Shalom Friends;
This week, our Parshat HaShevua, Pinchas is being sponsored by Matis and Marla Sklar of Ramat Beit Shemesh and dedicated Lilui Nishmas Matis’ mother Devorah bas Yisroel and his father Shmuel Chaim ben Avraham Yosef. To the Sklar family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
skype: mark.burt3
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Our vort on Parshat Pinchas opens with excerpts from Rabbi Shmuel Goldin’s Parsha summary for Parshat Balak in his sefer “Unlocking The Torah Text,” Sefer Bamidbar (page 218):
The Jews dwelt in Shittim, where they began to consort with women of Moav and are drawn towards the idolatrous worship of the Ba’al Pe’or. (The Midrash and the Talmud attribute these events to a scheme contrived by Bila’am.) As a result, Hashem’s anger was kindled against the nation.
To be more explicit, cited is the conclusion of Parshat Balak, as expressed in Torah (Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 24, posuk 25 and Perek 25, posukim 1-3, 6, as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash) with insertions by this author:
“Israel settled in Shittim and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moav. They [the Moavim] invited the people [the B’nei Yisrael] to the feasts of their deities [MB — my term]; the people ate and prostrated themselves to their [the Moavi] deities [MB — my term]. Israel became attached to the Ba’al-peor, and the wrath of Hashem flared against Israel.” (Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 25, posukim 1-3)
“Behold, a man of the B’nei Yisrael [Zimri, a Nasi (Prince) of Shevet Shimon] came and brought a Midianite woman near to his brothers in the sight of Moshe and in the sight of the entire assembly of the B’nei Yisrael; and they were weeping at the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed [the Tent of Meeting].” (Sefer Bamidbar, Perek 25, posuk 6)
Rabbi Goldin, in his sefer, “Unlocking The Torah Text,” on Sefer Bamidbar expresses a critical point to be internalized in our current generation, that “our fate is determined by our own merit or guilt” (ibid, page 251). There appear numerous instances throughout Tanach where B’nei Yisrael suffered due to the sins of successive generations, i.e. “what was displeasing in Hashem’s eyes.” (Cited repeatedly throughout Tanach)
But it seems strange that Zimri, the leader of Shevet (tribe of) Shimon, the Shimon who, with Levi, centuries before acted against Shechem and the Shechemites after Shechem violated their sister Dina, would now act and condone co-habitation with other than B’not Yisrael.
Shem Mishmuel (“Shem Mishmuel, Selections on the Weekly Parashah and Festivals,” by Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein, z”l, the Rav of Sochaczev, as rendered to English by Rabbi Zvi Belovsky) asks; ‘Why did Zimri Sin?” (pages 361-362) :
…Let us consider the motives of Zimri, the man whom Pinchas executed for his illicit relationship with [Kozbi] a Moabite princess. The Gemara (Shem Mishmuel citing Nazir, 23b) compares the actions of Zimri to those of Tamar. (Shem Mishmuel notes that Tamar’s intentions were pure, as she was motivated only by the desire to produce a child whom she knew would be the progenitor of Beit Dovid) …We may infer from this comparison that Zimri also had pure motives in conducting his forbidden… liaison with Kozbi. He intended to achieve great spiritual heights and holy rectifications through this act; we might call it a “sin for the sake of Heaven.” Surprisingly enough, at least in theory, this sort of action may have some place within Judaism. There is, however, a condition which makes it unworkable in practical terms: the action must be absolutely free of any self-interest or motive other than serving Hashem and realizing His aims. Without this condition, the action is a sin like any other. But Chazal tell us: It is impossible for even the exceptionally pious not to have sin as at least a fraction of their motive. (Shem Mishmuel citing Vayikra Rabbah 14:5)
As such, it is impossible to “sin for the sake of Heaven,” and it is prohibited to do so. Zimri, while motivated by good intentions, was a sinner nevertheless.
We have suggested that Zimri acted L’sheim Shemayim. However, this has no relevance for the treatment that the perpetrator receives, for the terrestrial [adjective: pertaining to, consisting of, or representing the earth as distinct from other planets] court only examines actions, not motives. If a person’s action conforms to certain regulations, then that person is punishable, irrespective of why he did it.
R’Rafael Katzenellenbogen is more succinct in a citing in Studies in the Weekly Parsha on our Parshat, by Yehuda Nachshoni, referring to R’ Sonnenfeld who noted that Zimri’s distorted sense of “acting for the sake of Shemayim” evolved from;
“…a novel, misleading ideology, that evil must be tolerated by incorporating it into the Camp of Israel, to dissuade the lustful man from finding himself in the camp of idolaters.” (Studies in the Weekly Parsha, by Yehuda Nachshoni, Parsha Balak, page 1115.)
Zimri’s alleged “L’Shem Shemayim” model; bringing co-habitation with Moabite women into the camp of B’nei Yisrael lest men go looking for it outside, i.e., at the Midianite/Moabite Bazaar where the co-habitation was an enticement and seduction to the avodah zora Ba’al Pe’or, seemed a cover for his (Zimri’s) true motivations and intentions. Zimri’s “In your face, Moshe” demeanor appeared as motivated by lust for power, just as Korach’s true motivations were covered by rationale of accusation of nepotism against Moshe Rabbeinu and Aaron.
So, just as Zimri’s alleged “pure motivation” is deemed to be not “absolutely free of any self-interest or motive other than serving Hashem and realizing His aims” and thus is unworkable in practical terms, so too, those who hurl insults and profanity and plot schemes against the duly elected coalition government of Israel and who propagandize to masses of Israel against Judicial Reform, Draft legislation, funding of Religious institutions (in a State of the Jews) and more under the guise — the false intention of “protecting Israel’s democracy” are similarly not free of self-interest or other motivations, such as lust for power.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently settled and be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, all at total government expense; due to alt-leftist-agendized, supreme court legalized Yassamnik gunpoint. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his third year at home in Eretz Yisrael and has embarked on a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of nine years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese corona virus pandemic and all like viruses. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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