Parshas Pinchas: The Valor of Pinchas and the Power of Gevurah

What would you do if you were faced with the following scenario You're on your way to work or to Yeshiva that morning and you're living in the mid-bar with Moshe Rabbeinu and Aaron Hakkhoi And things have spiraled out of control. You've noticed that people have started to sin, with the Midianite women. People have started to serve Baal, peor Avodhuzahra. There is wailing in the streets now from the massacre and the plague that is sweeping through the Jewish nation, quickly eliminating those sinners. People are dying left and right, sinning is rampant. And the chutzpah. You then hear or see on the front page of the Midbar Times that an individual walked up to Moshe Rabbeinu's desk and, holding in his hand a Midianite woman, said Moshe, is this mutur or is this usur? Can I marry this lady? And he says to Moshe and if you should tell me that it's usur who permitted you to marry your wife, who is not Jewish? The chutzpah, the poshuk itself already paints such a vivid picture. This individual from the Jewish people came close to Moshe Rabbeinu's desk, holding and presenting his non-Jewish wife who, oh man, the poshuk itself testifies and paints a very vivid picture of what was going on. If he may, ishmi bine yusur al bov yakre velachov as hamed yonus. This individual marches up to Moshe's desk, holding this Midianite woman presenting someone who he wants to marry le'ene Moshe. To the eyes of Moshe, le'ene koladas bine yusur al vehema, bochem pesach ol moid. Everyone is crying. These individuals standing, the Rabbeim, the great poiskem of the door, are crying, unable to stop this mob. Rashi tells us that Hashem hid the halacha from Moshe Rabbeinu, so nobody knew what to do. If Moshe isn't going to posk and give halacha, well then what should we say? Do we know any more than Moshe Rabbeinu? And then one man, one individual, with totally pure motivation. And then one man picks up his sword with a totally pure motive, acting asos ritson, avicha shabashomayim, to do the Almighty's will, to stomp out sins and total disgrace of the Almighty. He shish kebabz dem. He squashes this rebellion, he sticks up for the Almighty's honor, he avenges the akhadash borachu. And then one man remembers the halacha understands what needs to be done. He picks up his sword, he marches forth with totally pure lishmah intentions and he destroys these sinners. He shish kebabz dem. He makes a scene, he sets a tone, eradicating the evil, as the verse tells us the ayah veh Hashem, those that love the Almighty Sinu ra, well, they despise evil Pinchaas, ben al-Azar, ben Aron ha-koin, vayaka mitoicha, eida vayikach, raimach biyadom. He took his sword and he walked over to them. Vayidkar eshnayhem, ish, ish, ish, ish, ish, ish, ish ish. The unbelievable kitish Hashem has been made. Pinchaas has avenged the Almighty's honor. And just as fast as this volcanic chaos started to burst forth, well, as soon as this action was done and these sinners were erased, well then, just like turning the faucet off, this volcano of sin has now been turned off and things quiet down. Moshe Rabbeinu gets a prophecy telling him that that individual, penchos, he has saved the Jewish people and he has been Kanoi as Kinnosi. He has stood up for my honor. I really wonder what we would do in a similar situation. It's hard to act if ones that are greater than we are don't act. It's hard to take such brutal action, to really jump in and really trust one's own motives, to do something so seemingly barbaric as killing two high ranking people in the Jewish nation. But Penchos, he did it. He's a Parshah named after himself, and his legacy is eternal. So welcome into this week's weekly Parshah podcast, and the goal here is to develop the Mida that Penchos harnessed to save the Jewish people, a Mida that is going to be our catalyst, for us to do full and true repentance. It's the Mida used by any person that has really springboarded himself to greatness. And without further ado, let us begin. The first place to start is the Ramban's commentary on the Taira, when he tells us that if Penchos did not take this stand, if he did not act with such valor and zealotry to destroy and delete these sinners, well, this plague would have continued to destroy the Jewish people. It would have been the end of Clalisar as we know of it, says the Ramban Perikafeh Pasek Yudbez that in this prophecy that Hashem told to Moshe Rabbeinu about what Penchos has just done Hodea ha-Khudash Baruchul Moshe she Ya'shlim schartovl Penchos val ha-Tedaka on thee Righteousness. She also in Israel, that he has done with the Jewish people lechaper aleem belom mesu kulam be magaefa. And now everyone will not die. In this plague, penchos saved everything. And what Meda did he use? What character trait has saved the