These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: #1345 – Bathing During the Nine Days. Good Shabbos! The shiur will resume after the summer break.

Sefas Emes on Pinchas’ Connection to Aharon and His Receipt of the Eternal Covenant of Kehuna

The pasuk says, “Pinchas, son of Elazar, son of Aaron the Kohen, turned back My wrath from upon the Children of Israel, when he zealously avenged Me among them, so I did not consume the Children of Israel in My vengeance. Therefore, say: Behold! I give him My covenant of peace, and it shall be for him and his offspring after him a covenant of eternal priesthood, because he took vengeance for his G-d, and he atoned for the Children of Israel.” (Bamidbar 25:10-13).

Pinchas was gifted with the Kehuna for himself and his descendants because of his act of zealotry in killing Zimri, the nasi (prince) of the shevet (tribe) of Shimon, together with Kozbi, a princess of Midyan, for their public act of immorality and desecration of Hashem’s name. (Although Pinchas was a son of Elazar Hakohen and grandson of Aharon Hakohen, he had been born prior to their inauguration as Kohanim, and until this point he had not been a Kohen himself.)

Rashi points out that the lineage of Pinchas in these pesukim (verses) is traced back to Aharon Hakohen because the shevatim (tribes) were mocking him based on his lineage stemming from his maternal grandfather Yisro, who himself had originally been a priest to avodah zarah. They castigated Pinchas for having the audacity — as the grandson of a priest of idolatry — to kill a nasi of a shevet of Bnai Yisroel. Consequently, the pasuk traces his lineage along his paternal line back to the great Aharon, Kohen Gadol.

We have spoken about the obvious question in previous years as well: Tracing Pinchas’ lineage through his paternal ancestry does not really solve the problem. Why would that appease anyone? We know that he was the grandson of Aharon, but he was also the grandson of Yisro, the former priest of idolatry. The people were saying that his present act of zealotry must not have come from the peace-loving Aharon. Aharon would never do such a thing. They claimed that this act was inspired by the genes Pinchas inherited from Yisro, which were rearing their ugly heads. Therefore, what did the Torah accomplish by saying that he is “Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon Hakohen?”

In past years, we have cited the Ksav Sofer (the son of the Chasam Sofer) that the Torah’s point was not Pinchas’ genealogy, but rather it was testifying regarding from where Pinchas inherited his righteous zealousness that prompted him to kill Zimri and Kozbi. The Torah is saying that this brazen act came from Aharon Hakohen. How could it be, you may ask, that such violence can come from the prototype model of “loving peace and pursuing peace,” the gentle Aharon Hakohen? The Ksav Sofer famously points out that we are taught that Aharon was an “ohev shalom v’rodef shalom” rather than a “rodef achar shalom” – meaning that sometimes he was “rodef” the shalom. (he pushed aside the peace). Sometimes shalom is not the solution. Of course, in general, Aharon tried to bring shalom between people, but when a situation necessitated it, he was “rodef shalom” – he pushed it away!

I saw a similar approach to this question in a sefer of Rav Buchsban, which he based on the Sefas Emes. Rav Buchsban suggests that the expression “Aharon was an ohev shalom v’rodef shalom” might also have another meaning:

Who isn’t for peace? Peace is one of those things that everyone subscribes to. “Of course I want shalom!” But it is not always easy to act for shalom and to promote shalom. People say “Of course I advocate for shalom, but how can I get involved?” That was not the approach of Aharon Hakohen. Aharon Hakohen was a “lover of peace,” as is everyone else in the world. But it is easy to just be an “ohev shalom.” However, not everyone who is an ohev shalom is also a rodef shalom, meaning that when the situation demands it, the person actually promotes shalom by being proactive to create that shalom.

That was Aharon. He was both an ohev shalom and a rodef shalom. When he saw a situation in which it was not enough to just “profess” love of peace, but it was necessary to actually “act” to bring about peace, he in fact did so. The situation with Zimri and Kozbi necessitated killing the offenders in order to bring peace so that is exactly what Pinchas did.

