By Rebbetzin Lauren Levin
Parshat Pinchas begins at a low point. The nation had succumbed to immorality and idolatry and it had taken one individual Pinchas to stand against the crowd to stop a fatal plague which was spreading rapidly.
Pinchas was not necessarily applauded by the nation. In fact they mocked him, denigrating his own heathen ancestors who had later embraced Judaism. God steps in, publicly lauding his actions and rewarding him with an eternal ‘covenant of peace’. God’s words are:
“Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal.”
The word that stands out is ‘among them’. The verse would read perfectly well without it. And precisely because of this it would seem that the secret as to what Pinchas did right is contained in the extra word.
Rabbi Ovadia Seforno explains that ‘among them’ highlights the fact that Pinchas’ actions were in view of the nation. His aim was for people to see what was going on for themselves, and in so doing trigger their own individual process of introspection and repentance. It was not the actions of one man on behalf of the nation that stopped the plague bur rather the national response that he initiated.
This contrasts to Moses’ fateful incident at Meriva in last week’s parsha. Attempting to bring forth water for the people, he hit the rock instead of talking to it. The punishment of denying him entry to the promised land seems immense for the minute deviation from God’s command. Yet God reprimanded him for missing an opportunity. He says, “Since you did not have faith in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly to the Land which I have given them.” Moses, the faithful shepherd had handheld a slave nation through all the trials and tribulations the exodus had brought. He had described himself as a nursing mother. His attitude at the rock demonstrated the same type of leadership. And yet the nation had changed. They were no longer a slave nation. A generation on, they were asking different questions and they needed a leader who would empower them, not just fix everything for them. God reprimanded Moses for not sanctifying Him ‘in the eyes of the children of Israel’. In trying to solve their water problem, he had acted as an intermediary between the Israelites and God, rather than a connector. They now needed a leader who would facilitate their own direct connection.
This was Pinchas’ coup – he had acted as a connector, creating a magic triangle of sorts between him, the people, and God. This model is shown as the ideal throughout the book of Bamidbar. In fact, its presence indicates optimum wellbeing of the nation, and its absence the opposite.
Thirty eight years earlier, just prior to the Jewish people beginning their journey into the land of Israel (before it was thwarted through the sin of the spies), a group of people approached Moses asking whether they could still offer the Pesach offering at a later date, if they had been ritually impure at the time of Passover. Moses draws them into a triangle of communication with God: “Moses said to them, “Wait, and I will hear what the Lord instructs concerning you.” Straight after this moment, the communication style changes dramatically. There are only dialogues and monologues, and before long they are destined to live the rest of their lives in the wilderness. The triangle model of communication returns in our parsha through Pinchas, and is also re-adopted by Moses once again.
The daughters of Tzelphchad approach him regarding inheriting their father’s land. Moses’s response was immediately: “So Moses brought their case before the Lord”. The Talmudic sage Reish Lakish contended that Moses knew the law, but chose to bring it before God in order to close the triangle and connect them directly with God.
Following this episode Moses prays to God that his successor should be the right person. In this prayer he calls God ‘Lord of the spirits’. He is acknowledging the role of the leader to recognise each person’s unique spirit and in turn facilitate their spiritual journey accordingly. When Joshua is chosen, God commands Moses to: “present him before Eleazar the kohen and before the entire congregation, and you shall command him in their presence”. This process needs to be down within view of the people, because this is what leadership is all about. The celebration of Pinchas’ empowering the people to introspect and self-correct, and Moses’ return to the triangle communication method was not only for their generation. Joshua is being inaugurated with exactly the same values.
The greatness of a leader is not in just getting the job done. It will always be quicker for a parent to clear the table than enlist the help of their infant children. It will be easier for the teacher to drill facts into their student by rote than imparting values and concepts for them to implement. It is easier for the CEO to make all the ethical decisions themselves. Yet ultimately this model of leadership remains static, failing to empower followers to thrive independently. Rabbi Sacks often used to say when referring to his relationship with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, “a good leader creates followers. A great leader creates leaders” This is the model reflected throughout our parsha. It merges grass roots with top down leadership, which is not always an easy balance, but a critical one to ensure a dynamic, growing and flourishing nation of free thinking individuals.