"Tzelophechad's daughters speak justly!"(Numbers 27:7) Tammuz 20, 5784/July 26, 2024 A time to act, and a time to ask. No, these aren't the words of King Solomon, author of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), but they do perfectly express a crucial lesson we learn from this week's Torah reading, Pinchas. last week's parashah, Balak, ended with Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon, rising up and performing an unprecedented and unauthorized, violent act of zealotry on behalf of his people and for the honor of HaShem, the G-d of Israel. He killed, in one swift act, the two brazen sinners, Zimri, the son of a privileged family of the tribe of Shimon, and Cozbi, a Midianite princess, plunging a spear through their innards. His act of zealotry was so unexpected, so sudden and so violent that, despite the fact that it immediately ended the plague that was devastating Israel, taking away 24,000 souls, the children of Israel didn't quite know how to respond. They immediately raised questions: Who gave Pinchas the right to do this? Don't we have laws? Why didn't he consult Moshe? Could there not have been a less deadly way to address the situation? The more questions they asked the more heated they became. Soon they were accusing Pinchas of an unjustified act of murder. The accusations grew so dire that, as we witness in the opening verses of this week's reading, Pinchas, G-d Himself took the witness stand, as it were, testifying to the absolute justification and righteousness of Pinchas' extraordinary act: "Pinchas the son of Eleazar the son of Aharon the kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal. Therefore, say, 'I hereby give him My covenant of peace. It shall be for him and for his descendants after him as an eternal covenant of kehunah, because he was zealous for his G-d and atoned for the children of Israel.'" (Numbers 25:11-13) HaShem could not have been clearer: Pinchas was not a murderer but a hero. His act of unprecedented zealotry saved the day. In fact, it saved the nation. His reward could not be more deserved. Nevertheless, we cannot live in a world where just anyone can take upon himself an act of zealotry and expect to be rewarded for it. On the contrary, only under the most rare and extreme circumstances can an act of zealotry be justified. In Pinchas' case, there was no commandment that addressed the very particular dilemma that confronted Israel at that moment. This is why we are told that "the entire congregation of the children of Israel," Moshe included, "were weeping at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting." (ibid 25:6) They simply did not know what to do. Therefore, Pinchas' urgent act was necessary. There was no time to discuss or to deliberate. It was a matter of act first and ask questions later. In fact, our sages have determined that if Pinchas had asked first, his initiative would have been denied. Had he even thought twice before acting he would have indeed been considered a murderer. The fact that he, the grandson of Aharon, the great pursuer of peace and lover of all Israel, was motivated only by an irrepressible sense of love for his people and for the honor of his G-d, was the reason that his act was praiseworthy. Had he hesitated for even a moment, the verdict would have been quite different. In other words, kids, don't try this at home. Later in our parashah we read of the five sisters, Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milcah and Tirtzah, daughters of Tzelophechad, who sired no sons. Their act, albeit completely nonviolent, was no less bold, no less brazen and no less unprecedented than that of Pinchas. This sisters approached and "stood before Moshe and before Eleazar the kohen and before the chieftains and the entire congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, saying, 'Our father died in the desert, but he was not in the assembly that banded together against HaShem in Korach's assembly, but he died for his own sin, and he had no sons.Why should our father's name be eliminated from his family because he had no son? Give us a portion along with our father's brothers.'" (ibid 27:2-4) Their desire to inherit a portion in the land of Israel in their father's name was an expression of the depth of their love for the land G-d had promised, for the honor of their father, and for their unquestionable adherence to the rule of Torah, which, just as in the case of Pinchas, had not provided an answer to their particular dilemma. But, of course, unlike the situation that Pinchas found himself in, they did have the luxury of asking before acting. Moshe, of course, had no answer, so he turned to HaShem, Who answered unequivocally, "saying: Tzelophechad's daughters speak justly. You shall certainly give them a portion of inheritance along with their father's brothers, and you shall transfer their father's inheritance to them." (ibid 27:6-7) On the spot G-d made an amendment to the holy Torah, and introduced a number of rulings to address the situation that the sisters found themselves in. And, just as He spoke words of praise concerning Pinchas, so too HaShem showered