Pinchas
A portion of the Torah reading of Pinchas is read on the days of every
major holiday of the Jewish calendar. This Pinchas reading always forms the
"maftir" - the additional reading for the day. And it is also read from a
second, different Torah scroll than the main reading of the day that
describes the holiday itself. The obvious and correct reason for this use
of the "parsha" of Pinchas on the holidays is because the special
additional Temple service and sacrifice - the "musaf" of the day for each
of the holiday days of the Jewish year - is recorded and described there.
In a Jewish world, now far removed from the Temple service and alien to the
cosmic reasons for animal sacrifices, this entire additional reading
("maftir") strikes as foreign, strange and irrelevant. However, there
perhaps may lie within these "maftir" readings an important and valuable
lesson for ourselves, one that has survived the destruction of the Temple
and the consequent suspension of the "musaf" sacrifice itself.
The rabbis of Israel have always warned their flock that there are no easy
victories in life. This is certainly true in all realms of daily physical
life, but it is even more appropriate and definitive in matters of the
spirit and the soul. One of the cruelest hoaxes that the modern,
progressive, socially-correct but spiritually-empty, forms of Judaism have
perpetrated on their hapless and ignorant constituents is that religion,
and especially Judaism, makes no hard demands on its believers. The
portrayal of Judaism as a feel-good, guitar-playing, kumsitz-type of
liberal, secular-humanist faith is a travesty and a tragedy. The synagogue
was never meant to be a place of comfort, but rather one of challenge and
goal-seeking. The Sabbath and the holidays are days of spirit that have to
be earned - that require sacrifice and effort and preparation. They are not
cheaply obtained. The rabbis of the Talmud stated: "Torah is as expensive
and difficult to acquire as vessels of gold, and it is as fragile and as
easily shattered as the thinnest crystal glass." Thus, on the holidays of
the Jewish calendar, Jewish tradition demands that we read of the
sacrifices that were part of the Temple service in order to remind us of
the sacrifices necessary from us in order to achieve an inner appreciation
of the holidays and their meaning. The concept of sacrifice as described in
the Torah relating to the Temple service, is, according to the insight of
Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (Ramban), to impress upon us the idea of
self-sacrifice for the Torah and God of Israel. Thus, on the easiest and
most enjoyable days of the Jewish year, the holidays, we are nevertheless
bidden to remember the constant cost involved in remaining a Jew and in
achieving the spiritual pleasure and meaning that the holidays invariably
bring with them.
We can therefore return to examine and understand why these portions of
Torah sacrifices were specifically placed in the "parsha" of Pinchas. For
is not Pinchas, in his heroism, courage, selflessness and denial of
self-interest, the epitome of sacrifice, both physically and spiritually?
The Lord Himself recognizes Pinchas' act of sacrifice and extends to him
and his descendants the eternal spiritual blessings of peace, harmony and
Godly service. These blessings, as we all know from our own personal
life-experiences, are not easily obtained. But Pinchas, the champion of
sacrifice, has earned them and will be able to maintain them throughout
Jewish history. Every day that we give ourselves over to God's service,
that we willingly sacrifice our time, talents, energies and wealth in His
cause, is a holiday. The attitude of sacrifice ennobles our days and makes
us a special people - a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Shabat Shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Text Copyright © 2000 Rabbi Berel Wein and
Project Genesis, Inc.
