Jul 15/06 - Parashat Pinchas

Commentary by Chazzan Aníbal Mass

 

This is the story of a very temperamental teenager and the experiences of his father. The father had a lot of problems controlling his son’s behaviour. The boy would hit and shout at his friends and even his parents, but then the day after, he would come back to apologize. The boy didn’t see anything wrong with his behaviour because he always apologized after.

 

So, the father suggested that his son try an experiment. Every time the boy had the need to shout at or hit somebody, he should hammer a nail into the back of his bedroom door. The boy agreed, and the next day his father saw three nails in the door. After a week, he discovered 15 nails; after a month, a hundred.

 

At that point, the father called his son again and asked the boy to take all the nails from the door. The boy did it.

 

“Now,” said the father, “can you see the holes in your door?”

“Yes, of course I can see the holes,” replied the son.

“Well, although you removed all the nails,” said the father, “unfortunately you couldn’t remove the marks produced by the nails…The same thing happens each time you bother somebody. You can come the day after to apologize, but perhaps you can’t remove the marks you already left on the other person with your attitude.”

 

Did the boy learn the lesson? We don’t know, but perhaps we can try to extract a lesson from this story. We read in the Mishna: Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai asked his disciples: “Which is the way in life that one should follow?” And Rabbi Shimon ben Netanel replied: “Foresight.”

 

In different words, we read in the Talmud Masechet Tamid 32a: Who is wise? One who can anticipate the future.

 

In this week’s Parashah we read the story of Pinchas. Pinchas was a priest, who saw an Israelite sinning with a Moabite (this sin contains scenes of nudity and coarse language, viewer discretion is advised) and, realizing that nobody did anything, he killed them.

 

And what happened? Something very strange. God gave him a covenant of peace. What was this covenant of peace? Was it a prize for his fanatical behaviour?

 

Being honest, according to some Rabbis it was a prize—a prize for his “love” for the law of God.

 

But according to other Rabbis, it was something different. Pinchas’ attitude was a dangerous precedent for future generations. It looked like God was encouraging fanaticism and impulsiveness. But in another reading, the Covenant of Peace was an insurance policy to prevent future reactions like that of Pinchas.

 

Maybe in that specific case there was no other option, and we are fortunate enough to be one hundred percent sure that that was the will of God. So, to prevent the same actions in the future, when we cannot say that we know what the will of God is, he made a covenant more or less like this: “Pinchas, if you promise me that in the future you will control your character, I won’t take any reprisal against you. You did right this time, but only as a coincidence, so don’t attempt to do it again.”

 

The fact that Pinchas’ behaviour is not a good example for the generations is clear at the end of the Parashah, when Moses has to choose a successor. Pinchas appears to be the perfect candidate ready to fulfill God’s will without doubts or fears. But the chosen was ... Yehoshua ben Nun. He is also ready to fulfill God’s will without doubts or fears (remember the episode of the spies), but without the impulsiveness of Pinchas. He didn’t kill the other ten spies because they didn’t want to present a positive report. The same attitude was evident when he saw people prophesying at the camp. He ran to ask Moses what to do. Perhaps, God forbid, Pinchas would have killed them all. Pinchas shoots first and asks questions after. And, again, that is not a good example for the generations.

 

This is a teaching for every one of us because we are leaders in different ways. If you are a father, your actions will have a consequence in your children. So, are you impulsive with them or do you think about your actions before? What is the example they are learning from you?

 

If you are a teacher, the same applies. If you are the older brother, it is the same case. If you are a boss, the situation is identical. Our actions cause a reaction in others.

 

It is very easy to be angry, but it is not so easy to see the future, to see the consequences of our actions. When we study Torah, it is to try to be better Jews. That doesn’t mean to fulfill more Mitzvot only, but to change the negative aspects of our characters to be better persons.

 

Shabbat Shalom.