Do What Is Expected Of You

פִּֽינְחָס בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־אַֽהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן הֵשִׁיב אֶת־חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקַנְאוֹ אֶת־קִנְאָתִי בְּתוֹכָם

 

Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon Hakkohen, turned away my anger from upon the Children of Israel, when he zealously avenged me among them. (Bamidbar 25:11)

It says in Bamidbar Rabba, that Hashem said בדין הוא שיטול את שכרו (Bedin Hu, Sheyyitol eth Sekharo - It is appropriate that he will get his reward).

As we know from Rashi, the gift of the Kehunna (Priesthood) was given to Aharon HaKohen, ’a”h, and his sons, and all their progeny who would be born subsequently. However, Pinchas was already born, and thus, was not included in the gift of the Kehunna. It was only after the episode with Zimri, that he was given the Kehunna as a reward for his zealousness for G-d.

There a question that is raised in Ben Ish Hai Derashoth. What was the reason that the Torah had to trace his Yihus, (genealogy) till Aharon Hakkohen, ’a”h? Once the Torah mentions that he is the son of El’azar, who is the son of Aharon Hakkohen, ’a”h , it becomes obvious that he is his grandson.

It says at the end of the previous Parasha (Balaq 25:7) וַיַּרְא פִּֽינְחָס בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָר בֶּֽן־אַֽהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן וַיָּקָם מִתּוֹךְ הָֽעֵדָה וַיִּקַּח רֹמַח בְּיָדֽוֹ:

“[Pinchas] rose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand.

This brings us to a second question. Why does it say that “He rose from the midst of the congregation”? The Torah does not mention one unnecessary word, yet this phrase appears to be superfluous.

The reason for tracing his genealogy back to Aharon Hakkohen, ‘a”h, is in order to shower praise on Pinchas for two reasons. The first is because he did something unusual and out of character for him. He was the son of Kohanim who have no involvement with war or the weapons of war.

Secondly, he himself was totally engrossed in the study of Torah. When it says וַיָּקָם מִתּוֹךְ הָֽעֵדָה, (He rose from the midst of the congregation [Ha‘Edah]), Ha’edah refers to the Sanhedrin, and he was one of the Hakhamim in the Sanhedrin. The Torah, as we know, מטשת כוחו של אדם (Matesheth Koho Shel Adam - weakens the physical strength of a man). It is hard to imagine that Pinchas would be able to spear two heavy bodies together and carry them on the spear from their tent to the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed (Tent of Meeting). What he did was something extraordinary, given the fact that he was not a man of war, but one who was engrossed in Torah.

In view of how unusual and zealous his action was, בדין הוא שיטול את שכרו, it is appropriate for him to be rewarded.

There is a Mashal (parable) of a king who went to hunt in the forest together with the head of the Gibborim (mightiest) of his army. The king was attacked by armed robbers. The Gibbor immediately ran after them and fought them and killed them with his weapons. The king did not praise or reward him in any way.

Sometime later the king went again to hunt in the forest. This time, however, he was only accompanied by a young lad who carried the king’s food. Once again he was attacked by a group of robbers. As soon as he saw this, the young lad grabbed the king’s sword and fought with them and killed all the would-be bandits. The king rewarded him handsomely, with 100,000 gold coins.

The king’s servants saw both these occurrences and were confused. They asked him how come he gave nothing on the first occasion, yet this time, he gave so very much. The king answered that on the first occasion, the Gibbor was only doing his job. He is the head of the army and was trained since his youth for this position. “That is why I took him with me” Explained the king, “he did what was expected of him and nothing out of character, that he should be rewarded for”.

“The other one, however,” continued the king, “was just a young lad and one of my servants. He was never trained in the art of war or combat. He didn’t even carry any weapons and had to take my own sword. He risked his own life on my behalf. That is why he deserved a substantial reward”.

The same applies to Pinchas. He was like the young lad. He was the son of Kohanim and a Torah scholar. He was not trained in the art of fighting. That is why it was בדין הוא (appropriate and befitting), that he should receive the reward.

By Rabbi Ya’aqob Menashe

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Rabbi Ya’aqob Menashe is a renowned author and lecturer, whose Shiurim continue to inspire thousands around the world. Many can be seen at www.NonstopTorah.com. His daily Torah Minutes are eagerly anticipated by thousands every morning. They can be seen at www.ATorahMinute.com. Rabbi Menashe is the spiritual leader of Midrash BEN ISH HAI. More information is available at the Midrash website, www.Midrash.org.