The reason others might not be acting certainly indicates it is an opportunity for you to accomplish; obstacles & impediments indicate your personal link to that Mitzvah
- (א) Pinchas acted even though greater ones were silent; the matter had a special connection to him
- (ד) “Zealots shall punish”, is an explicit law; by his action, Pinchas saved many from sin
- (ו) The Land shall be divided by lots (supra rational); the part of the land related to every one is above reason and logic
פינחס ב
The uniqueness of the Era of the Redemption is that it will combine both: G-dly light revealed as it is, with no constraints; and yet this light will be internalized by the world
Usually, the various levels of the soul are enclothed and hidden; Pinchas acted a true commitment of mesiras nefesh, involving a higher level of the soul, Yechida; this involves devotion to G-d without any restraints - a commitment that transcends all reason and logic
בריתי שלום כה, יב ד
One can never know another’s true intentions; thus, do not mock another
Some attempted to find fault with Pinchas’ intentions based on his lineage from his mother; by attributing Pinchas’ lineage to Aaron the Torah shows that his intentions were pure
בן אהרן הכהן כה, יא חא
His daughters, out of respect, did not reveal the true sin of Tzelafchad; however, he did not sin concerning Eretz Yisrael, thus, he was entitled to an inheritance in the land
Rabbi Akiva – (meritorious to the Jews) emphasized Tzelafchad’s virtuous nature – sin of the Shabbos violator that sacrificed himself for the Jews’ educational benefit
R’ Shimon – (interpreted the rationale of the text) connected it to the daughter’s plea – Tzelafchad was from the ones that tried to go up to the land without permission
*והוא לא הי' כז, ג חב
נתעלמה הלכה ממשה only the law (משפט) was hidden from Moshe, Due to Moshe’s personal involvement in the two cases (the daughters of Tzelafchad and Zimri), Moshe could not teach these laws; however, the Jews did not miss the laws, rather they were taught through others
*ו יקרב משה את משפטן כז, ה יגא
Importance of not missing even one prayer
Constant service to HaShem in prayer is more important than appointing a leader
צו As Moshe requested HaShem to remember the Jews, so HaShem commands the Jews בנ"י All the Jews (not just the Cohanim) קרבני A command that brings one to deed
צו את בנ"י כח, ב יגב
Act before understanding is the directive נעשה קודם לנשמע; Go out and affect another Jew to do actual Mitzvos
Pinchas went beyond the letter of the law with mesiras nefesh into the world of action; The Previous Rebbe as Nasi, involved more levels by including the Jews’ inner development
פינחס י"ב תמוז יחא
A leader cares about all the members of the flock, even those that don’t seem to wish to be included
Moshe counted the Jews after the plague either: To not let it happen again Or, to indicate his love even for those Jews that died in the plague
*ויהי אחרי המגפה כו, א יח ב
