 Torah Thoughts
This week we read the Torah portion of "Pinchas"
(Numbers 25:10-30:1). It contains 6 positive commandments (“do’s”) and 168
verses.
Our portion begins with G-d rewarding Pinchas, grandson of
Aaron, with priesthood. This reward is referred to as a “covenant of peace”.
What did Pinchas do to receive this “peace prize”?
Last week’s Torah portion concluded with a tragic
episode. Some among the Children of Israel were seduced by Moabite women and
worshipped an idol. One leader from the tribe of Shimon had the temerity to
engage in a sexual act with a Midianite woman in the presence of Moses and
the entire assembly. The shock appears to have paralyzed the bewildered
audience. Pinchas stood up, grabbed a spear and skewered the couple in
flagrante delicto.
We are presented with a great paradox: an act of brutal
violence is rewarded with a covenant of peace! The man, Zimri, had certainly
committed an outrage, but was the retribution commensurate with the crime?
The Torah sometimes jars us into re-evaluating our core
values. The attainment of peace seems to be a universal human desire. What
undergirds this longing for peace?
For many, Peace is an El Dorado, beckoning seductively with
promises of freedom to pursue selfish agendas. It releases those bound to G-d
with chains of needy prayer. Once there is peace of mind, does the mind yet
have a place for G-d?
Our generation, in a fit of amnesia, seeks to achieve
“peace in our time.” Many alchemist-diplomats and politicians and world
bodies attempt to synthesize peace by simply ignoring evil, by signing
agreements with the devil, by hoping against hope that the heartless will
have a change of heart. They feed the beast, celebrating as a great
achievement moments of silence, as the beast sharpens its claws.
The Hebrew word for peace, “shalom”, is derived from the
root SH-L-M which means whole or complete. It is the natural state of
existence when equilibrium is attained in the universe. The entropy created by
man’s evil acts, disrupts and unsettles this natural order, creating mayhem.
Peace does not flower as a result of man’s
contrivances. We pray daily that the One who makes peace in the celestial
universe will make peace for us (“Oseh Shalom…”).
True peace is a product of Divine origin. Man can
facilitate the production of peace, not by performing cosmetic surgery on
evil, but by eradicating it in toto. Remaining faithful to Torah
values, even when they are not valued by social currency, will ultimately create
a climate of cosmic order, a worthy resting place for the ultimate blessing
of true peace.
The HAFTARA (excerpt from the prophets) is from 1
Kings 18:26-19:21.
This section deals with Elijah the prophet, and his
escape from the wicked queen Jezebel, who issued a warrant for his execution.
Elijah traveled to Mount
Horev/ Sinai. There he
perceived G-d and described his zealousness in combating idol-worship and
decadence in Israel.
His contumely regarding the Jewish People was met with G-d’s command to
anoint Elisha as a prophet in his stead. Apparently, Elijah had overstepped
his bounds and could no longer serve as the people’s prophet.
According to traditional sources, Elijah the Prophet is
associated with Pinchas. Whether this is means mystically that Elijah was a
reincarnation of Pinchas, or that it is a literary device, the two share the
quality of zealousness in preserving the Jewish People’s loyalty to G-d at
any cost. The association of these fiery individuals is the rationale for
reading this excerpt from the Prophets with the Torah portion of Pinchas.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Baruch Price
Technical
Note: Page is suitable to print.
|
