negative pattern of behavior, sinas chinom, which means ‘baseless hatred.’
Sinas chinom is a pernicious mindset that is based on erroneous preconceptions. This can best be illustrated through the parable that the Talmud relates: A person once attempted to slice a roast beef by taking a very sharp knife in his right hand. He began pushing the blade back and forth, but it slid off the surface of the meat and gashed his left hand. “Do you think,” asks the Talmud, “that his left hand grabbed a fork and began stabbing his right hand? Of course not! Why? -- because they both belong to the same body.” When one Jew sees another who is successful in business, with his children, or generally in life, he cannot feel jealousy if he sees that Jew as part of the same “body”—part of the corporate Jewish people. Jealousy begins when one person sees himself as a different entity from another. Similarly, disparaging speech about another can never take place if he regards his fellow Jew as his “other hand.” The failure of the brothers to look at Joseph’s successes in this light would haunt their offspring later in history, in the times of the Second Temple.
For the last 2000 years, the Jews have been expelled from their homeland—the Land of Israel. Only relatively recently have they been able to return, by the grace of G-d. Nevertheless, the Land has not yet been restored to its former grandeur. This is because the sinas chinom mindset continues unabated. When the Jewish people properly repent and adopt the Talmud’s mindset – which views us all as one entity – we can look forward to feasting our eyes on the Third Temple. Until that time, we will be observing the laws of the Three Weeks during these summer months.
All the best to you, Jason, and continued success in your studies.
Regards,
Rabbi Reuven Drucker
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Rabbi Drucker can be reached at rabbidrucker@partnersintorah.org
Parshas Pinchas
Pinchas, the gentle Kohen, the man of peace, nevertheless knows how to utilize righteous anger and uses his wrath for G-d’s purpose and is rewarded for his dedication. The Children of Israel are counted after a terrible plague. The laws of inheritance are taught and Moses is told that he will not enter Israel. He requests that G-d appoint a successor and G-d chooses Joshua. The laws of the sacrifices for each holiday are detailed. Thus, as the mantle of leadership will pass to a new generation, it becomes clear that only man is mortal; G-d’s eternal laws continue from generation to generation. return to top
In discussing the underlying reason for the mitzvah of temidim(daily offerings) and the halachah that a sheep be offered each morning and afternoon, the Sefer HaChinuch (§401) states that since a person's natural conduct requires him to procure and prepare food for himself daily, for his morning and evening meals, he was commanded to expend effort and energy for the sake of his Creator in like manner, so that the toil of the servant for his own needs should not exceed his toil for his Master. In this way, his heart and mind will be aroused to come close to Hashem, perfect his behavior, and be blessed by Hashem's bounty.
The mussaf of Shabbos, however, which also requires two sheep as olos (totally burnt offerings), has a different significance. They are intended to imbue in us an appreciation of the greatness of the day and its holiness, and remind us that Hashem is the Creator of the world (Chinuch §402).
Although the offerings of the temidim and the mussaf of Shabbos are both two sheep olos, with the same nesachim (poured offerings) and avodos(services), there is an interesting difference between them. The two sheep for the mussafim had to be purchased at the same time and had to be of similar appearance, height, and value. [See Yoma 62b and Minchas Chinuch 402:2 as to whether a lack in these requirements makes the temidim unfit.]
In addressing this point, R' Moshe Feinstein suggests that the two sheep represent the two aspects of faith in Hashem: אַהֲבָה, love, and יִרְאָה, fear. The Torah is thereby teaching that although ahavah (love) is a greater form of service, yirah (awe) too is an independently necessary ingredient in order for one to achieve complete אֱמוּנָה, faith. Therefore, on Shabbos, which is the cornerstone of our faith and serves as a reminder that Hashem is the Creator and Master of all, the Torah alludes to the importance of both these aspects of emunah (faith).
In the mitzvos of Shabbos, these two concepts are represented by the two verbs used in the commandment of Shabbos in the Ten Commandments. In Parashas Yisro (Shemos 20:8) the verse states: זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ, Remember the Shabbos day to sanctify it, which alludes to the positive elements of Shabbos, such as Kiddush and honoring it by preparing special meals and wearing fine clothing, representing ahavah. In Parashas Va'eschanan (Devarim 5:12), however, the verse says: שָׁמוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ, Safeguard the Shabbos day to sanctify it, a reference to the prohibition of doing any work on Shabbos, representing yirah.
