When there are judgments, God forbid, then the Attribute of Judgment would destroy a person, God forbid. However, the Attribute of Judgment is incapable of destroying totally, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: [God’s] arrows are consumed, but [the Jewish people] are not consumed (Sotah 9a).
Humans, however, are capable of destroying each other totally, God forbid. Therefore, when there are judgments against a particular person, God forbid, and some other person comes forward to oppose him, the Attribute of Judgment departs from him. This is because they prefer that revenge be taken from him by a human being, for [humans] have [greater] capability, as explained above.<This is what King David, of blessed memory, prayed: “Let us fall into God’s hand”—because the Attribute of Judgment cannot destroy totally—“but let me not fall into the hands of man” (2 Samuel 24:14), as explained above.>
Hence, someone who is a great tzaddik and is overseeing the rectification of the world will, on occasion, intentionally oppose another tzaddik in order to remove from him the Attribute of Judgment, for they rely on him to extract greater revenge. However, afterwards, he acts with compassion and makes no trouble for the other tzaddik.
2. This is the explanation of “Pinchas, the son of Elazar… turned away My anger… by taking revenge for My sake that I did not destroy [the Jews]” (Numbers 25:11). That is, Pinchas turned away God’s anger and removed the Attribute of Judgment from Israel by assuming the mantle of vengeance to take revenge against them. The judgments therefore ceased, as explained above. The reason for this is that the judgments are unable to destroy [someone totally, and] so they prefer it when a human being wishes to seek revenge, as explained above.
This is the explanation of “I did not destroy the Jews with My vengeance” (ibid.). That is, with this the Torah informs us of the great favor that Pinchas did for the Jews by taking revenge for the Holy One and assuming the mantle of vengeance to take revenge against them. With this, he did them a great favor. The reason [it was such a great favor] was “so that I did not destroy the Jews with My vengeance.” That is, “with My vengeance,” with My Attribute of Judgment, I did not destroy the Jews because the Attribute of Judgment does not have the ability to destroy, as explained above.
However, when a human being takes revenge, he is capable of destroying totally, God forbid. Pinchas thus did an amazing favor for the Jews by assuming the mantle of vengeance to take revenge against them. It was this that weakened the force of the judgments against the Jews, by getting [the judgments] to think that Pinchas would take greater revenge, on account of Pinchas being human, with the ability to inflict greater revenge [and even] to destroy totally, God forbid.
Thus, it was through this that “Pinchas turned away My anger” and removed the Attribute of Judgment, as explained above. However, Pinchas was in fact a most compassionate person, and afterwards certainly eased the judgments from [the Jews]. <That is, Pinchas transposed the word “ChaMaTI (My anger)” into “MaChiTI (I have wiped away) your sins like a cloud” (Isaiah 44:22) .>
כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ דִּינִים, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֲזַי הַמִּדַּת הַדִּין הָיָה מְכַלֶּה אֶת הָאָדָם, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם. אֲבָל הַמִּדַּת הַדִּין אֵין לָהּ כֹּחַ לְכַלּוֹת לְגַמְרֵי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סוטה ט): חִצַּי כָּלִים וְהֵם אֵינָם כָּלִים.
When there are judgments, God forbid, then the Attribute of Judgment would destroy a person, God forbid. However, the Attribute of Judgment is incapable of destroying totally, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: [God’s] arrows are consumed, but [the Jewish people] are not consumed (Sotah 9a).
אֲבָל הָאָדָם יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ לְכַלּוֹת לְגַמְרֵי אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְעַל כֵּן כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ דִּינִים עַל אָדָם אֶחָד, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וּבָא אָדָם אַחֵר וְעוֹמֵד וְחוֹלֵק עָלָיו, אֲזַי מִדַּת הַדִּין מִסְתַּלֵּק מִמֶּנּוּ, כִּי הֵם רוֹצִים יוֹתֵר שֶׁיִּנְקֹם בּוֹ הָאָדָם, כִּי יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ כַּנַּ"ל.
