Pinchas & Zealotry

Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon haKohein heishiv et chamati mei’al b’nei Yisrael b’kan’o et keen’ati b’tocham…

Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon haKohein has turned My wrath from the children of Israel, in that he was very jealous for My sake among them…

Kein b’not tzlofchad ovrot noton titein lachem achuzat nachala b’toch achei avihem…

Yes, the daughters of Tzlofchad speak correctly; you shall surely give them a share of the inheritance among their father’s brethren…

Parashat Pinchas begins with the aftermath of Pinchas’ killing of Zimri and the Midianite woman. This act appeases God’s anger at the Israelites having slid into sinning in Shittim. This incident has been problematic for Jews throughout the ages. On the one hand, Pinchas’ zeal saves the people, but, throughout history, Jews have stood witness to the damage that zealots can do.

At the other end of the parasha, we are witness to the flexibility of the law. The daughters of Tzlofchad, whose father had died in the wilderness, contest the inheritance laws. They go before God, stating that it is unfair that, merely because they were all born female, their family would receive no portion in the land of Israel. God listens to their argument, and pronounces judgment. They are correct. The law is amended.

It’s an interesting juxtaposition, a balance between zeal and moderation. Pinchas is the foil to Zimri’s total disregard for the law, but lest we think that his actions are the ideal, the significant story of the parasha is the willingness of God to adapt and amend the law.

On June 17^th, the chief Sephardic rabbi in Israel wrote a memo, on official government letterhead. In it he referred to Conservative and Reform Jews, calling them “uprooters of Torah” who would “corrupt and sabotage” the Land of Israel. Schechter Rabbinical student Arie Hasit responded in the pages of Haaretz. The future Masorti Rabbi Hasit writes, “I believe that the Torah is truth. At the same time, I believe, as Rabbi Yishmael taught nearly 2000 years ago, that “the Torah speaks in the language of humankind.” As such, certain principles of the Torah are meant to be understood anew as human beings’ understanding of the world changes.” He concludes, “According to the Midrash, Moses did not recognize the teachings of Rabbi Akiva as Judaism. In the same way, Moses, Rabbi Akiva, Maimonides, would not recognize my brand of Judaism, nor would they recognize yours [Rabbi Amar]. Your brand of Judaism is no more authentic than mine. My Judaism comes from the same Torah as yours, and I refuse to apologize for it.”

Perhaps the time has come for us all to learn to balance our zeal with moderation, accepting that, as with Pinchas and the daughters of Tzlofchad, there are many faces of the Torah, and we should embrace them all.