Dear friends,
Pinchas is a tricky parshah to write about. He is a real hero, but not the kind of hero that p.c. consciousness allows for in 2023. If his story took place last week, this is what you would read in the news:
“Religious zealot takes law into his own hands, killing a pair of innocent lovers.” It gets worse. The follow-up would be, “Nepotism in the Kohanic succession legalized.”
There is only one problem in their version of what happened – as always, for them, Hashem is not a character in the play. This is no surprise. If they were at Krias Yam Suf, they would be writing about wind velocity and currents.
This leaves you with the questions that living in our times evokes even when you have an open mind. Why was Pinchas right? How can you justify vigilantism when it easily is confused with the mentality of jihad?
The underlying issue is that you and the rest of us have been taught that claiming to know an absolute truth is both wrong and dangerous. The fact that Torah is absolute is hard to swallow when believing that nothing is absolute anymore is the latest and greatest way to avoid thinking about what choices are really moral... It is the most contemporary form of escapism.
ABSOLUTE TRUTH?
The Torah was given publically, a fact that no other nation claims as the basis of their tradition. What is more relevant when you are thinking out of the box, is that it is also the basis of all morality as we know it today. The strongest opponents of Torah are hard put when they are pushed to the wall about what defines morality and (more significantly) why?
The Torah has been adapted by other peoples and incorporated into virtually all Western law to form their religions and the culture of their lifestyles sans the mitzvos. Teachings like “love your neighbor” remain vague, especially in Christianity (and the entire Western world bases their morals on that!). Concepts like “pray to G-d the Merciful” have no direct practical outlet in the Muslim world, where the poor are consistently neglected.
What that tells you is that it may be time to say goodbye to moral relativism.
Since you, my dear friends, are not just starting out on your journey, you may wonder if I got this letter mixed up with Mechina Times. I didn’t. Relativism is still there, eating away at your heart at times, even if you know the truth of Torah.
Pinchas had no self. His self was the Torah. That’s why the text tells you that he avenged Hashem’s honor, not his own. In the post-enlightenment world, where everything is filtered through the belief that there are numerous options, no one even tries to make this claim. Life isn’t supposed to be about humility and self-negation. It’s supposed to be about pride and self-expression.
Pinchas had every reason to assume that when he went towards Zimri that these were his life’s last moments. Zimri had his own justification. His tribe was heavily involved in the Baal Peor episode, and by representing them publicly he was introducing a new way of envisioning what had happened. “Peor Pride.” Cozbi, the Midanite princess who was his partner had intuitive foreknowledge that she was meant to be part of the Jewish people. Their cases sound good on paper.
The only trouble is that their brand of Judaism is do-it-yourself. When Pinchas stood up for Torah, it was with the full knowledge that the bit of truth in their claim was real. Zimir could have saved his tribe through prayer and tshuvah, and Cozbi could have entered the Jewish people through conversion. If that would have been their choices, they would have lived the way Hashem determined we should be.
Are we in easier times than theirs? I personally don’t think so.
The Torah reiterates that Pinchas was the son of Elazar, Aharon’s son. The reason for that is that Rashi tells you that there were some people who had what to say about Pinchas, they were unwilling to see his heroism. It may have been perceived as a threat.
They recalled that his mother was Yisro’s daughter. They disparaged Pinchas and said that he was the grandson of a priest who (before he converted) fattened idols for pagan sacrifices. This was illogical since his mother’s father had nothing to do with his tribal identity. The Jews knew how much influence a mother has.
The Zohar tells us that the Midianites had fiery tempers. It was easier to blame Pinchas’ background than it was to ask hard questions about how a tribal leader could have fallen so far. It was easy to say that Pinchas was enacting the response that he saw his mother make when things didn’t seem right.
They were wrong.
He had a fiery temperament but he had reached a point when he had to decide what to do next, his internal nature, his fiery temper was totally subjected to Hashem’s will. Hashem wants us to be whole, to be able to fit your nature into His unique plan for you. Tithe text reiterates that he was Aharon’s descendant. The “Midian” in him was obeying orders, not making them...
Now the tricky part. What does this have to do with you?
We won’t be called upon to do executions any time in the near future.
You may be called upon to do things that are anti-intuitive, or socially Out. And Other.
That means regardless of the inner storms, do what you have to do. Speak respectfully to your parents even if this is almost impossible. See that your Shabbos table is full of joy, even if all you want to do is to make it an early night. Look people in the eye, and say, “I see things differently. Does that interest you?” Each of you has their own choices.
We all want peace. Peace means fitting each piece of the puzzle into the place where Hashem wants it to be.
Soooo. It’s summer - a lot of you are home, living lives with little structure. This is the best time for figuring out who you really are, without your status, your job, or any of the labels that people put on you.
Being like Pinchas has to have a first step. It’s learning not to be afraid.
In the famous song, “the whole world is a narrow bridge” the real words are not “not to fear at all.” They are “not to scare yourself at all!!!”
Be brave and be happy! They come together as a rule.
Love,
Tziporah
PS: The second-year program for Bnos Avigail is happening. We have room for 12 and have 10!!
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