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Tuesday, July 7, 2020

PINCHAS, NUMBERS 25:10–30:1

 

PINCHAS, NUMBERS  25:10–30:1

 

The Parsha and the Haftorah concern executions: In the Parshah, Pinchas steps forward and executes Cozbi and Zimri.  In some years when the Haftorah portion comes from the First Book of Kings, it describes Elijah the Prophet ordering the execution of 950 idolatrous prophets belonging to King Ahab and his Queen Jezebel.  In both instances, the evil doers are summarily executed.  

Do you have any concern with the lack of due process?

OPEN REBELLION

The Baal Peor incident was a religious political event that nearly cost the B’nai Yisrael their very existence. It was not just that a someone from the tribe of Shimon wanted to have sex with a Midianite woman. Consider these facts:

1. One does not have sex in front of the Ohel Moed, in the eyes of Moshe and in front of the whole congregation unless one is making a political point.

2.The perpetrators were a prince from a substantial Shimonite family and a princess of the Midianite kingdom. (This also calls into question Moshe’s father in law who was a priest of Midian.)

3. Compare the two census’. In the first census, Shimon’s numbers totaled 59,300 people. In the aftermath of the incident Shimon totaled 22,200 souls, a reduction of 37,000 people lost, or about 60 per cent. 

This was a full blown rebellion. Consider the timing just before the death of Moshe, and its effect on Joshua, our soon to be leader.

As for the Tribe of Shimon, land-wise they were subsumed in the Tribe of Judah.


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Max from Nahariya has come up with a quiz that relates to Parshat Pinchas.  Attached are his questions.  Do your best.

 

1-HOW LONG DID PINCHAS LIVE?

2-WHY DO WE BRING KORBAN TAMID IN MORNING & AFTERNOONS?

3-WHOSE NESHAMOS RETURNED TO EARTH & ENTERED PINCHAS?

4-WHY DID HASHEM ORDER WAR AGAINST MIDYAN AND NOT MOAV?

5-WHAT UNIQUE QUALITY DID MOSHE REQUEST FOR HIS SUCCESSOR?

6-THE ELDERS SAY WHAT, WHEN MOSHE TRANSFERRED TO JOSHUA?

7-WHY DID WOMEN WHO LEFT EGYPT LIVE MUCH LONGER THAN MEN?

8-DID SHEVET LEVI PERISH IN THE MIDBAR TOO?

9-WHAT WAS PNCHAS ROLE WHEN BENEI YISROEL WENT TO WAR?

10-WHEN DID PINCHAS LOSE HIS RUACH HAKODESH?

11-WHICH ACT  IS GREAT AS LEARNING TORAH?

12-HOW WAS SHEVET DAN GREATER THAN SHEVET BINYOMIN ?

13-WHY WERE 2-SHEEP BROUGHT FOR THE KORBAN MUSSAF SHABBAT?

14-HOW MANY KOHANIM GEDOLIM DESCENDED FROM PINCHAS?

15-HOW DO YOU COMPARE ZIMRI WITH HIS ANCESTOR SHIMON?

16-WHICH SHEVATIM GOT LAND UPON WHERE TEMPLE WAS BUILT?

17-WHAT WAS THE TOTAL POPULATION OF JEWS IN THE LAST CENSUS?

18-WHY DID SHEVET SHIMON DECREASED FROM 59,300 to 22,200?

19-WHO WAS THE OLDEST JEW TO LEAVE EGYPT AND ENTER ISRAEL?

20-WHICH 4-HALACHOS DID MOSHE NEED CONFIRMATION FROM GOD?

21-TORAH SPELLS SHEVATIM NAMES WITH EXTRA YUD AND HEY,  WHY?

22-WHY WERE 70-BULLS, AND 98-LAMBS SACRIFICED ON SUKKOS?

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 Pinchas is inexorably linked to the wiping out of assimilation and an attempt to destroy Judaism.  When we were exiled to Babylonia, we Jews were again faced with the prospect of assimilation, a vestige of which is the pagan names that we have assigned to the months of the years.  Today we are in the month of Tammuz.

Tammuz is the god of the harvest; he was loved by the goddess Ishtar.  She was known as the goddess of prostitutes, and her alternate names of Har and Hora gave rise to the terms “harlot” and “whore”. 

Tammuz was killed by a boar. Ishtar was devastated by his death.

When Tammuz died, all vegetation died.  Humans animals would no longer mate, and the Earth, herself, was dying.  Ishtar journeys to the netherworld and revives Tammuz  saying: "Great Tammuz is reborn, the fruits of the Earth are ours once more. Bring them forth, let us enjoy them!"

 Tammuz should be a reminder for us of the shame of assimilation.

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You can see the inroads of assimilation in our texts as far back as the prophet Ezekiel, 6th century BCE.  In the Book of Ezekiel at 8:14 consider this verse:

וַיָּבֵא אֹתִי, אֶל-פֶּתַח שַׁעַר בֵּית-יְהוָה, אֲשֶׁר, אֶל-הַצָּפוֹנָה; וְהִנֵּה-שָׁם הַנָּשִׁים יֹשְׁבוֹת, מְבַכּוֹת אֶת-הַתַּמּוּז

“Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz."

At that time, probably before the destruction of the Temple,  Jewish women were ceremoniously mourning for a pagan god, Tammuz.  Today, on the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz we are still mourning, but now for the Temple’s destruction.

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                                                   The Daughters of Zelophehad (Dalziels’ Bible Gallery)

At 27:4-5, the four daughters of צְלָפְחָד ask to inherit land from their deceased father’s estate, saying:

“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. "

לָמָּה יִגָּרַע שֵׁם-אָבִינוּ מִתּוֹךְ מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ, כִּי אֵין לוֹ בֵּן; תְּנָה-לָּנוּ אֲחֻזָּה, בְּתוֹךְ אֲחֵי אָבִינוּ 

Moses does not know the answer since traditionally only sons inherit.

