Pinchas
פנחס בן אלעזר בן אהרון הכהן...הנני נתן לו את בריתי שלום כה:יא-יב
The Targum Yonasan explains these words to meant that Hashem is promising that He will make Pinchas into a malach and that he will live forever and bring the tidings of the redemption to the Jewish People in the end of days. It is clear that this Targum Yonasan is in accordance with the Medrash that says that Eliyahu Ha’Navi is Pinchas (Pirkei D’Rabi Eliezer 47, Zohar Parshas Ki Sisa). The Chasam Sofer says that sometimes Eliyahu Ha’Navi appears in this world without his body, just as a malach, and other times he appears in this world with his body as a person. When the latter occurs, he can decide on matters of halacha and it is not considered a violation of lo ba’Shamayim hee (once the Torah was given, halacha cannot be determined by Heavenly influence). Along these lines, the Brisker Rav proffered a novel interpretation of the pasuk in Sefer Malachi (2:7) that says, “For the lips of the Kohen will guard knowledge and Torah will they seek out from his mouth, for he is an angel of Hashem Tzevakos.” The Kohen being referred to in this pasuk, expounded the Brisker Rav, is Pinchas/Eliyahu; and it is talking about the eventual point when he will resolve all doubts in halacha and the mesoras ha’Torah will be reinstated to its original form of absolute clarity. The Nefesh Ha’Chaim emphasizes that during the period of yemos ha’Mashiach the Torah will undergo a renaissance and will once again be a Torah shleimah (full and complete).
(From the notes of Reb Danny Fast)
Eiver Ha’Yardein versus Eretz Yisrael Proper
Moshe Rabbeinu rejoiced,” Rashi writes from the Medrash, “when he entered the inheritance of Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuvein [in Eiver Ha’Yardein]. He thought this meant that his having been barred from Eretz Yisrael was nullified. This is akin to a king who decreed upon his son that he may not enter the palace. The king entered through the gate, and his son followed. He entered the courtyard, and his son followed. He entered the foyer, and his son followed. When he was about to enter the inner chamber, though, the king said to his son, ‘My son, from this point on you may not enter’.”
There is a difference of opinion amongst the Rishonim as to the halachik status of Eiver Ha’Yardein. In Nedarim 22a the Ran says that Eiver Ha’Yardein does not have the kedusha of Eretz Yisrael as far as the korban omer is concerned. The barley used for the korban omer, which is brought on the second day of Pesach, must be harvested from Eretz Yisrael. The Ran’s assertion that it cannot come from Eiver Ha’Yardein demonstrates that his opinion is that Eiver Ha’Yardein does not possess the kedusha of Eretz Yisrael proper. Rashi in Sanhedrin 11b, though, explicitly says that the omer can in fact be brought from Eiver Ha’Yardein. The Ramban concurs with Rashi and says that Eiver Ha’Yardein is included in the inherent kedusha of Eretz Yisrael proper, and, even if it wasn’t originally part of Eretz Yisrael proper, it became so through the communal conquest thereof. Kibush rabim – a communal conquest – is a mechanism through which lands can be incorporated into the kedusha of Eretz Yisrael (see Rambam Hilchos Melachim 5:6).
This raises a number of questions, though. 1) If Eiver Ha’Yardein is in fact part of Eretz Yisrael, why was Moshe Rabbeinu allowed into it? 2) Chazal tell us that the reason Moshe Rabbeinu davened so many times to enter Eretz Yisrael is in order to be able to fulfill the mitzvos that are possible only in Eretz Yisrael. If Eiver Ha’Yardein has all those mitzvos, though, what was he missing? 3) The Medrash (Devarim Rabbah 5:8) says that Yosef merited being buried in Eretz Yisrael because he identified with it, as we see from the fact that he did not object when Potiphar’s wife called him an Ish Ivri. Moshe Rabbeinu, though, did not object when he was referred to by the daughters of Yisro as an Ish Mitzri; therefore, he did not merit being buried in Eretz Yisrael. If Eiver Ha’Yardein is part of Eretz Yisrael, though, how can the Medrash say that he was not buried in Eretz Yisrael? On top of these three questions, we also need to ask what exactly Chazal meant by calling Eretz Yisrael of the western side of the Yardein a “kiton” (inner chamber)? What is the significance of that appellation?
