WARNING: Much speculation ahead.
The strangest part of parshas Pinchas has to be the section that begins וידבר משה אל ה לאמר. Moses striking up the conversation is a strange change of pace. The section continues to describe Moses' plea that G-d appoint a leader over the Israelites, one that will lead them out of the desert and bring them into the land of Israel.
One of those seemingly obvious necessities, right? So why didn't G-d to think to do it before? Why, after commanding Moses to come up to Har Haavarim, to be gathered unto his people (i.e., die) must G-d be advised to appoint a leader for His people? It almost sounds like G-d didn't really agree with Moses, that G-d didn't see a necessity in His intervention in appointing a leader, or that maybe Bnei Yisrael didn't need one at all.
Moshe did see a necessity. He couldn't comprehend how the Israelites could last on their own, after their last mishap. In the beginning of Pinchas G-d commands Moshe to wage a war- to literally inflict pain- against the Midianites because they inflicted pain on the Israelites. That pain was twofold: 1. The matter of Peor (seemingly including both the idol worship and immorality) and 2. The matter of Cuzbi (which had to include Zimri) who openly displayed their immoral behavior. The physically painful aspect was the deadly plague that G-d sent on the Jews, which abruptly stopped after Cuzbi and Zimri were killed by Pinchas.
But only Pinchas seemed to figure that out, that Cuzbi and Zimri needed to be killed. Only he reacted. And it wasn't that hard a problem to fix.
Moshe saw that, and saw the need for someone to be in charge, because otherwise it wouldn't be everyone taking charge, it would be no one. In Moshe's eyes this was a defining moment for this generation of Bnei Yisrael, and it did not define them as very self-motivated.
So Moshe advised G-d to appoint a leader, because he couldn't understand how Bnei Yisrael could make it otherwise. And G-d acquiesces. And apparently the command to go up to Har Haavarim has also been postponed. (For a whole Sefer.)
In the beginning of Matos, G-d again commands Moshe to wage the war against the Midianites, but the terminology has changed. Originally the war was a צרור, a paining. Now it is a נקם, a vengeance. The war has become a symbol that Bnei Israel have lost something, and must avenge their loss. Perhaps their loss was that ability to continue in Israel without any leader, to be able to have a more direct relationship with G-d that did not require a middleman.
But there's more. G-d now discloses what He didn't say before, which is why Moshe's ascent to Har Haavarim and subsequent death has been delayed, beside for the need to appoint Yehoshua. G-d says, "avenge the vengeance of the Israelites from the Midianites; then you will be gathered to your people." The irony of Moshe telling G-d that the people needed a leader is that in the same instance that the people failed to act and kill Zimri, Moshe also failed. The "new" reason to wage war against the Midianites applied to Moshe as much as everyone else, so he had to live to be involved in it.
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I don't think it's necessary to come up with reasons linking various passages to one another in the books of Moses... they are often not connected at all. Phineas is not exactly a leader. Nevertheless, the idea of leadership does connect these two passages and maybe that's why they were placed together.
ReplyDeleteThe Talmudic rabbis recognized that leadership is a double-edged sword. There are good leaders (Moses), and bad leaders (Jeroboam). The Bible itself is rather ambivalent about its leaders and often recognizes their faults.
I don't think it's necessary to come up with reasons linking various passages to one another in the books of Moses...
ReplyDeleteNot sure as to what extent I agree with this. For this specific case, I think the Midrashim agree with you, as they place this whole conversation at a much later time. The answers I gave are a little stretchy but I think the idea that Moshe is addressing G-d deserves some attention, as well as the change in lashon of the war with the Midianites.
Phineas is not exactly a leader.
G-d didn't think so either, as He picked Yehoshua.
Interesting last point btw, about leaders.
To me the whole point of the confusion is to give Jews an intellectual exercise that keeps thinking lofty thoughts. It has worked for hundreds of years, and I think it's great. Not that learning should be the end all, not for most people.
ReplyDeleteI just saw this post, so sorry for reacting over a week late.
ReplyDeleteI was also (independently) struck by the verse. There is only one other place in the Torah where the term vay-daber (literally, "and he told") is used to describe Moshe addressing G-d. That is in Parsha Va-Ayra (Shmos 6:12), where Moshe is again seemingly reminding G-d of how the Israelites behave (under stress), consistent with your explanation. Elsewhere, Moshe "spoke" or "answered" or "approached" HaShem to communicate.
HaShem's response may have been twofold. One is to say, "OK, you're perhaps right, though I prefer to think of B'nei Yisroel in idealized terms, so go ahead and give Yehoshua public s'micha . . ." The second is "But don't forget to remind the people to think of Me (G-d) as their direct Leader. And as if to illustrate that point, the laws of the daily and holiday sacrifices are suddenly inserted in the following section.