After Balaam's unsuccessful attempts at cursing the Jewish people, he advised the Midianites to destroy the nation in another way. The Jewish G-d was known to hate immorality. If the Jews could be seduced to behave immorally, they would fall into G-d's disgrace and could be defeated.
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 aroused against the nation. A plague took many Jewish lives.
Pinchos, a grandson of Aharon the High Priest, recalled a law he had once heard from Moshe, that in specific instances, capital punishment could be meted out, even without a trial in court. Pinchos thus killed both Kozbi and Zimri. This action appeased G-d's anger and the plague stopped. As a reward for his zealousness, G-d rewarded Pinchos with His eternal covenant of peace.
The Torah takes pains to point out that Pinchos' actions were not merely the violent outburst of a wild fanatic. Pinchos was a descendent, in both body and spirit, of his grandfather Aharon, the great lover and pursuer of peace. His conferring with Moshe before acting further proved that it was not a rash decision. His motivation was purely one of love and concern for the Jewish people, to pacify G-d's anger towards them.
Later in the portion, Moshe appointed his disciple Joshua as his successor. It is interesting to note that although Pinchos was praised and rewarded for his actions, he was not chosen to succeed Moshe. Although zealousness is important and has its place in Judaism, the Jewish leader must have a more compassionate nature in his relationship with the people. He must be able to deal with each individual according to his specific needs.
Moshe took another census of the people before he would take leave of them. He explained how the land should be divided among the people, a portion for each son. A daughter would generally not receive a portion of the land as inheritance. 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 zealotry with sincere motivations and the daughters of Zelafchad acted properly. G-d instructed Moshe that when a father would have no sons, the daughters would indeed receive his inheritance.
"May G-d of the spirits of all flesh appoint a leader over the assembly, who shall go before them and come in before them…" (Num. 27:15-16)
A person once spoke to Rav Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch about the troubles many Jews around the world were suffering. The Rebbe listened patiently, without making a sound. The man cried out, "Rabbi, how can you just sit there, hearing all these troubles, without even a sigh of distress?"
The Rebbe calmly answered, " I learned a principle from my father, that one helpful action is more important than a thousand sighs. Believe me, I am thinking what I can do to help."
Did You Know...One may not take a haircut or shave during the three weeks between the Seventeenth of Tamuz and Tisha B'Av as a sign of mourning for the loss of the two Temples. If a person will suffer financially by not shaving, it is permissible to shave. A father may also shave in honor of his son's circumcision. A married woman or a girl of marriageable age may shave body hair or tweeze her eyebrows.
One may also not listen to music for pleasure during this period, both live and recorded music. Incidental music, such as during a commercial, or in order to keep awake while driving is not forbidden, since the intention is not for pleasure.