The foundational resolution to all these questions can be found in the Tashbeitz who says that the mitzvos that Moshe Rabbeinu was missing in Eiver Ha’Yardein are a) wiping out Amaleik, and b) building the Beis Ha’Mikdash. Indeed, the Medrash says (Bamidbar Rabbah 7:8) that only Eretz Yisrael of the western side of the Yardein possesses the level of kedusha necessary to serve as a Makom Ha’Mikdash. In fact, this is practically explicit in one of the final accounts of Sefer Yehoshua. Immediately upon the return of Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuvein to their inheritance in Eiver Ha’Yardein – following their having fulfilled their commitment to participate and take a leading role in the conquest and division of Eretz Yisrael proper – they built a giant mizbeiach. The rest of Klal Yisrael, led by Yehoshua, became gravely concerned by this turn of events and even prepared for possible battle. As it turned out, Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuvein did so only to serve as a marker for all generations that they are a full-fledged part of Klal Yisrael, not to be used for actual korbanos. Before that had become clarified, though, they were charged with the following words: temeiah eretz achuzaschem, if you are unhappy with the fact that your inheritance is “impure”, you are welcome to come back and join us here in Eretz Yisrael proper!” Rashi there explains that the word temeiah is meant to imply: Ha’Kadosh Baruch Hu did not choose it as the dwelling place of His Shechina.
Yes, Eiver Ha’Yardein possesses the kedusha of Eretz Yisrael (according to many Rishonim), but it does not have the level of kedusha that Eretz Yisrael proper has which makes it suited to serve as the location of the Beis Ha’Mikdash. It does not have the level for hashraas ha’Shechina.
The Medrash says that the words v’chieper admaso amo means that anyone who is buried in Eretz Yisrael as is if he is buried under the mizbeiach. Just like the mizbeiach is a vehicle of atonement, so too is being buried in Eretz Yisrael a vehicle of atonement. With the above in mind, we understand this on a more profound level. Because it is Eretz Yisrael proper, in particular, that contains the kedusha necessary for Beis Ha’Mikdash, Shechina, and avodas ha’korbanos, one who is buried in its soil gains a deep connection to that power. A closeness to it. Eiver Ha’Yardein, although it has – according to many Rishonim - kedushas Eretz Yisrael as far as most mitzvos ha’tluyos ba’aretz are concerned, this highest level of kedusha it does not have. Only Eretz Yisrael proper has it. And that is what Chazal meant by saying that, although Moshe Rabbeinu was allowed through the gate and into the courtyard and foyer, he was not allowed into the inner chamber. Once you have passed through the gate, you are no longer in the outside, public domain. You have entered the private domain, as it were, of the King. A place where His special rules and laws apply with full force and that itself has unique regulations. The kiton, however, is where the King Himself actually resides. To be in the inner chamber is to be in the direct Presence of the King. Eiver Ha’Yardein may be the reshus of the King, but only Eretz Yisrael proper is the place of the actual Presence of the King.
“קח לך את יהושע איש אשר רוח בו” כז:יח
The Torah refers to Yehoshua as an Ish Ruach. The Sforno explains that what this means is that “He is ready and prepared to receive the light of the Countenance of the [eternally] living King, similar to that which the pasuk says, ‘And in the heart of all those wise of heart He gave wisdom.”
This could be understood as follows. A person is composed of two totally different entities: a body and a neshama, representing gashmiyus and ruchniyus. This is echoed in the words of the Ramah in his explanation of the bracha of asher yatzar, “Hashem does a wondrous feat in that which He guards the ruach (spirit) of man inside of him, and binds something spiritual into something physical .”
Whenever it is possible to have shleimus in both components of that which comprise the adam, ashrecha v’tov lach. However, whenever shleimus in both is not possible, the individual must make a choice whether to impoverish his ruchniyus for the sake of a more complete gashmiyus, or to allow his gashmiyus to become impoverished for the sake of a more complete ruchniyus.
