פנחס
Dedicate a Shiur in Parshas Pinchas
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61 shiurim for Parshas Pinchas
Why does the Torah recommend decreasing hospitality each day a guest stays? The Gemara's paradox of good versus bad guests reveals that true hachnasas orchim means making visitors feel like family members, not honored impositions. Each day's diminishing formality helps guests feel genuinely at home.
Why does the Torah repeat the description of the Korban Tamid instead of simply indicating its permanence? The shiur develops a yesod about the mother-father dynamic: just as a mother reinforces the father's presence when he's absent, Moshe served as the people's 'mother' by constantly affirming God as their Father. The daily Tamid offerings functioned like kibbud av, helping Jews internalize their divine potential through relationship rather than mere tribute.
Why did Hashem threaten to destroy all of Israel when one leader sinned, but only killed individuals when 176,000 sinned? Rabbi Zweig develops that Pinchas acted not as God's agent but as representative of the Jewish people, who own Olam Haba and bear responsibility to inspire all humanity toward godliness.
Why does the Torah emphasize giving the korban tamid to "meshorsei Hashem" when this detail isn't mentioned for other korbanot? The shiur reveals that korban tamid is uniquely different—it's not about our relationship with Hashem but about providing His daily needs. The Minchas Chinuch shows that we're giving Him breakfast and supper through His servants, making the tamid's cessation on Shivah Asar B'Tammuz not just our loss but His.
Why does the Torah separate Pinchas's zealous act from its reward into two different parshas? The separation itself creates the merit - it mirrors how zealots cannot tolerate abuse to God's honor. God responds with equal devotion, risking His own honor by placing His name on us and allowing us to serve His personal needs through korbanos.
Why did the daughters of Tzelofchad request a portion in Eretz Yisrael? The shiur reveals their request wasn't about real estate but about memorializing their father's name. Through the eternality of God's land, they sought to preserve his memory — showing their connection to Yosef's legacy of devotion to both father and Eretz Yisrael.
What distinguishes true kanos from terrorism and vigilantism? A kanoy must risk everything - including his spiritual standing - because he cannot tolerate seeing Hashem abused, yet he can never be certain his motives are pure. Self-righteousness disqualifies someone from being a kanoy.
Why did the Jewish people question Pinchas's motives for killing Zimri, suggesting he was purging his own idolatrous tendencies? The shiur develops a psychological yesod that people crusade most vigorously against issues they personally struggle with. This explains why Balak couldn't believe Israel's peaceful intentions—he measured them by his own aggressive standards.
Why does the Chinuch say the primary obligation for Korban Tamid falls on the Beis Din rather than the community? The shiur develops a revolutionary understanding that Korban Tamid represents Hashem transferring 'operations' of the world to Klal Yisrael while He retains ownership. This empowerment over time and natural forces explains why Parshas Pinchas repeats the Tamid and why losing it on 17 Tammuz represents such a devastating demotion.
Why does HaKadosh Baruch Hu tell Moshe to command the children to bring Him daily offerings instead of promising to care for them? The Korban Tamid transforms our relationship with Hashem from subjects serving a king to children connecting with their Father. This daily recognition that we contain actual godliness within us—not just being made in God's image—becomes the foundation for genuine self-esteem and the klal gadol baTorah.
Why did Pinchas receive a covenant of peace for an act of violence? The shiur develops a principle that taking love to the next level means showing someone you care about them more than they care about themselves. This applies both to human relationships and to our relationship with Hashem.
Why does the Torah describe Hashem's anger as 'chemah' when we violate our marriage relationship with Him? The shiur distinguishes between healthy kina (protective jealousy over what's rightfully yours) versus unhealthy jealousy (wanting what belongs to others). When Klal Yisrael rejects our intimate relationship with Hashem, it creates a personal affront that generates chemah — anger at one's own vulnerability to being hurt.
Why did Pinchas deserve a bris shalom for his act of kanaus? The shiur explores how kanaus represents defending someone's honor more than they defend it themselves - like loving someone more than they love themselves. This principle transforms all relationships when we give others a better feeling about themselves than they have about themselves.
Why does intermarriage trigger divine fury rather than ordinary judgment? The shiur develops a mashal from Achashverosh and Vashti showing that intermarriage isn't just another sin—it's adultery that attacks God's personal relationship with Israel. Divine chamah reflects not judicial anger but the vulnerable hurt of a betrayed spouse.