“So Moses brought their case before the Lord”.

    ן וַיַּקְרֵב מֹשֶׁה אֶת-מִשְׁפָּטָ

לִפְנֵי יְהוָה                                    

What is remarkable here is Moses is not fearful of saying that he doesn’t know. 

Even more remarkable is that Hashem is not fearful of setting aside an established tradition and doing justice with kindness.

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MAX’S PARSHAT PINCHAS QUIZ

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Max has come up with a quiz that relates to this week's Parshah. Attached are his questions and answers.  How did you do?  Maybe you have to study more; I do.

Wishing You a Good Shabbos..
Stay inside, safe and healthy,

Mick

1-HOW LONG DID PINCHAS LIVE?
400-YEARS ,HE WAS STILL ALIVE IN THE DAYS OF SHOFTIM
> 2-WHY DO WE BRING KORBAN TAMID IN MORNING & AFTERNOONS?
MORNING TAMID TO ATONE FOR SINS COMMITTED AT NITE
AFTERNOON KORBAN ATONED FOR SINS DONE DURING THE DAY
> 3-WHOSE NESHAMOS RETURNED TO EARTH & ENTERED PINCHAS?
THE SOULS OF NADAV AND AVIHU ENTERED HIS SOUL FOR PROTECTION
> 4-WHY DID HASHEM ORDER WAR AGAINST MIDYAN AND NOT MOAV?
WAR AGAINST MIDYAN WAS BECAUSE OF THEIR HATRED TO JEWS
MOAV ONLY ACTED OUT OF FEAR, THEY WANTED TO DRIVE THEM OUT
> 5-WHAT UNIQUE QUALITY DID MOSHE REQUEST FOR HIS SUCCESSOR?
TO BE TOLERANT OF EVERY JEW, & HAVE PATIENCE TO ACCEPT EACH
> 6-THE ELDERS SAY WHAT, WHEN MOSHE TRANSFERRED TO JOSHUA?
MOSHE SHONE LIKE THE SUN, HIS TALMID JOSHUA LIKE THE MOON
> 7-WHY DID WOMEN WHO LEFT EGYPT LIVE MUCH LONGER THAN MEN?
WOMEN ALWAYS WANTED A PERMANENCE PIECE OF THE LAND ISRAEL
> 8-DID SHEVET LEVI PERISH IN THE MIDBAR TOO?
ALL OF SHEVET LEVI, AND ELDAD & MEIDAD ENTERED ERETZ YISRAEL
> 9-WHAT WAS PNCHAS ROLE WHEN BENEI YISROEL WENT TO WAR?
HE WAS THE KOHER MASHUACH MILCHAMAH , HE WENT IN FRONT
OF THE SOLDIERS IN EVERY BATTLE
> 10-WHEN DID PINCHAS LOSE HIS RUACH HAKODESH
IN THE DAYS OF YIFTACH, HE DID NOT WANT TO MEET WITH YIFTACH
TO SAVE HIS DAUGHTER FROM DEATH
> 11-WHICH ACT  IS GREAT AS LEARNING TORAH?
SERVING THE COMMUNITY
> 12-HOW WAS SHEVET DAN GREATER THAN SHEVET BINYOMIN ?
DAN HAD ONLY ONE SON , BUT HIS DESCENDANTS GREW TO 64,400
BINYOMIN HAD 10-SONS BUT MULTIPLIED ONLY TO 45,600
> 13-WHY WERE 2-SHEEP BROUGHT FOR THE KORBAN MUSSAF SHABBAT?
THE TWO KORBANOS CORRESPOND TO ZACHOR AND SHAMOR
> 14-HOW MANY KOHANIM GEDOLIM DESCENDED FROM PINCHAS?
380-KOHANIM, 80 IN FIRST TEMPLE, 300 IN THE SECOND TEMPLE
> 15-HOW DO YOU COMPARE ZIMRI WITH HIS ANCESTOR SHIMON?
SHIMON PROTESTED AGAINST IMMORALITY WITH ( DINAH )
ZIMRY COMMITTED IMMORALITY WITH COSBY
> 16-WHICH SHEVATIM GOT LAND UPON WHERE TEMPLE WAS BUILT?
JERUSALEM --SHEVET YEHUDA AND SHEVET BINYOMIN
> 17-WHAT WAS THE TOTAL POPULATION OF JEWS IN THE LAST CENSUS?
LAST CENSUS POPULLATION TOTALED 601,730 MALES
> 18-WHY DID SHEVET SHIMON DECREASED FROM 59,300 to 22,200?
SINNERS INVOLVED WITH ZIMRY & COSBY CAME FROM SHEVET SHIMON
> 19-WHO WAS THE OLDEST JEW TO LEAVE EGYPT AND ENTER ISRAEL?
SERACH BAT ASHER, INFORMED YAAKOV THAT YOSEF WAS STILL ALIVE
> 20-WHICH 4-HALACHOS DID MOSHE NEED CONFIRMATION FROM GOD?
PESAC SHENI, TZELOFCHAD DAUGHTERS, MEGADEF, & MECKOSHESH
> 21-TORAH SPELLS SHEVATIM NAMES WITH EXTRA YUD AND HEY,  WHY?
TO CONFIRM FAMILY PURITY WITH HASHEM SIGNATURE
> 22-WHY WERE 70-BULLS, AND 98-LAMBS SACRIFICED ON SUKKOS?
70-BULLS TO REPRESENT ALL THE NATIONS
98-LAMBS ATONE FOR THE 98-CURSES



 


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