Pinchas and Eliyahu: A Deep Dive into Religious Zealousy

(What Pinchas did, went far beyond what he was obliged to do as a good Jew. The angels who tried to obstruct him, must be understood also. Surely it is not in the nature of angels to hinder people who are trying to do good? We must consider that Pinchas in trying to do what he did, endangered his own life. Supposing that Zimri had desisted from completing his act of copulation with Kosbi before Pinchas had killed him, then halachically, Pinchas could have been guilty of murder. Again, had Zimri chosen to defend himself and Pinchas would have been killed by him in self defence, it would have been considered a legitimate act of self defence, and Pinchas' death would halachically have been considered as self inflicted. Moreover, Pinchas had to consider retributive action by Zimri's relatives. In that case also, his death at the hands of Zimri's relatives would have been laid at his own doorstep and would not have been unlike a suicide. Because of all the reasons cited, the angels considered that they were doing Pinchas a good turn by trying to obstruct him. The angels therefore must be viewed as having acted in Pinchas' own interest. Moses being the beyt din, Court, personified, was not allowed to do what Pinchas could do spontaneously. Perhaps this is the reason that Elijah who had personally killed four hundred priests of the Baal on Mount Carmel, having chosen to act like his predecessor Pinchas rather than like Moses and Aaron, did not reap the reward given to Pinchas. He had to flee for his life, endure extreme discomfort until he asked G'd to let him die. Why did G'd not appear to him at once and instruct him to anoint Chazael, Yehu and Elisha, instead of doing so after Elijah had travelled an exhausting forty days through the desert to Mount Chorev? Why did he not receive G'ds revelation on sacred ground within the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael? G'd made him come to the spot where Moses at the time of the sin of the golden calf had not acted like Elijah, because his position as law giver and law teacher was similar to the position of Elijah in the latter's generation. At least that was the position Elijah had attempted to assume among his people. Elijah's repeated statement to G'd "I have been motivated by jealousy on Your behalf," when G'd had asked him what he was doing at Mount Chorev, only elicited the reply from G'd "go up to the Mountain." There he would learn that the spirit of G'd was not to be found in a variety of excesses of nature, but rather in the kol demamah dakkah, the almost inaudibly soft voice that superseded all the terrifying spectacles of nature run amok. The lesson was that the practice of kanna-ut, jealousy, i.e. making it a way of life, did not represent the spirit of the Torah. Not the spirit that moves man, not the fire, the enthusiasm that burns within him, but the yishuv hada-at, the calm considered approach, will have lastingly beneficial effect. When Elijah, apparently, had failed to absorb the lesson by repeating the statement that all his sincere kanna-ut notwithstanding, he had wound up an outcast at Mount Sinai, persecuted, unappreciated, G'd tells him that his work henceforth would have to be carried on by others, such as Chazael, Yehu, and Elisha. The point of these Midrashim is to show that Pinchas merely commenced the laudable deed, i.e. kinneh, was jealous. Heavenly assistance helped him complete the deed without his becoming defiled by contact with a corpse. (As a priest who has killed is halachically forbidden to perform the traditional duties of the priesthood) He himself needed only to express "kinnah" jealousy; the rest of the action could then be ascribed to Heaven. When Midrash Rabbah Numbers 21, tells us that this shalom, peace is especially precious, it is because it represents the true wholeness of the saintly personality. Such people preserve the "Divine image" with which they have been equipped in the perfect manner. (see our comments in chapter 15) Pinchas argued a point of law with G'd, (use of the word pelillim in the judicial sense). Vayefallel, he argued and prevailed. Pinchas' two outstanding accomplishments were 1) kanna-ut, totally dedicated personality. 2) His merit devolved on his people as a whole so that with his deed he was able to atone for their disgrace. Confirmation of this view is found in the nature of his reward. The "peace" that G'd granted him extends not only horizontally, i.e. to people of his own generation, but also vertically, lezaro acharov, to his future seed and generations. For this reason he was to take part in the punitive expedition against Midian. This is why his descendant the prophet Elijah will close the generation gap between fathers and sons and sons and fathers before the advent of the Messiah. (Maleachi chapter 3) In chapter two verses 4-7, the prophet describes the virtues and accomplishments of Pinchas/Eliyahu. The Talmud, Berachot 19, states clearly that whenever a question of chilul hashem, desecration of G'ds name is involved, one does not stand on ceremony, according honour or rank to one's leaders. When the prophet refers to Pinchas first as a Levite and subsequently as a kohen, a priest, the reference is to the upgrading of Pinchas' status subsequent to the affair with Zimri. At the end, the prophet refers to Pinchas as malach hashem tzeva-ot, an angel of the Lord of Hosts. This is a reference to Elijah's ascent to Heaven, there to await the proper time for his return to earth to complete his mission. This is the meaning of the prophet's statement "here I will send you My angel."