Parashat Pinhas- Ignoring the Naysayers
Parashat Pinhas begins with God announcing to Moshe the reward promised to Pinhas, who killed an Israelite man and Midyanite woman as they committed a public act of immorality. Pinhas’ act of zealotry brought an immediate end to the devastating plague that God had brought upon the people in response to their immorality with the women of Moab and their worship of the idol Pe’or. God rewards Pinhas with the status of Kehuna (priesthood) and eternal life. (The Sages teach us that Pinhas was Eliyahu, who never died and ascended the heavens alive.)
In announcing His reward to Pinhas, God refers to him as "Pinhas, son of Elazar, son of Aharon Hakohen" (25:11). Rashi notes the seeming superfluity in this reference to Pinhas. He had already been introduced several verses earlier, at the end of Parashat Balak (25:7), as the son of Aharon’s son Elazar. Why did the Torah have to reiterate Pinhas’ family background? Rashi explains that God here was responding to the people’s murmurings about Pinhas after he killed the two violators. The people said, "This man killed two people? Who does he think he is?" Pinhas’ maternal grandfather was Yitro, who, before his conversion to Judaism, was a pagan priest who brought sacrifices to foreign deities. The people thus deemed Pinhas unworthy of such a holy act of zealotry. Essentially, they were saying, "Look who is so religious all of a sudden! He comes from a pagan background – and he’s now going around killing sinners?! Since when did he become Mr. Righteous?" God therefore reminded the people that Pinhas was also a grandson of Aharon, a son of the Kohen Gadol, Elazar, and was indeed worthy of such an act.
When we reflect upon the people’s reaction, it seems ludicrous. No fewer than 24,000 perished during the plague. People were dying by the thousands, and as soon as Pinhas thrust his dagger into the two sinners, the plague came to a halt. Logically, the nation should have all rushed to congratulate Pinhas, to wish him "Hazak U’baruch." He ended the plague – what were they complaining about? How could they object?
There is an important lesson to be learned from this episode. People who feel insecure about themselves and their achievements have difficulty accepting the success and achievements of others. When they see their peers accomplishing great things, they are driven to dismiss those accomplishments, to find fault, to insist that they could have done it better. Pinhas’ heroism made many people feel uneasy and insecure about themselves. And they sought to assuage these uncomfortable feelings by dismissing Pinhas as a violent hypocrite. They accused him of engaging in wanton bloodshed rather than genuinely standing up for God’s honor.
We need to have a good deal of backbone when we set out to accomplish great things, because there will be plenty of people ready to tell us that we are unworthy. It sometimes happens that after I deliver a Derasha (lecture) about a sensitive topic, I receive feedback to the effect of, "What you said is right, Rabbi, but you’re not the one to say it." I take solace in the knowledge that if it happened to Pinhas, then it can happen to me – and anyone else – as well. Important work will always make some people uneasy and invite their criticism. But we must remain steadfast in our conviction and pursue our high goals despite the murmurings and protests of our detractors. Criticism is to be expected when we take on difficult and important challenges, and we must learn from Pinhas to remain true to our goals regardless of the hostility it invites.
