Therefore, say, “I hereby give him My covenant of peace…. (Bamidbar 25:13)

Reuven, Israel’s firstborn: The descendants of Reuven were: the family of the Hanochites from Hanoch; the family of the Paluites from Palu, (Bamidbar 26:5)

מִשְׁפַּחַת הַחֲנֹכִי. Since the nations were denigrating them and saying, “How can they trace their lineage by their tribes? Do they think that the Egyptians did not exploit their mothers? If they mastered their bodies, all the more so their wives. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed is He, appended His Name to them, the ‘Hey’ to one side and the ‘Yud’ to the other side, as if to say, “I bear witness for them, that these are the sons of their fathers”… -Rashi

Here we have a fascinating confluence of ideas. Pinchas is granted a “Peace Prize” for his surgical, but brutal act, which abruptly ended a plague that ravaged the camp of Israel taking 24,000 lives. Then we have a mini-census of the Jewish People. Rashi points out for us the signature of HASHEM is woven into that familial accounting. The primary letters for the Name of HASHEM – YUD and HEY are peppered throughout bearing witness to the purity of the lineage of the Jewish People. How do those letters testify? What is their significance here other than acting like a notary’s official authorization?

The Talmud Sota 17A quotes Rabbi Akiva as saying the following profound statement: “ISH V’ISHA – A man and a woman, if they merit, the DIVINE PRESENCE is between them, and if they do not, then a fire consumes them”. This is one of the most oft quoted and well-known Sheva Brochos Toras, but let’s give it a little more context. The Hebrew word, “ISH” is spelled, ALEF-YUD-SHIN, and the word, ISHA is spelled ALEF-SHIN-HEY. They each have two letters in common, the letters ALEF and SHIN. That word AISH means fire. They each have two distinct letters, the YUD and the HEY. Together, in combination, those two letters are the primary part of the Holy Name of HASHEM.

Now we can plug in the formulaic statement made by Rabbi Akiva. When they merit to have peace between (SHALOM), then the NAME of HASHEM is present, and in their midst. However, when they are not representing their part of HASHEM’s Name, then what remains is AISH + AISH = Major FIRE!

Let us take a step further in understanding. I once heard the following Klutz Kasha asked by Rabbi Avigdor Miller ztl: There are two places in the Torah where there is a requirement for DVEIKUS, absolute attachment. One can be found by the Torah’s description of the first couple, Adam and Chava, “Therefore a man should leave go of his mother and father and (DAVEIK) cleave to his wife, and they should become one flesh.” (Breishis 2:24)

Another place where this attachment, complete devotion is required is later in Sefer Devarim (11:23) where the Torah tells us, “U’L’Davka Bo” – “And you should cleave to HIM (HASHEM)” Now how can we have two arenas where we are required to be 100% dedicated? A person can have two full-time jobs that are each eight hours a day. It may be challenging and trying, but it is mathematically possible. How can a person have two jobs that each require 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Now we are ready to understand why it’s a Klutz Kasha, a strawman argument. He answered that the cleaving and attachment that the husband and wife each have to HASHEM, allows them to remain dedicated to each other. Before getting married to another, a person must first “marry HASHEM”. That is the secret bond that holds Jewish families together.

Rashi in Chumash tells us that this world was made with the letter HEY and Olam Haba with a YUD. The Maharal points out that the letter HEY is made up of a DALET with a YUD. That means that Olam Haba is embedded in Olam HaZeh. The Husband and wife have a share and share in Olam Haba. Maybe now, we can appreciate why Pinchas, who guaranteed the possibility of Shalom between husbands and wives and restored the integrity of Jewish homes, was worthy of a peace prize.

Image Credit: ProtoplasmaKid / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA 4.0