the sisters with unadulterated praise: "Tzelophechad's daughters speak justly!" Immediately following G-d's answer to the five sisters, He tells Moshe, "Go up to this Mount Avarim and look at the land that I have given to the children of Israel. And when you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, just as Aharon your brother was gathered." (ibid 27:12-13) At this most dramatic moment in Moshe's life, he too, perhaps inspired by the courage of the five sisters, asks G-d one last request: "Let HaShem, the G-d of spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go forth before them and come before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of HaShem will not be like sheep without a shepherd." (ibid 27:16-17) We should never be afraid to ask a question, and certainly not when we are addressing HaShem in prayer. Like the daughters of Tzelophechad we should always muster up the courage to stand before HaShem and set before Him our needs and our requests, of course only after we have first questioned our own motivations and have determined that what we are asking for is honest and selfless and worthy of taking up G-d's time. This is the time to ask and G-d will answer. The time to act zealously without first asking is itself an unanswerable question which can only be resolved after the fact. But in either instance, if our motivations are pure and our intentions are for the welfare of our people and the honor of HaShem, G-d Himself will announce our reward. |
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk, as Yitzchak Reuven discusses the 17th of Tammuz - a fast day and a bridge to the future, and declares that building the Holy Temple is now, and lauds the fearless & zealous act of Pinchas son of Elazar! Today, the 17th of Tammuz, we fast, remember and mourn the destruction of our Holy Temples in the distant past, as we have done for 2000 years. But today, back in the land of Israel, we must put everything we've got into rebuilding the Holy Temple and abolishing the fast days forever! We can all learn a valuable lesson in Zionism and love of the land of Israel from the five daughters of Tzelophchad. |
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Life is full of challenges, and many of these challenges, with the help of G-d, we overcome. But what if G-d built certain challenges into the very fabric of creation that are simply insurmountable, even to G-d! This is a question, first revealed in the most unlikely of places, that our ancient sages pondered. Pinchas (Numbers 25:10 - 30:1)
Parashat Pinchas is read on Shabbat:
Tammuz 21, 5784/July 27, 2024 |
Haftarah For Shabbat Pinchas I Kings 18:46 - 19:21: "And a spirit of strength from HaShem was with Elijah (Eliyahu), and he girded his loins and ran before Achav until coming to Jezreel. And Achav told Izevel all that Elijah had done, and all that he had killed all of the prophets with the sword..." |
Tammuz 20: The Beauty Of The Land Of Israel "You remember the earth and water it; You enrich it greatly with the stream of G-d which is full of water; You prepare their corn for so do You prepare it." Psalms 65:10 |
The "Apple" After this has been done, the kohanim rake all of the ashes into the very center of the altar. There, a large mound of ashes called the "apple" stood, called so because of its round, domed shape. This was a very large accumulation of ashes made by the various offerings which were burned on the altar. Whenever it grew too large, these ashes were removed and taken to a location outside the city where they were buried. |
Parashat Pinchas: Apportioning The Land Of Israel In this week's Torah reading, Pinchas, (Numbers 25:10 - 30:1) Moshe is instructed by HaShem how to conduct a type of lottery that will determine the land inheritance of each of the twelves tribes, taking into account the population of each tribe. Larger tribes will receive larger inheritances in the land and smaller tribes will receive their inheritance accordingly. |
'I Am The Political Echelon': Ben-Gvir Encourages Jewish Prayer On Temple Mount In response, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed that the Temple Mount status quo will remain unchanged. The government's policy is that Jews may pray at the Temple Mount, contrary to the status quo that has existed at the site for decades, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said at a conference in the Knesset on Wednesday. |
Other Kohanim Continue To Prepare The Altar Once the first kohen has removed the small amount of ashes, the other kohanim can now attend to the more general preparation of the altar: "When they see that their colleague has descended, they run to the laver and sanctify their hands and feet. Then they take the rakes and forks, and ascend to the top of the altar" (Tamid 2, 1). |
Searching For The Jewish Messiah | A Documentary Of My Epic Journey Super popular Jewish influencer Berel Solomon's new documentary about moshiach has just been released! Berel visited the Temple Institute to film a segment of this very compelling video. At 49:26 into the movie you can see Berel at the Temple Institute with his host Yitzchak Reuven. Great video - worth watching from start to finish! |