Jewish people? kamavakamapamim? What Meda is it that leaps a person and pushes and propels him to the very top? How could somebody wake up early in the morning to become someone that starts? The Meda is Givura Strength. The Meda is a very strong character. One can only imagine the intestinal fortitude and Givura that Penchos had to use to pasken halacha in front of his Rebbe Moshe. Then he marks through a crowd of people that did not want him to attack these sinners because they were involved in the sinning, and all Penchos continued to do with his Givura is skip through, pull out a sword and delete the evil doers, givura. And, if God forbid, if at that moment he would have displayed, if Penchos would have not channeled his Givura but instead been more of the Moirachlave, the weak-hearted, well then there would be no more Jewish people to speak of. Perhaps we wouldn't even know of this story And listen to this. Everyone knows how exacting the Torah is with its words. We learn how laws of Chayve creased us different punishments, myriads of halachos from the crowns and letters in the Torah. But perhaps Penchos gives us two full psukim to describe the background and the names of the Shvotim and the heritage of the sinners. The shame. And the name is Yisrael Hamuka, the one who was killed. Asher Hamuka is HaMedion Zimri Ben-Solu Zimri was his name. Nasi Beisav Lishim Oni he's from that tribe. This was his dad, v'shem Haisha. Now let's meet the woman. Hamuka Medion is Kuzbi Basur, reish Umos Beisav Medion, who let's figure out more about her. And Rabbi Ruchem points out The Torah is so machabed on its words and Rashi actually initially points out what's going on here. Is this needed? And perhaps let's ask a question and really Rashi hints at this To tell us more about the evildoers. Why tell their story? Let's move on and be done with them. Now listen to this. It says Rashi and Dibrahama Asher Nasi, beisav Lishim Oni, lehodia Shavachau Shopenchas. Now these verses are here to tell you the praise of Penchah Shiaf Alpi, shizeh Haya Nasi. Even though this individual, these people were high ranking officials, Famous Jews, low Mona Es, atmo Milakane, lechil El Hashem, he did not hold himself back from avenging and wiping out this Chil El Hashem. Let's see who the man is. Let us figure out all about how great these people were, to show you, all the more so that Penchah didn't care. I don't care that you're the president, the vice president, the executive treasurer, whoever you are, if you're being Mechal El Hashem, you're disgracing the Almighty. I cannot tolerate it. I use my strength, i use my Gavura to delete you. It's definitely a lot easier to stick up for Hashem's honor if it's one's child. You can give rebuked, perhaps to a friend or someone maybe that you imagine is on your same level or beneath you. But to go up to somebody holier than you, someone who is more fancy, more important in the public eye than you, and to still stand up like this, to do something like this, takes a remarkable amount of Gavura strength. It's interesting You find this in people who have gone down in history to have made these great decisions to stand up for Kiddush Hashem and to destroy Chil El Hashem, to become infused, to become overtaken with this sense of truth and kiddusha. I wonder if that's what the Pusk is hinting at in our madrushah surrounding this word. I know, but at the end of last week's parasha, it says Now it doesn't stop there. Indeed, if one is Mediak Rashi, well, it seems as though Something shocking was done just to teach us this lesson. That same Rashi that we spoke about before, where people were crying when they didn't know what to do and Moshe Rabbeinu forgot the halacha. Rashi says Elo, it seems, or rather, why did Moshe forget the halacha? Kedei, the Almighty wanted it in order. Shi yavai penchas v'yite las haroilo, the Magrishintan Chuma tells us. The Almighty made Moshe forget the halacha so that penchas should and could come and take what's His by doing what is His obligation to do. It seems the Almighty orchestrated and manipulated the events to specifically bring out this teachable lesson, givura that a person has the strength, if he has the wherewithal to see what's right, to then stand up by himself and stick up for Hashem's honor. Kedei kach, that this lesson was so important that Moshe Rabbeinu needed to forget the halacha and everyone else doesn't do anything, all to create the canvas and the playing field for penchas to show us this, to show us real zealotry, real Givura, real strength. Now, besmanhaza, i don't know if there's any sort of makkoum for us to apply such zealotry that penchas did. I don't see any gedolim who, even if they do witness sins in public, are going and stabbing people. Don't imagine that that would be the right thing to do, although I am