I've said this before, but the Torah really does have an amazing amount of different ways of getting a point across. This week, we see a few of those crafty techniques at work, yielding some fascinating subtle messages embedded within the text. These lessons are especially crucial for us to take to heart today, as we think about issues like violence, reward and punishment, passion, and that most important of pursuits, peace.
The rabbis who divided up the Torah into weekly portions, parshiot, were usually very good at keeping stories intact; breaking up the narrative so that a single story played out in one portion and didn't
get split up awkwardly. Knowing that, we already see something strange going on in the story of Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron. Last week, we were introduced to him as he violently and passionately killed an Israelite and his Midianite female companion, as they brazenly violated the law against idolatrous interfaith cohabitation in front of everyone. That Torah portion ended abruptly in the middle of the story, AND it ended on a negative note, which the rabbis almost always try to avoid doing: "Those who died of the plague numbered twenty-four thousand" (Numbers 25:9). The End. Lovely...
get split up awkwardly. Knowing that, we already see something strange going on in the story of Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron. Last week, we were introduced to him as he violently and passionately killed an Israelite and his Midianite female companion, as they brazenly violated the law against idolatrous interfaith cohabitation in front of everyone. That Torah portion ended abruptly in the middle of the story, AND it ended on a negative note, which the rabbis almost always try to avoid doing: "Those who died of the plague numbered twenty-four thousand" (Numbers 25:9). The End. Lovely...
This week's reading is a continuation of that story, where we are told that Pinchas is rewarded for his actions (!). God declares that Pinchas will receive a "Brit Shalom," "A Covenant of Peace." Now if we stop here for a moment and examine this story a bit more closely, we see some of those 'crafty techniques' I was referring to earlier.
First, we are puzzled by the splitting of the story into two sections, and more specifically separating the action itself from its reward. Looking at this particular issue, the 13th Century commentator, Moses of Coucy, notes that this teaches us not to rush to reward extremism. Second, our parasha contains two additional hints that something is 'off' in this story. The name 'Pinchas' is written - according to tradition - in chapter 25, verse 11 with a miniature Yud.
That letter, often representing God's Presence, is reduced in size in every Torah scroll, perhaps to indicate that Pinchas' violent actions have diminished the experience of God in his life. The term 'Brit Shalom,' which means "Covenant of Peace' sounds unequivocally positive for Pinchas, no? Well, similar to our Yud-issue above, every Torah scroll contains a 'broken' letter in the word 'Shalom.' The Etz Hayim Torah Commentary explains the broken letter as indicating that, "the sort of peace one achieves by destroying one's opponent will inevitably be a flawed, incomplete peace."
First, we are puzzled by the splitting of the story into two sections, and more specifically separating the action itself from its reward. Looking at this particular issue, the 13th Century commentator, Moses of Coucy, notes that this teaches us not to rush to reward extremism. Second, our parasha contains two additional hints that something is 'off' in this story. The name 'Pinchas' is written - according to tradition - in chapter 25, verse 11 with a miniature Yud. 
That letter, often representing God's Presence, is reduced in size in every Torah scroll, perhaps to indicate that Pinchas' violent actions have diminished the experience of God in his life. The term 'Brit Shalom,' which means "Covenant of Peace' sounds unequivocally positive for Pinchas, no? Well, similar to our Yud-issue above, every Torah scroll contains a 'broken' letter in the word 'Shalom.' The Etz Hayim Torah Commentary explains the broken letter as indicating that, "the sort of peace one achieves by destroying one's opponent will inevitably be a flawed, incomplete peace."
So does the Torah support Pinchas' actions, or denounce them? Why the disparity between overt praise and subtle critique? Several commentators also point out that his 'reward' is to become the new High Priest - a job filled with rules and regulations, scripted actions and rigid limitations. Maybe it's not so much a reward as a vehicle for teaching the 'hot-headed' Pinchas how to play by the rules of society? As is often the case, we're left with more new questions than
answers. But it's still a crucial lesson for us today, as we too struggle with how to respond to extremist violence and uncompromising leadership. The Torah advocates balance, but sometimes it doesn't hit us over the head with that lesson by stating it outright. It drops small hints to help us get there on our own. If we are ever going to achieve a 'Brit Shalom' of our own, it can't be manufactured or forced - that will only lead to more broken letters and broken dreams. And if we ever want to increase the size of that Yud - the Presence of true Divine peace in our lives - we have to first notice that it's diminished, and only then can we start doing something about it. There are many ways to learn from the story of Pinchas; let's broaden our minds to learn from them all.
Photos in this blog post:
2. CC image courtesy of marianne muegenburg cothern on Flickr.
3. Image courtesy of Rabbi Gerber's iPhone and one of Ohev Shalom's very photogenic Torah scrolls.
4. Image courtesy of the same iPhone and camera-friendly Torah scroll as above.
5. Image courtesy of Rabbi Gerber's computer.
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