Without a doubt, the correct choice is to allow an impoverishment of gashmiyus, which, after all, is only temporary, and not to impoverish ruchniyus which is eternal.
Even when there is no choice but to allow for a certain degree of impoverishment of one’s ruchniyus component, for example if one needs to engage in efforts to make a parnassa, he should nevertheless remain cognizant of the main objective; and, whenever possible, to re-focus on the ruchniyus.
This type of choice can be relevant to a person for one minute, one hour, one day, one year, or ten years. The definition of an Ish Ruach is one who, when confronted with this decision, will never choose to impoverish his ruchniyus for the sake of his gashmiyus; the gashmiyus will always remain secondary for him vis a vis his ruchniyus. Hashem told Moshe that this is a quality required for a leader of Klal Yisrael, and that Yehoshua has this quality.
(Notes of Reb Matis Feld)
2 – Stories Regarding Rebbi and his Matzos
“שבעת ימים מצות יאכל” (כח:יז)
Rebbi was extremely particular about his matzos and would only eat those prepared by his special matzah-baking group. His role in that group was manifold. The sticks that were used for rolling the dough were stored in a special storage room throughout the year. The baking would take place on the first Friday of the month of Nisan, and it was his job to transport the sticks from the storage room to the bakery on the previous Tuesday. Even that job was done with full application of energy, and in an expeditious manner. On Thursday, the day before the baking, he would check and clean all the sticks together with other members of the group. In addition to that, he would move all the other utensils from their storage places to the baking room. Many years, he would joing those who would go to the well later that day to draw the water that would be used for the baking (mayim sheh’lanu), and he would be the one to transport the water to the bakery the next morning. However, he did not want to transport the water during the daytime when the sun was shining already (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, 455:1), but he also did not want to do so before davening. So, he just woke up really early and transported the water before dawn. After davening vasikin, he would go to bring the flour from where it was stored to the bakery. During the actual baking process, his role was to pour the flour into the bowls in which it was mixed with the water. Beyond that, he also made it his business to remind all the people there to say “l’sheim matzas mitzvah”. He would do that by loudly saying those words in a special, enthusiastic sing-song way.
(Based on what was heard from Reb Avrohom Twersky [and a bit from personal experience of the editor])
It was erev Pesach, and my husband went to open his matzos to check them for kefulos, to be mafrish challah, and get them ready for the Seider. These were his precious matzos. Into which he put so much time and energy. He would say that the whole reason we had a car was for two things: to be able to go to the Rebbeh in Bnei Brak (Rav Yisrael Elya Weintraub), and to be able to transport the sticks for the matzah baking.
When he opened the box, he was met with an awful sight. The packer had negligently put two kilos of matza into a one kilo box. Practically everything was broken into pieces. This was a disaster. My husband would not eat any other matzos. These were the matzos for his seider, for the seudos of Yomtov, Shabbos Chol Ha’Moed, everything!
In the end, he did manage to find matzos that were still whole for the seider, but in those first moments of opening the box, it looked like one big mess of broken pieces.
He fell silent, and his face started getting redder and redder. He was clearly so upset. The tension in the house was palpable. Both I and my daughter were at a loss. We were just waiting there, frozen.
And then, all of a sudden, my husband broke out into joyous song. And that was that. All the tension was gone, completely melted away as if it never existed.
It was such a beautiful song.
This story took place about fifteen or sixteen years ago, around the year 5760 (2000). A few years ago, I mentioned the incident to my husband and asked him to remind me what song it was that he sang then. It was so beautiful and I wanted to remember it. All he said to me, though, is, “I don’t remember, and please don’t make a big deal out of nothing.”
(Rebbetzin Twersky)
I once was zocheh to be a guest in Rebbi’s home for a meal on Pesach. A relative of his was there, and he was talking about how he’s very careful to only eat hand-made matzos. “What do you do for matza?” he asked. Rebbi replied, “I eat whatever they put in front of me! ”
(Reb Yitzchok Goldsmith)
Provided courtesy of VayigdalMoshe.com