[1]‘Parsha Growth Spurts’
Rabbi Dani Staum
Parshas Pinchos 5773
“Pinchos, son of Elazar, son of Aharon the Kohain, turned back my wrath from B’nei Yisroel…” (Bamidbar 25:11)
Rashi explains that when Pinchos avenged the honor of G-d by killing Zimri and Kazbi, instead of lauding his actions, scoffers began to deride Pinchos, “See how the grandson of one who fattened calves for idolatry (Yisro), now (had the audacity to) kill a prince of Israel. Therefore, the pasuk traces his lineage to Aharon.”
If the scoffers believed Pinchos acted unlawfully, how did it help to trace his lineage to Aharon?
Rav Meir Shapiro zt’l (Imrei Da’as) explained that if one performs a mitzvah that does not counter his nature (e.g., a giving person performs chesed) it is certainly laudable and a mitzvah, but it is not considered as if he passed a test. It is only when one counters his nature and struggles against himself in order to perform a mitzvah that it is considered a mitzvah on the highest level.
It is for this reason that the Torah states that Akeidas Yitzchak was a test for Avrohom, not for Yitzchok (see Bereishis 22:1). Yitzchak epitomized internal strength therefore for him to adhere to G-d’s command that he offer himself as a sacrifice was not a major challenge. But Avrohom, who was the paragon of chesed and love, for him to sacrifice his beloved son, countered everything he stood for and had spent his life accomplishing. Therefore, for him it was an incredibly difficult test.
Aharon was blessed with the priesthood because of his uncanny love for every Jew. Zohar writes that a non-kohen may slaughter a korbon because it is very hard for kohanim, who are naturally peace-loving, to slaughter an animal.
The scoffers pointed at Pinchos and accused him of being a grandson of one who slaughtered animals for idolatry, thus demonstrating that Pinchos was vengeful, and lacked the spiritual qualities of a Kohain. Therefore, the Torah traces his lineage to Aharon to demonstrate that Pinchos indeed possessed the laudable qualities of his paternal grandfather. Killing Kimri and Kozbi was extremely difficult for Pinchos because it required him to counter his nature. Pinchos had only done so in order to stand up for the desecrated Honor of Hashem. That is why he was worthy to be blessed with the gift of eternal Kehuna.
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“The sons of Gad according to their families… of Ozni the Oznite family…” (Bamidbar 26:15)
Rashi states that he feels that ‘Ozni’ is the family of ‘Itzavon’, but he’s not sure why they were given an alternate name.
Shelah Hakadosh explains that the gemara (Kesubos 5a) states: “V’yased tihyeh al azeinecha – You shall have a spike in addition to your weapons”, do not read it ‘azeinecha – your weapons’ but rather ‘oznecha – your ears’. For if a person hears something that is not proper, he should place his finger in his ears.”
The family of Etzbon was from Shevet Gad, who camped on the south side of the Mishkan in the desert, adjacent to the tribes of Reuven and Shimon. Both of those tribes bore men who caused terrible iniquity. Dasan and Aviram and Ohn ben Peles joined Korach and were from the tribe of Reuven. Zimri and his followers, who sinned with the Midyanite princesses, were from the tribe of Shimon. How did Gad remain unsullied and uninfluenced by the sins of their neighbors? The Torah refers to them as the family of ‘Etzbon’ which means finger, to allude to the fact that they symbolically ‘plugged their ears’ and did not listen to the sinful plans of their neighbors.
The Shelah adds that the Torah refers to them as ‘Ozni’ (literally ‘ears’) to symbolize that once the sinners were removed and the tribe repented, the tribe of Gad ‘removed their fingers from their ears’, as it were, and reconnected with the tribes of Reuven and Shimon.
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“These are the sons of Dan… sixty-four thousand, four hundred.” (Bamidbar 26: 42-43)
The Chofetz Chaim notes that here the Torah reminds us that, all of our calculations and expectations not withstanding, the will of Hashem ultimately prevails.
Binyamin had ten children (see Bereishis 46:21), while Dan only had one son, Chushim, who was deaf-mute (see Sotah 13a). Yet, here when the Torah relates the population total of each tribe, Dan (64,400) has far more descendants than Binyamin (45,600).
To Hashem, physical quantity is meaningless. One invalid child can produce far more than ten children. Isn’t that the story of Klal Yisroel throughout the generations?
[1] This series was originally written for, and published, in Hamodia,