Phinehas Pinchasl
Rediscover your zeal: This week’s Torah portion is Pinchas (Phinehas)
The Hebrew Scripture with a Torah pointerWelcome to our study of this week’s Torah portion, which is called Pinchas(Phinehas). This is the portion of Scripture that will be read in synagoguesall around the world this Shabbat (Saturday).Please read along with us as we study the Word of God together. We knowthat you will be blessed.PARSHA PINCHAS (Phinehas)Numbers 25:10-30:1; Jeremiah 1:1-2:3; Romans 11:2-32
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, thepriest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was aszealous [kanah] as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal [kinah]I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making my covenantof peace with him.'” (Numbers 25: 10-11)
Reading the Torah at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.In last week's Parsha (Balak), Balaam did not succeed in directly cursing Israelwhom God had blessed.This week’s Parsha picks up where Balaam left off. The people of Israelbrought destruction upon themselves by succumbing to the temptation to sin.Because the Moabites were unable to curse Israel directly, they insteadensnared the Israelites in sin (Numbers 25:18).According to rabbinic tradition, Balaam understood that Israel had to be luredto destruction through sexual immorality, since he knew that he could notutter a curse against them.It seems that the desire for riches won out over his desire to do God's will,and he hatched a plan for the downfall of Israel.One sin led to another and the Israelites began worshiping Baal, causinga plague to break out that began destroying the Jewish People.
A Jewish man reads from a Sefer Torah scrollAs the Israelites who remained pure wept at the Tent of Meeting, Zimri andCozbi, an Israelite man and Midianite woman, entered a tent nearby forthe purpose of fornication.Pinchas (Phinehas), grandson of Aaron the Cohen (priest), witnessedtheir defiant behavior and thrust a spear through them, catching themin the act of fornication.Because Pinchas was zealous for God’s honor, the plague against theIsraelites was stopped, and God rewarded Pinchas with the covenant ofan everlasting priesthood.“He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood,because he was zealous [kanah] for the honor of his God and madeatonement for the Israelites.” (Numbers 25: 13)Parsha Pinchas (Phinehas), therefore, is one of very few Parshiot that arenamed after a person, perhaps in honor of his courage to take a standfor righteousness.
Prayer at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.Rightful and Wrongful Zealousness“You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD [YHVH] yourGod, am a jealous [kanah] God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathersto the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” (Exodus 20:5)The word for zeal in Hebrew is kanah. This word is often translated as jealousin English. Although the English word zealous can have a positiveconnotation these days, generally speaking, the word jealous has come tohave an entirely negative connotation.According to Scripture, however, this view is skewed. Jealousy can be bothholy and productive. This is no more evident than in the Hebrew name ofGodEl-Kanah (God is jealous). “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD [YHVH], whose name is Jealous[Kanah], is a jealous God [kanah El].” (Exodus 34:14)Pinchas was filled with hatred of evil and indignation against that sin whichso grossly profanes God's holy name.And although society then and today might consider his action an act ofmurder, God saw his passion for holiness and credited him with righteousness.“But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked. Thiswas credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.” (Psalm 106: 30-31)Likewise, as believers in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, we should possessthe same zeal as Pinchas for righteousness.
Jewish people have been coming to the Western (Wailing) Wall inJerusalem for centuries to pray. This practice likely began right after thedestruction of the SecondTemple in 70 AD, by the Romans. The first recordof praying at the Wall dates from the fourth century AD.
Zeal can be defined as eagerness, enthusiasm, intense desire, andpassionate commitment. When Yeshua (Jesus) cleansed the temple of the moneychangers, Hisdisciples, witnessing His zeal, remembered the words, "Zeal for Your househas eaten Me up (consumed me)." (John 2:17, Psalm 69:9, Psalm 119:139). May we all come to a place of living our life with zeal, as did our Lord andSavior Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus The Messiah).Still, we need to be careful that our zeal is directed by Ruach HaKodesh(the Holy Spirit) and not misdirected by our own flesh, which leads us into sin.Remember, Rabbi Shaul of Tarsus before he was transformed into theApostle Paul? Paul's zeal for God caused him to persecute the first Believersin Yeshua to their deaths, until the Lord miraculously intervened and told himthat he was persecuting Yeshua (Acts 22:3-4).
An Orthodox Jewish man reads a sacred text at the Wailing Wall. Most Orthodox Jews are extremely zealous for the Lord, but they also needto know Yeshua as the Messiah."Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that theymay be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God,but their zeal is not based on knowledge." (Romans 10:2)
Moses sees the Promised Land from Afar,by James TissotMoses Transfers Authority to Joshua“Moses said to the Lord, ‘May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind,appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, onewho will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not belike sheep without a shepherd.’" (Numbers 27: 15-17)In this week’s Torah reading, God delivers what must have been devastatingnews to Moses. He tells him that he will be allowed to see the PromisedLand from a distance, but will not be allowed to enter. Imagine Moses’ heartbreak. He had invested so much in bringing the
Israelites out of Egypt, leading them through the wilderness and teachingthem the ways of God-all in preparation for the prophetic entering into the Promised Land.Nevertheless, Moses, as the true leader that he was, thinks of his peopleand asks God to give the Israelites a shepherd-like leader(Numbers 27: 15-17).God tells him to transfer the leadership to Joshua by the laying on of hands."Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, andlay [samach] yourhand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assemblyand commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority sothe whole Israelite community will obey him.” (Numbers 27: 18-20)
As one of two scouts who went into Canaan on a fact-finding mission andbrought back a good report, Joshua was the perfect candidate for leadership.He had the courage to take a stand for God, even in the face of nationalhostility. Moreover, he was filled with God’s Spirit.
Torah scrollMoses laying his hand on Joshua was a physical act that symbolized thetransference of authority. It confirmed, established and set apart Joshuaas the God-ordained leader of the Israelites.The word lay in this verse is samach in the Hebrew, which means to lean on,support or rely on. It’s related to the Hebrew word smichah, referring torabbinic ordination. Another related word is the word for authority–samchut.
These words all imply trust. Indeed, being anointed for leadership is asacred trust that we may not take lightly. Leaders must be people thatothers can rely on for support and godly direction.“Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrustedto you, but being examples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5: 2 -3)
We all need godly leadership; we were created to be governed–to comeunder samchut (authority). Without a shepherd, we are scattered, helplesssheep, exposed to attack on all sides.Even though God is the ultimate authority, and Yeshua is our GreatShepherd, He also ordains leaders to guide and support us in our walkwith God.
In this Parsha, we see an example of three good leaders: Pinchas, Moses,and Joshua.Not all leaders, however, are good shepherds. This was made abundantlyclear in recent Parshiot where leaders misled the people; for instance, thethe 10 spies who brought a bad report, as well as Korah, Dathan, andAbiram who rebelled against Moses, were leaders.
We must be careful about whose leadership we place ourselves under.A foolish or incompetent shepherd might lead us astray into deceptionor destruction.“My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray.”(Jeremiah 50:6)
Many of the people of Israel todayand the Jewish people generally,listen to what their shepherds (the Rabbis) tell them. Sadly, most of them donot yet have the saving knowledge of Yeshua who fulfilled the MessianicProphecies of the Jewish Scriptures.Please partner with us as we introduce the Jewish People to the GoodShepherd, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah).