This week's Torah portion is Balak, Numbers 22:2-25:9. It is striking in that almost the entire narrative focuses on the interactions of two non-Jews, Balak son of Tzipor the King of Moab, and Bilam (spelled Balaam in many English translations) son of Beor, who appears to be some sort of prophet, sorcerer, diviner, soothsayer, or holy man whom Balak believes to have some kind of divine power or connection to divine power. Midrashic sources describe Balak as being fearful of his kingdom after the total defeat of Sichon and Og in the previous parsha by the Children of Israel, and concluding that only divine intervention could save him. Bilam, although described in some rabbinic sources as being a prophet equal to Moses, is pretty uniformly condemned in the Jewish tradition as someone who used his great abilities for evil rather than for good. Mar bar Ravina, one of the last (chronologially) rabbis in the Talmud, reports (Sanhedrin 106b) that while it is improper to interpret scriptural references to non-Jews in a derogatory manner, an exception is made for Bilam because of his great evil. Volumes could be written about the content of the blessings that he gives to the Children of Israel after intending to curse them, and to the somewhat bizarre (to our ears) narrative of the talking donkey (which Mainomides states occurred in a prophetic vision). The proof for me that Bilam was evil was the horrible way that he treated his donkey!
But in this dvar torah I want to focus on the end of the parsha and on the personality of a Jew who appears at the end of the parsha: Pinchas. Details below the fold.
To learn what happened in the last nine verses in the parsha we need to fast forward to Numbers 31:16:
הֵן הֵנָּה הָיוּ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בִּדְבַר בִּלְעָם, לִמְסָר-מַעַל בַּיהוָה, עַל-דְּבַר-פְּעוֹר; וַתְּהִי הַמַּגֵּפָה, בַּעֲדַת יְהוָה.
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to revolt so as to break faith with the LORD in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD. (1917 Jewish Publication Society translation)
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 106a) reports that Bilam actually advised Balak to try to use harlots to entice the Children of Israel away from the ways of God. Indeed at the beginning of chapter 25 the harlotry rapidly turns to idolatry, and then to engendering Divine anger:
א וַיֵּשֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּשִּׁטִּים; וַיָּחֶל הָעָם, לִזְנוֹת אֶל-בְּנוֹת מוֹאָב.
1. And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab.
ב וַתִּקְרֶאןָ לָעָם, לְזִבְחֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶן; וַיֹּאכַל הָעָם, וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶן.
2. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
ג וַיִּצָּמֶד יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְבַעַל פְּעוֹר; וַיִּחַר-אַף יְהוָה, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.
3. And Israel joined himself unto the Baal of Peor; and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
It is interesting that in most if not all of the discussion of sexual sins in the Torah, they are connected in some way to idol worship, something that the Rabbis concluded is prohibited not to just to Jews but to non-Jews.
God tells Moses to deal with the problem:
ד וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, קַח אֶת-כָּל-רָאשֵׁי הָעָם, וְהוֹקַע אוֹתָם לַיהוָה, נֶגֶד הַשָּׁמֶשׁ; וְיָשֹׁב חֲרוֹן אַף-יְהוָה, מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.
4 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up unto the LORD in face of the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.'
ה וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה, אֶל-שֹׁפְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: הִרְגוּ אִישׁ אֲנָשָׁיו, הַנִּצְמָדִים לְבַעַל פְּעוֹר.
5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel: 'Slay ye every one his men that have joined themselves unto the Baal of Peor.'
(It should be noted worship of idols is a death penalty offense for both Jews and non-Jews.)
And now, in one of the most brazen acts in the entire Torah, even after a death penalty has been publicly announced for anyone acting in this way....
ו וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּא, וַיַּקְרֵב אֶל-אֶחָיו אֶת-הַמִּדְיָנִית, לְעֵינֵי מֹשֶׁה, וּלְעֵינֵי כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְהֵמָּה בֹכִים, פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד.
6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting.
The rabbis interpret this text to mean that the Jew was having sex in public with the Midianite woman, an altogether reasonable interpretation.
And at this point, a hero, Pinchas (spelled Phinehas in some English translations) arises to save the day!
ז וַיַּרְא, פִּינְחָס בֶּן-אֶלְעָזָר, בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן, הַכֹּהֵן; וַיָּקָם מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה, וַיִּקַּח רֹמַח בְּיָדוֹ.
7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand.