Why does the Torah distinguish between Hashem's chamah (internal anger/frustration) and kinah (external vengeance) regarding the Baal Peor incident? The shiur develops that chamah represents self-directed anger - even Hashem taking responsibility for creating conditions that enabled the sin. Pinchas validated Hashem's system by showing that freedom from mundane responsibilities should produce spiritual maturity, not childish dependency.
Why does God tell Moshe that before asking Him to care for the Jewish people, Moshe should tell them to care for God? The shiur reveals that the daily Korban Tamid represents the marriage relationship between God and Israel — cooking breakfast and dinner together — not religious taxation or obligation.
Why does the Torah use both commanding language (tzav) and gentle language (v'amarta aleihem) regarding the daily sacrifices? The approach distinguishes between tax-like obligations and intimate relationship-building. The Korban Tamid functions like a wife preparing daily meals for her husband - expressing closeness rather than burden.
Why can a zealot kill someone the court cannot punish? Zimri believed he could save Jews from divine wrath by opting out of the covenant through public intermarriage. This would move them outside the system where normal laws apply, but also expose them to absolute divine judgment.
Why didn't Egyptians dominate Jewish women like they dominated Jewish men? The gentiles had a strong kal vachomer argument against Jewish lineage. Rabbi Zweig explains that Egyptian hedonistic culture valued seduction over coercion — they wanted willing partners, not forced submission.
Why did the daughters of Tzelafchad frame their inheritance request with seemingly unnecessary details about their father having no sons and having brothers? The shiur reveals through careful textual analysis that they were presenting a sophisticated legal argument: either daughters inherit (giving their father eternal identity through Eretz Yisrael), or their mother should undergo yibum to perpetuate his name.
Which statement captures the Torah's most fundamental principle? A Midrash presents four competing views, with the surprising winner being the daily tamid sacrifice. This reveals that Jews are entrusted with "operating the world" through prayer and mitzvos — a role that brings tremendous responsibility rather than arrogance.
Why does Rashi explain Shemini Atzeres differently in Parshas Emor versus Parshas Pinchas? The shiur develops the principle that Hashem gave Klal Yisrael ownership over the world's operations — like hotel operators versus building owners. Through our tefillos and korbanos, we literally run the world's systems, while the goyim are guests in our operated world.
How could Jewish lineage remain pure when Egyptian masters controlled Jewish slaves completely? The answer lies in understanding Egyptian versus Pelishti psychology. Egyptians pursued lust, not domination—requiring consent and beauty, not force.
Why does the Midrash recommend serving guests increasingly simpler food each day, starting with stuffed fowl, then fish, then meat? The key to proper hospitality isn't expense but effort—gradually reducing preparation time shows guests they're becoming part of the household rather than burdens.
Why does the Torah describe Hashem having 'jealousy' when jealousy typically destroys a person? The shiur develops that protective jealousy over what truly belongs to you is actually healthy and prevents destructive coveting of others' possessions. Hashem's response to idolatry isn't judicial punishment but warfare, which operates under entirely different rules.
When does God shift from judge to warrior? The Torah reveals that certain sins — particularly public rejection of God's covenant — trigger divine fury rather than divine justice. Pinchas understood this distinction and acted accordingly.
Why can Pinchas kill Zimri for a non-capital offense? The act of living with a non-Jew constitutes expatriation from God's world—not merely a sin but secession from the divine realm. Kanois prevents public acts of expatriation to protect the rest of Klal Yisrael from following suit.
Why do we begin the Three Weeks with mourning instead of teshuvah? The Churban wasn't just punishment — it was spiritual expatriation from God's world. We must first mourn our transition from immortality to mortality before we can begin genuine teshuvah.
Why must all the lower courts accompany a questioner up the judicial hierarchy? The Rambam states that when local judges don't know an answer, they must physically go with the questioner to higher courts. The Bnos Tzelofchad narrative provides the source: when a judge can't answer a question, it becomes his obligation to learn the answer.
Why does the Rambam rule that when someone asks a question, the entire chain of batei din must accompany them upward if they don't know? The Bnos Tzelofchad episode in Parshas Pinchas provides the source. When a dayan doesn't know an answer, it becomes his obligation to learn it—creating responsibility that travels up the judicial hierarchy.
Why were women excluded from the punishment of the Meraglim? The shiur traces the progression of the spies' arguments, showing how after Calev challenged them, they shifted from military concerns to lashon hara about the land itself. Women rejected this second phase because they maintained their chavivus ha'aretz - they refused to believe Eretz Yisrael wasn't worth the ultimate sacrifice.