In a penetrating observation, R' Moshe Feinstein points out that while most people are pleased and anxious to perform the זָכוֹר part of Shabbos, many observe the שָׁמוֹר part with a good deal of angst, feeling that the loss of income is a great sacrifice to their livelihood and well-being. This was especially true in America in pre-WWII years when Shabbos observance meant not only a loss of a day's pay, but often jeopardized one's job. In that type of challenging atmosphere, many (and perhaps most) of the immigrant Jews still observed Shabbos, but with a sense of מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ, martyrdom, accompanied by sighs, groans, and the chorus of ``Es iz shver tzu zain a Yid — It is difficult to be an observant Jew."
This attitude, asserts R' Moshe, is a major breach in the equality of שָׁמוֹר and זָכוֹר, as alluded to by the two Shabbos temidim, and a rejection of the fundamental principle that one's sustenance is derived completely from the six days of the week.
Most disturbing, however, says R' Moshe, was that the message conveyed to the next generation was distorted and damaging. Rather than teaching and exhibiting the joy of Shabbos, and its importance regardless of what it may cost, a sense of helplessness, distress, and sorrow was projected. This resulted in a wholesale abandonment of Shabbos by that generation, who (predictably) took the position that if their parents wanted to be martyrs for Shabbos (because of habit or some connection to the old country) so be it. They, however, were not interested in martyrdom.
As a general principle, R' Moshe concludes, mitzvos should not be viewed as נִסְיוֹנוֹת, difficult challenges, but as opportunities to attain precious (though sometimes very expensive) and valuable articles. return to top
Hey, I never knew that! By Ozer Alport
Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha
Q: This week’s parsha contains the Torah’s laws of inheritance. A young man suddenly became ill and found himself on his death-bed. He realized that he hadn’t yet prepared a will regarding the division of his estate, and although he didn’t yet have any children, his wife was pregnant at the time. Uncertain as to the baby’s gender, he instructed that if his wife gives birth to a boy, the son should inherit 2/3 of his possessions, with the remaining 1/3 going to his wife. In the event that she would give birth to a girl, the daughter should inherit 1/3 of the estate, with the remaining possessions belonging to his widow. After he passed away, to the surprise of all, his wife gave birth to twins – one boy and one girl. How should his possessions be divided?
A: Unsure as to how to adapt the deceased’s instructions to the strange turn of events, they approached the great Rabbi of Brisk, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, for guidance. He explained that the solution is simple. The man made it clear that he wished any son he may have to receive two times the inheritance of his wife, while he also desired that his widow should inherit double the portion of any daughter she may bear. In light of this understanding, the estate should be divided into seven equal portions, with the son receiving four of them, the wife two, and the daughter one, just as the man himself would have wanted it!
Q: Even though the name Yissachar (יששכר) is spelled with two ש’s, the prevalent custom is to pronounce it as if it were written with only one. Why is this?
A:The Chida explains that Yissachar named one of his sons Yov (Genesis 46:13), which was at that time – unbeknownst to Yissachar – the name of an idol. Upon learning of this, Yov complained to his father, who appeased him by changing his name to ישוב (26:24). However, in order to add a “ש” he was forced to give up one of his, which even though it is still part of his written name, is no longer pronounced! In fact, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch from Zidichov was accustomed to read the name Yissachar with both “ש”s up until Parshas Pinchas, in accord with the opinion that his name was changed only at that time! return to top
Ozer Alport can be reached at ozer@partnersintorah.org
Table Talk: For discussion around the Shabbos Table
א)There are four episodes in the Torah in which the applicable law was hidden from Moses and he was forced to ask Hashem to rule: the daughters of Tzelofchad, Pesach Sheini, the blasphemer, and the gatherer of wood on Shabbos. In the first two cases, he immediately asked Hashem to clarify the situation, while in the latter two he incarcerated the sinners and waited until the following day to inquire of Hashem. Why was there such a difference in Moses’s response? (Nesivos Rabboseinu)
ב) After Hashem decreed that Moses wouldn’t be allowed to enter the land of Israel, how was it a consolation to Moses that Hashem commanded him to ascend a mountain from which he could see the land? Wasn’t this reminding Moses of what he couldn’t have, like rubbing salt in his wound? return to top
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