ח וַיָּבֹא אַחַר אִישׁ-יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-הַקֻּבָּה, וַיִּדְקֹר אֶת-שְׁנֵיהֶם--אֵת אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאֶת-הָאִשָּׁה אֶל-קֳבָתָהּ; וַתֵּעָצַר, הַמַּגֵּפָה, מֵעַל, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
8 And he went after the man of Israel into the chamber, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
ט וַיִּהְיוּ, הַמֵּתִים בַּמַּגֵּפָה--אַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים, אָלֶף. {פ}
9 And those that died by the plague were twenty and four thousand. {P}
Pinchas, by his prompt zealous action, stops a plague, stops the idol worship, and stops the idolatry. And Pinchas is praised at the beginning of the following week's parsha, in a phrase that is repeated at every ritual circumcision by traditional Jews:
יא פִּינְחָס בֶּן-אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן, הֵשִׁיב אֶת-חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּקַנְאוֹ אֶת-קִנְאָתִי, בְּתוֹכָם; וְלֹא-כִלִּיתִי אֶת-בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּקִנְאָתִי.
11 'Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was very jealous for My sake among them, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in My jealousy.
יב לָכֵן, אֱמֹר: הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת-בְּרִיתִי, שָׁלוֹם.
12 Wherefore say: Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace;
יג וְהָיְתָה לּוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו, בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם--תַּחַת, אֲשֶׁר קִנֵּא לֵאלֹהָיו, וַיְכַפֵּר, עַל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
13 and it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'
The implication from the text is that such zealotry is a good thing, and that it is worth modeling. And indeed Jewish extremists often cite Pinchas' example as justification for their actions. And if one were to only look at the text, that might be a reasonable conclusion. But traditional Jews interpret scripture in accordance with our rabbinic tradition, which very much moderates this support of zealotry. And to show this, I move to the haftorah (reading from the prophetic biblical tradition) from last week, and next week.
In last week's haftarah, we have part of the narrative of the Judge Yiftach (spelled Jephthah in some English translations). He is a rather brash and arrogant outsider but dynamic military leader, who defeats the Ammonites who have been causing problems for the Children of Israel after making a rather bold vow:
ל וַיִּדַּר יִפְתָּח נֶדֶר לַיהוָה, וַיֹּאמַר: אִם-נָתוֹן תִּתֵּן אֶת-בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן, בְּיָדִי.
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said: 'If Thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand,
לא וְהָיָה הַיּוֹצֵא, אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִדַּלְתֵי בֵיתִי לִקְרָאתִי, בְּשׁוּבִי בְשָׁלוֹם, מִבְּנֵי עַמּוֹן--וְהָיָה, לַיהוָה, וְהַעֲלִיתִיהוּ, עֹלָה. {פ}
31 then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering.' {P}
לב וַיַּעֲבֹר יִפְתָּח אֶל-בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן, לְהִלָּחֶם בָּם; וַיִּתְּנֵם יְהוָה, בְּיָדוֹ.
32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hand.
לג וַיַּכֵּם מֵעֲרוֹעֵר וְעַד-בֹּאֲךָ מִנִּית עֶשְׂרִים עִיר, וְעַד אָבֵל כְּרָמִים, מַכָּה, גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד; וַיִּכָּנְעוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן, מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. {פ}
33 And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto Abel-cheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. {P}
That is the point at which the haftarah ends. But in the very next verse, we find out what came forth from his home when he returned:
לד וַיָּבֹא יִפְתָּח הַמִּצְפָּה, אֶל-בֵּיתוֹ, וְהִנֵּה בִתּוֹ יֹצֵאת לִקְרָאתוֹ, בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחֹלוֹת: וְרַק הִיא יְחִידָה, אֵין-לוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ בֵּן אוֹ-בַת.
34 And Jephthah came to Mizpah unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances; and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
לה וַיְהִי כִרְאוֹתוֹ אוֹתָהּ וַיִּקְרַע אֶת-בְּגָדָיו, וַיֹּאמֶר אֲהָהּ בִּתִּי הַכְרֵעַ הִכְרַעְתִּנִי, וְאַתְּ, הָיִית בְּעֹכְרָי; וְאָנֹכִי, פָּצִיתִי פִי אֶל-יְהוָה, וְלֹא אוּכַל, לָשׁוּב.
35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said: 'Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art become my troubler; for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.'
לו וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו, אָבִי פָּצִיתָה אֶת-פִּיךָ אֶל-יְהוָה--עֲשֵׂה לִי, כַּאֲשֶׁר יָצָא מִפִּיךָ: אַחֲרֵי אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ יְהוָה נְקָמוֹת, מֵאֹיְבֶיךָ--מִבְּנֵי עַמּוֹן.
36 And she said unto him: 'My father, thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD; do unto me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.'