Why were women not punished with the generation of the Meraglim? The shiur reveals a two-stage progression: first the spies said the war was unwinnable, then after Kalev's response shifted public opinion, they launched a second strategy of speaking loshon hara about the land itself. The women never bought into this devaluation of Eretz Yisrael.
Why does Pinchas receive a covenant of peace after killing Zimri? Rabbi Zweig explains that Pinchas waited until he saw the people crying—understanding intuitively that the behavior was wrong but lacking courage to act. True zealotry isn't extremist violence but calculated action to preserve life and restore harmony between God and His people.
Why did killing one person stop Hashem's war against all of Klal Yisroel? Pinchas waited for the precise moment when people were crying, showing internal doubt about their actions. His calculated intervention created a grassroots response that separated everyone from sin, transforming divine wrath into peace.
Why did Pinchas wait to act until everyone was crying about Zimri's public transgression? The shiur explains that Pinchas needed two conditions: the people had to recognize the wrongness of what was happening, and his act had to be public enough to change everyone's behavior. The word "besocham" reveals his strategic wisdom.
Why does the Torah list Moshe, Aharon, and the leaders all present when Bnos Tzelofchad ask their question? The Midrash debates whether they approached everyone simultaneously or went through a chain of command. This passage provides the source for the Rambam's law that when a court cannot answer a question, they must accompany the questioner to a higher court.
What defines authentic masculine and feminine roles according to Torah? The daughters of Tzelafchad demonstrate that women naturally preserve family legacy and ensure their husbands maintain proper authority. Men focus on building the future while women guard the past and create space for male leadership within the home.
Why did the daughters of Tzelofchad present their inheritance claim as an either-or proposition involving yibum laws? Their argument seems illogical — if they're not considered children for inheritance, having their uncle marry their mother through yibum wouldn't advance their goal of obtaining land. The shiur examines this puzzling legal strategy and its connection to the women's love of Eretz Yisrael.
How could Jewish women avoid Egyptian advances during 200 years of slavery? The Torah adds God's letters to tribal names as testimony to their virtue. Jewish women understood their role was preserving their fathers' legacy and securing their husbands' place in the family, making them immune to all seductions.
Why were the daughters of Zelophehad successful where the men of their generation failed? The shiur develops a psychological insight: women naturally seek to preserve their father's legacy, while men seek to carve out new territory for themselves. This fundamental difference explains both the sin of the spies and the daughters' righteousness.
Why does the Midrash emphasize that God gave Pinchas the brit shalom "b'din" - through strict justice rather than mercy? The shiur develops that Pinchas saved not just Bnei Yisrael but the entire world from destruction, earning him a covenant that redefined kehuna from outsider status to being integrated within Am Yisrael. This brit shalom made kohanim representatives of the people rather than divine agents working from outside.
Why does the Torah mention that Nadav and Avihu had no children alongside their sin of bringing strange fire? The Talmudic principle that Torah is 'tavlin' (spice) for the yetzer hara means Torah channels our drives rather than suppresses them. Their unused nature as givers and nurturers was misdirected into inappropriate religious service instead of marriage and family.
Why did every woman from the Egyptian generation want to enter Eretz Yisrael while every man preferred returning to Egypt? Women are inherently focused on preserving ancestral legacy, viewing the land as 400 years of Jewish heritage that couldn't be abandoned. Men prioritize carving independent paths and saw Egypt as practically safer for their futures.
Why did the tribes criticize Pinchas for killing Zimri, questioning his Yisro lineage? The shiur reveals that Hebrew 'kinah' means both zealousness and jealousy—they suspected his motivation was resolving personal idolatrous struggles rather than protecting Jewish unity. Hashem's response emphasizing his Aharon lineage confirms true zealousness serves community harmony, not personal catharsis.
Why did Shevet Shimon lose the letter vav from their name after Zimri's death? The shiur develops a yesod that the vav represents connection, which self-indulgent leaders destroy by modeling separateness rather than unity. Pinchas received brit shalom specifically because his zealotry came from genuine concern for communal cohesion, not personal psychological projection.
Why was Moshe punished for hitting the rock when the Torah also blames the spies' sin for barring him from Israel? The Or HaChaim explains that speaking to the rock would have demonstrated that Eretz Yisrael is animated and responsive to Jewish needs. Moshe's failure to reveal this living quality of the land perpetuated the spies' fundamental error of seeing Israel as hostile rather than protective.
Why does the Torah command a census after only 24,000 died in the plague when 176,000 were executed earlier without any counting? The shiur develops that counting wasn't about knowing how many died, but determining if Klal Yisrael remained spiritually viable. With exactly 601,730 survivors barely above the critical 600,000 threshold for Hashem's presence, even 2,000 fewer deaths would have meant spiritual bankruptcy for the Jewish people.