This Week: Parashat Pinchas Pinchas, son of Elazar, son of Aharon, is the zealous hero whose heroic act and subsequent reward from G-d spans the closing verses of last week's Torah reading, Balak, and the opening verses of the week's Torah reading, Pinchas, (Numbers 25:10 - 30:1) Pinchas' bold and unprecedented act of grabbing a spear and killing both Zimri, the sinning notable of the tribe of Shimon, and Cozbi, his sinning consort, daughter of a prince of the nation of Midian, assuaged G-ds great anger, and saved the nation of Israel from a consuming plague. |
The Prophet Zechariah And The Fast Of The 17th Of Tammuz The prophet Zechariah, who was among the final prophets of Israel and prophesied amongst the returnees to Jerusalem from Babylon, following Cyrus, King of Persia's decree, lived during the construction of the second Holy Temple. In his prophecy he makes mention of Israel's four fasts, each of which commemorates the destruction of the first Holy Temple at the hands of the Babylonians, and the loss of Israeli sovereignty. The four fast days would later be expanded to commemorate the destruction of the second Holy Temple by the Romans in the year 70 CE. |
Tuesday: The Fast Of The 17th Of Tammuz Tuesday, July 23, is the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, known in Hebrew as Sheva Esre beTammuz. It is a dawn to dark fast day, commemorating five tragedies that befell Israel on this day throughout history: It was on this day that Moshe descended from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of Torah given to him by G-d atop Mount Sinai, only to discover the children of Israel dancing around and worshiping the golden calf, a blatant violation of the covenant with G-d that only forty days earlier they had entered into. |
Mikdash Monday - Ark of the Covenant (Part 6) “Place there the Aron HaBrit (Ark of the Covenant), and screen off the Ark with the Parochet (Curtain).” (Shemot 40:3) |
Other Kohanim Continue To Prepare The Altar Once the first kohen has removed the small amount of ashes, the other kohanim can now attend to the more general preparation of the altar: "When they see that their colleague has descended, they run to the laver and sanctify their hands and feet. Then they take the rakes and forks, and ascend to the top of the altar" (Tamid 2, 1). |
After 150 Years: Fortification That Protected The Kings Of Jerusalem Uncovered At the City of David in the Jerusalem Walls National Park, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University have discovered a massive moat, at least nine meters deep and at least 30 meters wide. |
Removing Ashes With The Silver Shovel Once the officiating kohen has sanctified himself, he takes the silver shovel from its spot and walks up the ramp, ascending to the top of the altar. There, he uses the shovel to stir the coals, and into it he collects a small amount from the ashes of the inner coals that have been thoroughly consumed by the fire. Most of the ashes remain atop the altar - the amount he is required to remove is minimum. But this action symbolically prepares the altar for a new day of Temple service. |
Shavua Tov From The Temple Mount! "Hallelujah! Praise God in His holy place, praise Him in the firmament of His might. Praise Him with His mighty deeds, praise Him as befits His superb greatness. Praise Him with a shofar blast, praise Him with psaltery and lyre. Praise Him with timbrels and dance, praise Him with stringed instruments and flute. Praise Him with resounding cymbals, praise Him with resonant cymbals. Let every soul praise God. Hallelujah!" (Psalms 150) Shavua tov - have a great week! |
Build a House for HaShem! "Be strong and have courage! Build a House for HaShem!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, the prophet Samuel charges King David with the task of building the Holy Temple! |
The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First! "The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, Zerubavel from the house of David and Kohen Gadol (High Priest) Yehoshua consult with the prophet Haggai who instructs them to waste no time in rebuilding the Holy Temple! |
Red Heifers Arrive In Israel! On Thursday, September 15, 2022, 5 PM, 5 perfect, unblemished red heifers arrived in Israel from the USA. A modest ceremony was held at the unloading bay of the cargo terminal at Ben Gurion airport, where the new arrivals were greeted and speeches were made by the incredible people who have put their hearts and souls and means into making this historic/prophetic day become a reality. |
Biblical Red Heifer Could Bring Million Visitors To Samaria The Ancient Shiloh heritage site will soon host a Red Heifer research center. Hundreds of visitors flocked to Shiloh in Samaria’s Binyamin region on Thursday to welcome a biblically pure red heifer. The 22-month-old cow, which was brought to Israel from the United States, found a new home at the Ancient Shiloh heritage site, where the biblical Tabernacle once stood. |
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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