לז וַתֹּאמֶר, אֶל-אָבִיהָ, יֵעָשֶׂה לִּי, הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה: הַרְפֵּה מִמֶּנִּי שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים, וְאֵלְכָה וְיָרַדְתִּי עַל-הֶהָרִים, וְאֶבְכֶּה עַל-בְּתוּלַי, אָנֹכִי ורעיתי (וְרֵעוֹתָי).
37 And she said unto her father: 'Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may depart and go down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.'
לח וַיֹּאמֶר לֵכִי, וַיִּשְׁלַח אוֹתָהּ שְׁנֵי חֳדָשִׁים; וַתֵּלֶךְ הִיא וְרֵעוֹתֶיהָ, וַתֵּבְךְּ עַל-בְּתוּלֶיהָ עַל-הֶהָרִים.
38 And he said: 'Go.' And he sent her away for two months; and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.
לט וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים, וַתָּשָׁב אֶל-אָבִיהָ, וַיַּעַשׂ לָהּ, אֶת-נִדְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָדָר; וְהִיא לֹא-יָדְעָה אִישׁ, וַתְּהִי-חֹק בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.
39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed; and she had not known man. And it was a custom in Israel,
מ מִיָּמִים יָמִימָה, תֵּלַכְנָה בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְתַנּוֹת, לְבַת-יִפְתָּח הַגִּלְעָדִי--אַרְבַּעַת יָמִים, בַּשָּׁנָה. {פ}
40 that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. {P}
Now, the text does not actually state that Yiftach killed his daughter to make her into a burnt offering, and indeed many traditional commentaries say that instead she went to live in the mountains to live as a recluse, unmarried forever. In those times, for a woman to be unmarried and childless for an entire life appears to have been considered almost equivalent to death. The commentaries are unanimous that Yiftach was a fool to have made such a vow, for not only is human sacrifice completely forbidden in Judaism (that is one of the points of Abraham being prevented at the last moment from sacrificing his son), but most animals can't be used in a sacrificial service either and had a rat or cat or dog been the first thing to appear he would have also been shown to be a fool. The lesson is that such brashness is not condoned.
But there is more: In Judaism, almost any vow can be annulled when the maker of the vow realizes that the consequences of the vow were not what he/she expected. So even though Yiftach was not obligated to keep this vow as it turned out to "obligate" him in something the Torah considers a humongous sin, had he been concerned he could have gone to a rabbinical court of three, or a single great sage. Yiftach, however, unlike most of the leaders of the period of the Judges, was not learned in Jewish teachings and may not have known to do this.
Here is when the Pinchas link comes in: According to the midrash Bereshit Rabbah (60:3), Yiftach wasn't so ignorant, and he knew that the greatest sage of the time could annul his vow. And that sage was -- Pinchas, still alive at that time and serving as the Chief Priest. But Yiftach was the leader of the people and did not want to humble himself before religious authority. Pinchas, unfortunately, took the same point of view: as the leading religious authority he thought that the secular leaders should come to him! And it may have even been possible for him to annul the vow without Yiftach even come to him. (That is a technical halachic point that I won't discuss further as I am not a rabbi.) As a result of the stiff-necked behavior of two Jewish leaders, a Jewish woman was, in the words of the midrash, "lost", and the same midrash reports that God punished both Yiftach and Pinchas for their stubbornness.
And there is yet another Pinchas link, in the haftarah that we would read were it not within the three weeks prior to the 9th of Av: Pinchas is identified in rabbinic sources with Eliyahu (Elijah), a prophet who lived much later, and the haftarah for Parshat Pinchas that we aren't reading is the narrative of Eliyahu fleeing the evil idol-worshiping Queen Jezebel. (Some rabbinic sources insist that Eliyahu and Pinchas actually are the same physical person, that Pinchas had an extraordinarily long lifespan, but that after the Yiftach incident he had been denied some of his power. One can learn the same messages by simply assuming that Eliyahu had the spirit of Pinchas, though.) Eliyahu eventually makes it to Horeb, identified as the site of the giving of the Torah, where he encounters God and engages in a dialogue (chapter 19 of 1 Kings):
ט וַיָּבֹא-שָׁם אֶל-הַמְּעָרָה, וַיָּלֶן שָׁם; וְהִנֵּה דְבַר-יְהוָה, אֵלָיו, וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, מַה-לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ.
9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said unto him: 'What doest thou here, Elijah?'
י וַיֹּאמֶר קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת, כִּי-עָזְבוּ בְרִיתְךָ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--אֶת-מִזְבְּחֹתֶיךָ הָרָסוּ, וְאֶת-נְבִיאֶיךָ הָרְגוּ בֶחָרֶב; וָאִוָּתֵר אֲנִי לְבַדִּי, וַיְבַקְשׁוּ אֶת-נַפְשִׁי לְקַחְתָּהּ.