Why does the Torah emphasize beautifying mitzvos, and how does this relate to Yisro's seemingly contradictory background in idolatry? The shiur develops the principle that beauty creates respect and distance, making us smaller before the divine. Yisro's careful, beautiful service to idols actually reflected a genuine search for truth through respect - the proper foundation that enables authentic love and service of God.
Why does the Torah command to attack Midyan when they hadn't waged war against Israel? The shiur develops the principle that when a nation creates an excuse to attack, it becomes a rodef on a national level. This transforms Milchemes Midyan from a punitive war into a preemptive defensive war based on 'haba lehargecha hashkem lehargo.'
Why does the Torah say Pinchas was "entitled" to reward when normally one receives no payment for mitzvos? The Midrash's language "b'din hu" (he is legally entitled) reveals that zealotry uniquely involves self-sacrifice for God's honor rather than personal benefit. The reward of "shalom" represents divine completion of what was lost.
Why does the Torah use unusual grammar when describing the daughters of Tzelofchad's approach to Moshe? The shiur argues they weren't petitioning for inheritance rights but asking Moshe to teach them Torah about inheritance law. This reframes the entire episode as a learning session rather than a court case.
Why did Moshe request that his children inherit his position, and why did Hashem refuse? The shiur reveals that Jewish leadership has two distinct roles: Sofer (Torah authority) and Parnas (administrative leader). Moshe's sin at Mei Meriva created the permanent need for a Parnas role that ideally shouldn't exist, disqualifying him from passing it to his children.
Why did Pinchas receive Brit Shalom as a reward for killing Zimri, seemingly the opposite of what such an act deserves? The shiur develops that kanos is not hot-headed vengeance but protective action for society's welfare. True kanos means reluctantly harming individuals to preserve the community - making Brit Shalom the perfect reward.
Why does the Midrash declare the Korban Tamid a greater Torah principle than even Shema or loving your neighbor? The Tamid uniquely creates reciprocal relationship where our service brings Divine presence, achieving both proper bitul and self-realization. Other mitzvos require submission; the Tamid alone transforms our offering into receiving the Shechina's validation of our existence.
How could the Dor Deah fall into the crude worship of Ba'al Peor? The shiur reveals that this wasn't simple lust but Bilaam's sophisticated strategy to make Jewish men abandon their active, defining spiritual role and become passive recipients of foreign identity. Ba'al Peor represented the ultimate degradation - declaring oneself purely physical, free from spiritual constraints and Jewish tzurah.
Why does Hashem tell Moshe to go up Har Ha-Avrim to see the land "that I already gave" (nasati) to Israel? The shiur develops a chiddush that there are two types of seeing - one that assesses what's already owned, another that acquires through the act of seeing itself. Moshe's viewing from the mountain was itself a form of acquisition that secured western Eretz Yisrael for the Jewish people.
Why is Korban Tamid called a "great principle of Torah" according to Rabbi Yaakov? The shiur develops a fundamental distinction between mitzvos where "giving is getting" simultaneously versus mitzvos requiring pure giving away without immediate return. Korban Tamid represents the daily exercise in selflessness essential for spiritual growth.
Why can kanoim pogim bo only apply when caught in the act, unlike other capital sins? The shiur develops a distinction between rejection (idol worship) versus betrayal (Zimri's relationship with Kozbi). Betrayal under the guise of serving Hashem represents me'ilah - using one's divine connection for personal gratification while maintaining false appearances.
Why would Klal Yisrael have been completely destroyed without Pinchas's act of zealotry, when other sins didn't warrant annihilation? The shiur develops a yesod that kanos applies specifically to sins demonstrating total non-recognition of Hashem's existence. When someone doesn't recognize your existence, only a third party can reassert your reality - which is why zealotry succeeds where Beit Din cannot.
Why was Pinchas rewarded for killing Zimri without warning or witnesses, when Jewish law normally abhors executions? Living with a non-Jewish woman represents complete rejection of the covenant, placing the person outside normal legal protections. Pinchas acted with sovereign authority against someone who had essentially seceded from the Jewish people, creating true peace by preserving the covenant's indivisibility.
Why does the Torah list all the authorities the daughters of Tzelofchad approached together rather than in sequence? The Rambam derives that when a court cannot answer a question, they must accompany the questioner to higher courts until resolution. This teaches judicial responsibility - saying 'I don't know, ask someone else' is insufficient.