no rabbi or post sake. But the lesson of Givura and being intolerant of evil and building that intestinal fortitude filled with Givura to do what's right certainly is very practical and relevant today. There's a certain stigma kind of irks me when people will refer to either those that study the Torah or those that perhaps are more inside bookworms or people that like to daven a lot, that they're sometimes called pasty white Yeshiva boys, or sometimes there's a little bit more. They're less tan, they're more inside, they're more skinny, less weak, more achlev, but truthfully, they're not weak at all. At least a lot of them are not weak at all, because this has nothing to do with Givura. Givura has nothing to do with physical strength. Givura has nothing, not even close to have anything to do with how much one can bench, press or crunch. Givura has nothing to do with physical strength, solidity, how much one can lift when he's bench pressing or doing his squats. It's not Givura. Chazal tells us very clearly what Givura is. Givura is, well, ezehu Gibor, who is strong, the mission that tells us pretty explicitly what is a strong person Hakovesh Esyitsro, one who overcomes, he beats his inclination, someone who can rise above the physical tendencies, the compulsions of the human body, someone who has mastered the art of self-control, self-discipline. That's Givura. That lesson is as needed and as true as it has ever been. This idea of mastery of one's mind, of one's heart, of real spiritual self-control and strength. It's the legacy of the Jewish people. It's what has saved us countless times. In 2023, perhaps one or two takeaways of where we should be applying our Givura, this Mita that maybe we don't talk about enough, givura, when one wakes up in the morning, sheina Shalshachah sleeping in, can eradicate a person from the world. How much Givura does it take just to overcome the Yat-Tahara in the morning? I have a safer that actually is written just upon the importance of Yisgabir Ka'ari. Waking up like a lion, chazal tells us. Lion clearly represents Givura's strength. And how important is it? That first decision that we make in the morning? it's so much bigger than that. If we're to roll over and stay in bed for a couple more minutes, it's not just about the time wasted, but you've now set yourself up that you make decisions like a Moirach Lave, like a weak-hearted person. The motivation and the sequence of events and decision-making after that has got to be hindered because of your initial decision. But if one rolls his blanket up in the form in the way that Rebel Yashav used to do at 4am, curl it up and throw it across the room and get up like a lion, well, imagine what type of positive motivation and hopefully consistency one can build up in his Givura decision-making process. How about this? I know this is a tough one for me and perhaps other people, but what if you're listening to a Drusha from the Rove, the Rebbe, the Rabbi, any speaker, and they have 15 minutes. Because you know Marav is supposed to start at 8.01, and now it's been 15 minutes. It's now 8.01, and he's still speaking. Seeing his closing remarks, the audience is outraged. Nobody can tolerate it. You had 15 minutes. It's time to dive in Marav. I'm now a minute late. Use Gavura, then Channel your pinches then to actually pay attention still for another minute. Gavura, for the sake of Tyra, because this Rove is probably educating and giving over some tasty Torah Gavura. But I'm here to carry one specific message, one of Gavura, and where exactly it is perhaps the most essential, and without it really tasks will be left undone. It's a famous Mishnah. The Mishnah tells us that Yehuda bentei'ma omer have a az kanomer. One should be as bold as a leopard, the kal kinesher, and as light as an eagle, the rots katsvi. And one should run like a deer, the gibor kaari, and be as strong as a lion, laasos, to do ritzon avicha vashemayim, the want, the will of your Father in heaven, the graphic imagery here pouring forth. I never really understood the comparison between humans and animals, but clearly Chazal wants us to learn one individual midah from each specific animal And Rabbi Rucham makes an unbelievable diuk. I subsequently saw a similar idea from the great Chazoine-ish and wow, please let me know your thoughts about what you think of this really motivating idea. It says that these ideas, these four separate Mishal imperibles that one should be like. These animals are not in random order, but they are the exact sequence of what a person needs to accomplish a certain task, on a mission. To accomplish something great, one should first be like a leopard and then like an eagle, and then like a deer and then like a lion. And he explains anytime you're taking on something great, you have such a brazen idea to make