Following the advice of Bala’am, the Midianites sent their daughters to entice the Jewish men to sin. One Midianite princess named Kozbi, even seduced a prince from the tribe of Shimon, Zimri ben Salu. He defied Moshe’s warnings and flagrantly sinned with her. This created a terrible desecration of G-d’s name, and G-d’s anger was kindled against the nation.
When Pinchas, a grandson of Aharon the High Priest, saw what had happened, he acted zealously. He recalled a law he had learned from Moshe, that in specific instances, the law might be taken into one’s hands even without a trial in court. Pinchas killed both Kozbi and Zimri. This action appeased G-d’s anger. G-d rewarded Pinchos with His eternal covenant of peace.
This reward may seem out of character with Pinchas’ deed, but upon a closer look, this is not so. The Torah takes pains to point out the source of Pinchas’ actions, that they were not merely the violent outburst of some wild fanatic. Pinchas was a descendent, in both body and spirit, of his grandfather Aharon, the great lover and pursuer of peace. He even conferred with Moshe before acting, proving that it was not a rash decision. His motivation was one based on love and concern for the Jewish people, to pacify G-d’s anger towards them.
Not everyone could have been excused for such behavior. Only someone on the caliber of Pinchas, with his sincere motivation and impeccable character, was allowed to show such zealousness for the sake of G-d’s name. As testimony to this sincerity and concern for the G-d-Israel relationship, G-d rewarded Pinchas with the fulfillment of his goals- the blessing of eternal peace.
There may sometimes be a necessity for a violent reaction to different situations. However, this must not be the rule. The commentaries suggest that it was for this reason that, following this incident Joshua was chosen to succeed Moshe after his death, and not Pinchas.
Moshe took another census of the people before his death. He explained how the land would be divided among the people, a portion for each son. Although the daughters’ needs were taken care of before the son’s inheritance, only the sons received a portion in the Promised Land. The daughters of Zelafchad complained to Moshe that their father had not left over any sons, and they, too, wanted a portion of the land. The Talmud explains that the daughters of Zelafchad were motivated out of a love for the Promised Land, and not because they felt it was an injustice. This was also an example of zealousness for sincere purposes. G-d instructed Moshe that when a father would leave no sons, the daughters would receive his inheritance.
”May G-d...appoint a man over the assembly...” (Num. 27:16)
Rav Yitzchak Hutner noted that it is important for the people to accept a leader who is “over” the assembly. He related a story of a town that had a clock on a tower. Everybody would set their clocks and watches by the town clock. Once the town decided to lower the clock within reach of the townspeople. Strangely the clock no longer seemed to keep the proper time—until the townsfolk realized what had happened. When the clock had been up high, everyone had set their clocks by the town’s clock. Now that it was within reach, though, people changed the city’s clock rather than their own. Similarly, if a leader is ‘over’ the assembly, people will strive to emulate him. If, however, the leader is not viewed as above the rest, the people will bring him down to their level.
Did You Know...
In the Torah’s laws of inheritance, the firstborn son receives a double portion, and the sons and daughters do not share the assets equally. It is also not sufficient to merely draw up a will in order to allocate one’s assets according to his wishes, since the Torah does not recognize ownership after one dies, and immediately upon death the Torah’s law automatically takes effect. One who wishes to divide his assets according to his own wishes must draw up a will under Halachic guidance, allowing the assets to be distributed outside of the rules of inheritance, for example a moment before death, or some other way.
