KLI YAKAR
Pinchos
Imrei Shefer - Parshas Pinchos
   

How does stating Pinchos’s genealogy show that he is worthy of praise?

(25,11) “Pinchos the son of Elazar the son of Aharon the Kohen has turned back My anger from upon the Children of Yisrael when he zealously avenged My vengeance amongst them, and I did not destroy the Children of Yisrael with My vengeance.”

“Pinchos the son of Elazar the son of Aharon the Kohen” - the Torah mentions these two ancestors to teach us that even though that he was the son of Elazar who married one of the daughters of Putiel (see Shemos 6:25) - who married a descendant of Yisro who fattened calves for idol worship, and therefore he should have refrained from this incident lest the scoffers of the generation say to him “Who permitted the daughter of Yisro (a Midianitess) to your father, so how can you be zealous about a Midianitess! And your great-grandfather fattened calves for idol worship, so how can you be zealous about idol worship!”, and in addition he was a descendant of Aharon the Kohen, and so they will say to him “This grandfather of yours fattened calves for idol worship and this grandfather of yours made the golden calf!”, nevertheless he was not concerned for his honor.

Rashi’s explanation of our posuk is that because the tribes disparaged him, saying: “Have you seen the son of Puti, whose mother’s father (Yisro) fattened calves for idol worship, and who killed a leader of a tribe of Yisrael”, therefore the Torah traces his genealogy to Aharon.

I think that he means that because the tribes disparaged him, the Torah recorded his genealogy to inform us that he was a very righteous individual - that even though his being the son of Elazar the son of Aharon gave the tribes an opening to disparage him, nevertheless, he got involved and was not concerned for his honor.

Furthermore, the posuk is telling us that since his ancestor Aharon turned back Hashem’s anger (in the incident with Korach, by burning incense which atoned for the people), he emulated the deeds of his ancestor by also turning back Hashem’s anger (see Sanhedrin 82b).

Where is the proper place to sanctify the name of Hashem?

(25,11) “Pinchos the son of Elazar the son of Aharon the Kohen has turned back My anger from upon the Children of Yisrael when he zealously avenged My vengeance amongst them, and I did not destroy the Children of Yisrael with My vengeance.”

“When he zealously avenged My vengeance amongst them” - the posuk does not say “My vengeance against them” but “amongst them”. This teaches us that sanctification of Hashem’s name has to be amongst the Children of Yisrael specifically, as it says: “And I was sanctified amongst the Children of Yisrael (Vayikra 22:32)”, and therefore it says “And Pinchos arose from the midst of the congregation (Bamidbar 25:7)”.

And thus the posuk informs us of Pinchos’s praiseworthiness, that he risked his life to sanctify Hashem’s name. That even though he was in the midst of the congregation - a dangerous place because of Zimri’s relatives, he nevertheless risked his life. This is what is alluded to with the words “and took a spear (רמח) in his hand” - he took all his רמ״ח) 248) limbs in his hands (he risked his life).

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