millions of dollars Let's say something even greater to really make a significant change in your life or to study a significant part of Talmud-Bavli. That takes leprosyness, that takes heavy azkanemar, specifically brazenness at the beginning, a jumping in. Maybe it is nuts to do or attempt this great feat. Brazenness first. Secondly, you gotta move quickly or really you gotta move with alightness. You gotta start setting things up. You have to jump in those first months of a business, kal Kinesher, those first couple days when it's very, very hard to get into this routine of this Torah session, this Torah, study, kal Kinesher, then Ratzkitz, fishtar, making progress. After that, this third quarter of one's commitment, start moving quickly, start pushing towards the destination to make sure that it is carried out swiftly. And lastly, uh lastly, how many times has a person found himself at the doorstep of success only to have it closed on his face for him not to emerge victorious? How much giveura Yisgabir Ka'arid, do we need to close the deal? How much giveura, says the Chazineesh, do we need to finish the Mesechta? How many Mesechtas and how many Sepharemach edoshim have we got until perhaps the last chapter, but then not finished? Giveura is needed to close the deal. Strength, to put a bow on this task and call it done. This is the Mida of Pinchas And if we're really mediate the Mishnah, we read it critically, we'll see that the G'vurah needed to close the deal. It's not just in the mind or in the heart, but it is, as the Mishnah concludes, the G'iburah Ka'aribi, as strong as a lion. Laasos to do laasos, ritzonavicha Shabbashemayim to vaikach Reimach beyadurah, pick up the sword and to stand up for Hashem and not to think that this is what's right to do. Oh, we really should step in here and stick up for Akhazish Baruch Hubatah pick up the sword and to then say let me close the deal. Laasos Ritzonavicha Shabbashemayim to actually bundle one's blanket up, throw it across the room and get out of bed in the morning. Laasos Ritzonavicha Shabbashemayim to really tune in and listen to what the rub is talking about, even though he's two minutes over time and now one's going to be two minutes late on his drive home to go eat dinner. A G'iburah pair with a Laasos you're unstoppable. This is a very strong lesson from Pinchas. Without this Meeda of G'iburah, the Jewish nation would be no more. They would be extinct. The lesson of G'iburah in the Almighty's eyes was so precious that even the great Raiyan Ne'em on Moshe Rabbeinu had to forget Ahalacha. So Pinchas could step in to teach us a lesson. And strength in G'iburah. G'iburah has always been the tool, the catalyst for the great ones. How much strength do Rebelly Yashav need? How much strength do Rebelly Aran lay? How much strength do Rebelly Aran lay? How much G'iburah did? anyone who ever was accomplishing great things? How much G'iburah did he need? It all comes from real internal spiritual strength. I imagine that there's something in your life that you're trying to accomplish. I imagine that there's something in life that you have already set out to accomplish it and now it's still hanging in the balance. So if you close the deal, specifically that is a place that needs such tremendous strength. So if the deal is still up in the air, use your G'iburah to close it. If you are in a way So all of those tasks that are still up in the air, use your G'iburah to close the deal. Use your strength, your G'iburah, to stay focused. When you've already had some Kavana and Shmone Sray, but now you're up to the last bracha, one can kind of relax. Maybe it's still not in front of the Almighty, whatever. The rationale is No, but G'iburah, g'iburah, g'iburah To close the Shmone Sray on a high, and G'iburah When you have one page left of your Masehhta to be able to get over that hump and say Hadron Allah, masehhta Zu. The lesson is very clear that we should channel our inner pinchas to do la'asos, to get it done. Ritzon, avicha, shaba Shamaim, the will of our Father above. Act with strength, act with guts, with real intestinal fortitude to accomplish it, to do and to bring a task to its conclusion. And with enough strength the impossible becomes very, very possible. G'iburah has always been the secret sauce that Meeda used by the Great Ones and G'iburah, is what we need to bring our goals in life to their reality. Be strong, be mighty, show grit. Show your G'iburah. Be strong, be mighty, gird yourself, show grit, show intestinal fortitude. La'asos, ritzon, avicha, shaba, shamaim. Show and exemplify your So. Stand up, grab your sword, show your grit, your determination, your intestinal fortitude. Show your strength, your self-control, your disdain and your opposition to The Yatsahara's tricks and physical compulsions. Show your G'iburah.