10 And he said: 'I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.'
קַנֹּא is better translated "zealous" than "jealous", and that certainly describes Pinchas/Eliyahu. And this was a false statement, and Eliyahu knew it was a false statement, for a contemporary prophet, Ovadiah, had been protecting a hundred additional prophets, as shown in chapter 18 of 1 Kings:
ג וַיִּקְרָא אַחְאָב, אֶל-עֹבַדְיָהוּ אֲשֶׁר עַל-הַבָּיִת; וְעֹבַדְיָהוּ, הָיָה יָרֵא אֶת-יְהוָה--מְאֹד.
3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household.--Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly;
ד וַיְהִי בְּהַכְרִית אִיזֶבֶל, אֵת נְבִיאֵי יְהוָה; וַיִּקַּח עֹבַדְיָהוּ מֵאָה נְבִיאִים, וַיַּחְבִּיאֵם חֲמִשִּׁים אִישׁ בַּמְּעָרָה, וְכִלְכְּלָם, לֶחֶם וָמָיִם.
4 for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.--
Eliyahu (Pinchas) was implicitly denigrating Ovadiah and the other prophets!
But God tries again, giving us one of the most famous passages in prophetic literature:
יא וַיֹּאמֶר, צֵא וְעָמַדְתָּ בָהָר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, וְהִנֵּה יְהוָה עֹבֵר וְרוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה וְחָזָק מְפָרֵק הָרִים וּמְשַׁבֵּר סְלָעִים לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, לֹא בָרוּחַ יְהוָה; וְאַחַר הָרוּחַ רַעַשׁ, לֹא בָרַעַשׁ יְהוָה.
11 And He said: 'Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.' And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
יב וְאַחַר הָרַעַשׁ אֵשׁ, לֹא בָאֵשׁ יְהוָה; וְאַחַר הָאֵשׁ, קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה.
12 and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
יג וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ אֵלִיָּהוּ, וַיָּלֶט פָּנָיו בְּאַדַּרְתּוֹ, וַיֵּצֵא, וַיַּעֲמֹד פֶּתַח הַמְּעָרָה; וְהִנֵּה אֵלָיו, קוֹל, וַיֹּאמֶר, מַה-לְּךָ פֹה אֵלִיָּהוּ.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said: 'What doest thou here, Elijah?'
יד וַיֹּאמֶר קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת, כִּי-עָזְבוּ בְרִיתְךָ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--אֶת-מִזְבְּחֹתֶיךָ הָרָסוּ, וְאֶת-נְבִיאֶיךָ הָרְגוּ בֶחָרֶב; וָאִוָּתֵר אֲנִי לְבַדִּי, וַיְבַקְשׁוּ אֶת-נַפְשִׁי לְקַחְתָּהּ. {ס}
14 And he said: 'I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.' {S}
"קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה", the "still small voice" is where Eliyahu finds God. But he doesn't get it. He is too much of a Zealot. And he repeats word for word his previous statement, praising himself and denigrating the other prophets.
God's reaction? Eliyahu/Pinchas is fired, and ordered to annoint his successor:
טו וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלָיו, לֵךְ שׁוּב לְדַרְכְּךָ מִדְבַּרָה דַמָּשֶׂק; וּבָאתָ, וּמָשַׁחְתָּ אֶת-חֲזָאֵל לְמֶלֶךְ--עַל-אֲרָם.
15 And the LORD said unto him: 'Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Aram;
טז וְאֵת יֵהוּא בֶן-נִמְשִׁי, תִּמְשַׁח לְמֶלֶךְ עַל-יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְאֶת-אֱלִישָׁע בֶּן-שָׁפָט מֵאָבֵל מְחוֹלָה, תִּמְשַׁח לְנָבִיא תַּחְתֶּיךָ.
16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi, 11th century France) interprets this as God telling Eliyahu that He (God) did not want Eliyahu's prophesy because Eliyahu was pleading for the prosecution of the Jewish people -- that God wanted to be merciful. Elisha was much more a person of the world, much more able to accomplish things through normal channels.
And that is what I believe is the message of the rabbinic interpretation of the character of Pinchas. Yes, he is admired for his zealotry, and his intentions were noble, but it is very rare that that is what God wants for us to do/be. And we certainly are guilty of massive chutzpah if we delude ourselves into thinking that we are of sufficient stature to take the law into our own hands, as Pinchas did in the case of the harlotry and idolatry, or to sit smugly in our positions of authority while bad things are happening to innocent people, as Pinchas is reported to have done in the case of Yiftach's daughter, or to condemn those who are insufficiently zealous (especially when they are hiding in fear for their lives!) as Eliyahu did when confronted by God. I believe that this is a message that should resonate today.