Public Opinion
– In Memoriam of
Mr. David M.
Warren (Menachem
Dovid ben Harav
Yosef Z’L)
Following Balak
and Bilaam’s
failure to curse
the Jews, they
devised a new
scheme – Destroy
the nation of
Israel through
moral depravity.
Midianite women
were sent,
including the
princess, Cazbi
daughter of Zur.
She publicly
seduced a prince
of Israel, Zimri
son of Salu,
from the tribe
of Shimon.
The scheme
partially
worked. G-d’s
wrath was
aroused.
Twenty-four
thousand people
died in a
plague. Pinchas,
the grandson of
Aaron, the high
priest,
single-handedly
halted the
plague by
publicly slaying
Zimri and Cazbi
with a spear.
The Sforno
(Numbers 25:11,
Rabbi Ovadia ben
Yaakov, Bologna
Italy; 1475 –
1550) maintains
that Pinchas
needed to act
publicly so that
everyone would
be witness to
his actions and
that those who
supported him
but had failed
to act on their
own would share
in his merit and
be forgiven for
not having
protested
themselves.
Because of
Pinchas’ public
protest, all
were forgiven.
Rashi (Numbers
25:11, Rabbi
Shlomo Yitzcaki;
1040 – 1105),
quoting the
Talmud, explains
that Pinchas was
subjected to
terrible public
criticism. After
all, who is he
to kill a prince
of Israel? And
who is he to
condemn a person
for wanting to
marry a
Midianite woman
when Pinchas
himself was the
son of a
Midianite
convert (a
daughter of
Jethro)?
As the Kli Yakar
(Rabbi Shlomo
Ephraim ben
Aaron Luntschitz;
Prague;1550
–1619) teaches
us, Pinchas’s
greatness lay in
him acting
purely for the
sake of heaven
without regard
for his own
honor.
The
extraordinary
lesson here is
that the highest
praise for
Pinchas lies not
in risking his
life by publicly
killing a prince
of Israel but
for exposing
himself to and
withstanding
public scorn.
Twenty-four
thousand people
died in the
plague. An
overwhelming
majority of
Israel stood
with Pinchas,
yet not one
acted in the
midst of a
plague. Rashi,
Sforno, and Kli
Yakar all give
special
prominence to
Pinchas’ ability
to stand before
the crowd and do
the right thing
without regard
for his own
honor.
Heroism takes
many forms.
Risking one’s
life and
property rank
high among them.
However,
standing before
an entire nation
and doing what
needs to be
done, that is
the highest
level of
heroism.
For those who
can withstand
and confront
social pressure
to do the right
thing, for these
people, Hashem
accords great
honor and great
reward.
Shabbat Shalom
