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In an attempt to defend G-d's honor and His Torah, Pinchas has slain the sexually immoral sinners and has achieved atonement for the nation. As a personal reward to Pinchas, the priesthood is perpetuated through his line forever and, even though he served G-d through violence, he is ironically promised the covenant of peace. Although the sinners are described anonymously throughout the story, emphasizing the sinfulness of their actions rather than their identities, their names and their heritage are noted at the end of the story. Though Pinchas is rewarded, the story is not yet over and G-d commands Moses to decimate the Midian nation for their evil influence in terms of idolatry and sexual perversion, two of the most grievous sins.
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| Thoughts to Consider and Discuss |
1. How are Zimri and Cozbi, the sinners killed by Pinchas, described? What does their tribal lineage have to do with their actions? How does it exacerbate our perceptions of these people?
2. Why do you think that the text provides the irony of rewarding overzealousness with peace? What is the implication regarding the means justifying the ends in cases of actions taken for the sake of G-d?
3. Ironically, an act of passion is rewarded by institutionalizing the very same act (promising the institution of priesthood to his descendants forever), depriving the act of some of its vehemence and human initiative. What does this teach us about the link between passion and commandments? Is passion something that can be passed along?
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"Who can tell whether the perpetrator is not really prompted by some selfish motive, maintaining that he is doing it for the sake of G-d, when he actually committed murder? That is why the sages wished to excommunicate Pinchas, had not the Holy Spirit testified that his zeal for G-d was genuine."
B.H. Epstein on Torah Temimah 25:11
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 | | Points to Ponder | |
Imagine that Pinchas was put on trial. What arguments might be made by the prosecution and by the defense? Which side do you see represented in the text? Explain.
Supporters of Yigal Amir, the killer of Prime Minister of Yitzhak Rabin, claimed that he was a modern day Pinchas. What prompted this comparison and how do the words of the Torah Temimah reject this claim?
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