The people witnessing this horrible act of public brazen immorality “were crying at the opening of Tent of Meeting” (Bamidbar 25:6). In other words, the standard reaction was to fret and to cry and to bemoan what was happening – but NOT to do anything about it! The masses were crying, but who is the only one who did anything? The only one who picks up a spear and says “I need to stop this situation” is Pinchas son of Elazar son of Aharon Hakohen! He is the one who acts. He inherited that initiative from his zeide (grandfather). His zeide was not only a lover and a professor of peace, but he was also a rodef shalom – he did whatever it took to make peace.

That is why the Sefas Emes says that the appropriate reward for Pinchas’ action was that he became a Kohen. A Kohen takes people’s thoughts and “activates” them. A person who does an aveira (sin) is obligated to bring a Korban Chatas (Sin offering) or a Korban Asham (Guilt offering) or a Korban Olah (Burnt offering). The sinner has thoughts of seeking atonement but the person who actualizes those thoughts and actually brings the korbonos is the Kohen. Therefore, the appropriate gift for Pinchas’ actions is “bris kehunas olam” (the eternal covenant of priesthood).

The “Shame and the Embarrassment” of the Elders Was Their Own

Parshas Pinchas contains the transition of the leadership of Klal Yisrael from Moshe Rabbeinu to Yehoshua bin Nun. The pasuk says “Hashem said to Moshe: ‘Take to yourself Yehoshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lean your hand upon him.'” (Bamidbar 27:18). The Medrash remarks “Take Yehoshua, in fulfillment of that which is stated: “Notzer te’ayna yochal piryah (The protector of a fig tree will eat its fruit), and the guardian of his master will be honored.” (Mishlei 27:18).

Yehoshua was picked to lead because he put in the hours. “And the one who served him, the lad, Yehoshua bin Nun, did not depart from the tent.” (Shemos 33:11) He did not leave his master’s side. He cleaned up the Beis Medrash. He is the one who worked. He is the one who sweated and toiled. Therefore “notzer te’ayna yochal piryah.”

The Gemara says (Bava Basra 75a) that when this transition occurred, the elders of that generation said “Moshe’s face is like that of the sun; Yehoshua’s face is like that of the moon. Woe to the embarrassment! Woe to the shame!” The elders who remembered Moshe in his prime felt that Yehoshua paled in comparison to their former leader.

Let me ask a question: What happens nowadays when a great Rosh Yeshiva dies and another Rosh Yeshiva steps into his shoes? Did you ever hear anyone get up at the hesped of the deceased Rosh Yeshiva and say “I remember the late Rosh Yeshiva. He knew how to learn. He was a true gadol. This thirty-year-old fellow who is now becoming the Rosh Yeshiva – what does he know? Woe to us at such shame and embarrassment!” Have you ever been to such a hesped? According to this Gemara in Bava Basra, that, in effect, is what the “elders of the generation” said about Yehoshua! Can we imagine such a public humiliation of Yehoshua bin Nun?

I saw a very interesting pshat quoted in the name of Rav Itzele of Volozhin. Chas v’shalom! The elders were not disrespecting Yehoshua. They were saying that they remember Moshe Rabbeinu in his youth. Moshe Rabbeinu, from the moment he was born, was a different type of person. At the moment of his birth, the room was entirely filled with light. He was a miraculous child. He was not a once-in-a-generation or a once-in-a-lifetime personality. A person like Moshe Rabbeinu was unique in the history of the universe.

Each elder said as follows:

I am not Moshe Rabbeinu. When I was born, the house did not fill with light. Nothing like that happened. But Yehosha? I went to cheder with Yehoshua bin Nun. I remember him as a child. He was nothing special. He was not even the best boy in the class. He didn’t get all A’s and he did his share of fooling around. But then something happened to Yehoshua bin Nun and he became a different person. It was not because of his brilliance or natural born gifts, but rather it was because “notzer te’ay’nah yochal piryah.” He put in his time. He never left the side of Moshe Rabbeinu. When I was out doing who knows what, Yehoshua was there with Moshe Rabbeinu. When I was fooling around, he was cleaning up the Beis Medrash.

This Yehoshua, the fellow that I knew and the fellow that I grew up with, has now become the next leader of Bnai Yisroel. Moshe was a “sun” – no one could ever again be like Moshe Rabbeinu. But Yehoshua bin Nun is like the “face of the moon” – he is a reflection of the brilliance of Moshe, just as the moon reflects the brilliance of the sun. Anyone could have done that and become the next leader of Bnai Yisroel – had they put in the time and had they put in the effort.

“Woe to the embarrassment and woe to the shame” is not referring to Yehoshua. It is reflexive, going back on the elders themselves. How embarrassing and shameful it is for us that we spent our time fooling around rather than emulating Yehoshua and seizing the advantage of being constantly with our great leader Moshe Rabbeinu.

I am sure all of us had experiences like this. “I went to school with this person. He became the (fill-in-the-blank) Rosh Yeshiva!” There are dozens of people like that. That is the shame and embarrassment of which they spoke. Had I only put in the time, effort, sweat and toil that he put in, maybe I could have also become like that, but I did not do so.

Transcribed by David Twersky; Jerusalem [email protected]

Edited by Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD [email protected]

This week’s write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissochar Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly Torah portion. A listing of the halachic portions for Parshas Pinchas is provided below:

• # 064 – The Yarmulka: At Home and In the Office
• # 154 – Writing a Halachically Sanctioned Will
• # 201 – Fasting on Tisha B’Av: Is It For Everyone?
• # 246 – Hilchos Brachos: Ikar Ve Tofel
• # 291 – The Do’s and Don’t of Kashering Keilim
• # 336 – Tisha B’Av on Motzoei Shabbos
• # 381 – Making A Zecher Le’churban
• # 425 – Minhagim of the Three Weeks
• # 469 – Tu B’Av
• # 513 – Leining on Fast Days and Other Ta’aneisim Issues
• # 557 – Disinheriting
• # 645 – Women and Bentching
• # 688 – A Manicure on Shabbos?
• # 732 – Does A Mezuza Need a Door?
• # 776 – Yayin Mevushal – Does It Exist?
• # 821 – Cholent on Sunday of the Nine Days
• # 865 – Neckties,Shoelaces and Tichels: A Knotty Problem
• # 909 – Shabbos Shacharis – Hashkama Vs Later
• # 953 – Tevilas Keilim: My Hosts Haven’t Toiveled Their Dishes
• # 995 – The Mitzva of Shiluach Ha’Kain – Do We Make A Bracha?
• #1040 – Learning on Tisha B’av? Saying Tehilim on Tisha B’Av?
• #1084 – The Kohain Who Killed Someone by Accident: Can He Still “Duchan”?
• #1127 – Tei’ku – What Will Eliyahu Answer?
• #1169 – 17 Tamuz–When Does It Start? Wearing Laundered Shirts In Nine Days?
• #1212 – Goral: Can You Have A Raffle For A Sefer Torah?
• #1257 – Learning on Tisha B’Av, Should You? Can You? Eating Tisha B’Av Night So You Can Fast on Tisha B’Av Day?
• #1301 – A Tisha B’av Message: The Golden Rule – Don’t Do Unto Others What You Don’t Want Done Unto You
• #1345 – Bathing During the Nine Days
• #1389 – The Case of the Rabbi Who Said I Want My Son To Assume My Position When I Retire – Can He Demand That?
• #1433 – The Use of a Goral in Halacha
• #1521 – Bris During Nine Days: Fleishigs or Milchig? Shabbos Leftovers for Sunday Night Dinner?

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