This Shabbos we discussed parsha Pinchas, including commentary by Rav Yeager. I want to thank Norm for hosting this week, and David and Linda for hosting a later Kiddush in memory of Harav Nattan ben Harav Shmuel, whose yahrzeit was this past Monday. David Schlesinger led discussion.
We discussed how in ancient times the spiritual and physical worlds were very tightly connected. During the times of the parsha, there were immediate and more obvious rewards and punishments for our actions. We discussed how there was a plague that had killed 24,000 people, because of our immorality.
We discussed how today, the connection between our actions, and reward and punishment is a lot more blurred. Today we are given a lot more free choice to make decisions. Hashem had no choice but to make his presence clear and obvious during ancient history, but now we are more “grown up” and should be able to make good decisions knowing that we will be rewarded spiritually which will eventually have great affect on our lives and in the world to come.
We discussed how immediate punishment takes away free will. As an example, we do not have much free will as to whether or not we should touch a hot stove. On the other hand, we do have free will as to whether or not we should eat kosher food. If every time we ate non-kosher food we felt intense pain, everyone would eat kosher food! But we should know we benefit spiritually from eating kosher food, even though the rewards and punishments are less obvious.
We discussed how Tisha B’Av should not only be observed to remember the destruction of the temple, but also to remind of that at one time the spiritual and physical were more tightly connected. We should be reminded by our observance of Tisha B’Av, that a spiritual world still does in fact exist, and although the connections are more blurred and less direct than in the past, we need to continue being aware of Hashem and that there is more than just the physical around us.
We discussed how in the parsha Pinchus performs a zealot act killing a prince in order to stop a plague and stop the desecration of Hashem’s name. We discussed how today it is unnecessary to kill people who are not following halakhah, but in the past everyone was affected by plagues and other tragedies due to the immorality of some.
Norm commented how just like Pinchus, we have zealot rabbis today, including those we know from Memphis who helped his family tremendously in their time of need, following the loss of Moshe ben David, who was an uncle. May his neshoma have an Aliyah.
We discussed how there are many mitzvahs that do not require a pure mind and soul, and we will still get credit for the mitzvah regardless. However when it comes to taking a life, it is absolutely necessary that our motivation be pure. In the Parsha, Pinchus had pure motivation to stop the desecration of Hashem’s name.
We discussed how his act was so courageous and righteous, that he received the reward and honor that from that point forward, all the descendants of Aaron would automatically be priests (Kohen) without having to be appointed. The reward was great because he did something that greatly went beyond his comfort zone, in order to do the right thing, and he was very thorough in making sure his motivations were pure. Aaron had great concern that there would be backlash against him for killing a prince, however he took the life of the priest regardless.
We discussed why Moshe was not the one to do or order the killing of the priest. Moshe – unlike the levites - actually was descendent from idol worshippers, and there was concern his motivation would not be pure.
This is a summary of what we discussed. No halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.
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