Humans, however, are capable of destroying each other totally, God forbid. Therefore, when there are judgments against a particular person, God forbid, and some other person comes forward to oppose him, the Attribute of Judgment departs from him. This is because they prefer that revenge be taken from him by a human being, for [humans] have [greater] capability, as explained above.<This is what King David, of blessed memory, prayed: “Let us fall into God’s hand”—because the Attribute of Judgment cannot destroy totally—“but let me not fall into the hands of man” (2 Samuel 24:14), as explained above.>
עַל־כֵּן מִי שֶׁהוּא צַדִּיק גָּדוֹל וּמַשְׁגִּיחַ בְּתִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם, הוּא חוֹלֵק לִפְעָמִים בְּכַוָּנָה עַל צַדִּיק אֶחָד כְּדֵי לְסַלֵּק מֵעָלָיו מִדַּת הַדִּין כַּנַּ"ל, כִּי יִסְמְכוּ עָלָיו שֶׁהוּא יִנְקֹם יוֹתֵר, אֲבָל אַחַר־כָּךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה בְּרַחֲמִים וְאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה יִסּוּרִים לְאוֹתוֹ הַצַּדִּיק:
Hence, someone who is a great tzaddik and is overseeing the rectification of the world will, on occasion, intentionally oppose another tzaddik in order to remove from him the Attribute of Judgment, for they rely on him to extract greater revenge. However, afterwards, he acts with compassion and makes no trouble for the other tzaddik.
וְזֶה פֵּרוּשׁ: פִּינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר וְכוּ' הֵשִׁיב אֶת חֲמָתִי וְכוּ' בְּקַנְּאוֹ אֶת קִנְאָתִי בְּתוֹכָם וְלֹא כִלִּיתִי וְכוּ' (במדבר כ״ה:י״א). הַיְנוּ שֶׁפִּינְחָס הֵשִׁיב אֶת חֲמַת ה' וְסִלֵּק מִדַּת הַדִּין מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁהוּא לָבַשׁ נְקָמָה לִנְקֹם בָּהֶם, עַל־כֵּן נִסְתַּלְּקוּ הַדִּינִים כַּנַּ"ל, וְזֶה מֵחֲמַת כִּי הַדִּינִים אֵינָם יְכוֹלִים לְכַלּוֹת וְכוּ', עַל־כֵּן הֵם רוֹצִים יוֹתֵר כְּשֶׁאָדָם רוֹצֶה לִנְקֹם כַּנַּ"ל.
2. This is the explanation of “Pinchas, the son of Elazar… turned away My anger… by taking revenge for My sake that I did not destroy [the Jews]” (Numbers 25:11). That is, Pinchas turned away God’s anger and removed the Attribute of Judgment from Israel by assuming the mantle of vengeance to take revenge against them. The judgments therefore ceased, as explained above. The reason for this is that the judgments are unable to destroy [someone totally, and] so they prefer it when a human being wishes to seek revenge, as explained above.
וְזֶה: וְלֹא כִלִּיתִי אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקִנְאָתִי; הַיְנוּ שֶׁבָּזֶה מוֹדִיעַ לָנוּ הַתּוֹרָה גֹּדֶל הַטּוֹבָה שֶׁעָשָׂה פִּינְחָס לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּקַנְּאוֹ אֶת קִנְאָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְלָבַשׁ נְקָמָה לִנְקֹם בָּהֶם, שֶׁבָּזֶה עָשָׂה לָהֶם טוֹבָה גְּדוֹלָה, וְהַטַּעַם הוּא, כִּי וְלֹא כִלִּיתִי אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקִנְאָתִי, הַיְנוּ שֶׁבְּקִנְאָתִי, בְּמִדַּת הַדִּין שֶׁלִּי, אֵינִי מְכַלֶּה אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי מִדַּת הַדִּין אֵין בָּהּ כֹּחַ לְכַלּוֹת כַּנַּ"ל.
This is the explanation of “I did not destroy the Jews with My vengeance” (ibid.). That is, with this the Torah informs us of the great favor that Pinchas did for the Jews by taking revenge for the Holy One and assuming the mantle of vengeance to take revenge against them. With this, he did them a great favor. The reason [it was such a great favor] was “so that I did not destroy the Jews with My vengeance.” That is, “with My vengeance,” with My Attribute of Judgment, I did not destroy the Jews because the Attribute of Judgment does not have the ability to destroy, as explained above.
אֲבָל הָאָדָם כְּשֶׁנּוֹקֵם יֵשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ לְכַלּוֹת לְגַמְרֵי, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם. עַל־כֵּן עָשָׂה פִּינְחָס טוֹבָה נִפְלָאָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּמֶּה שֶׁלָּבַשׁ קִנְאָה לִנְקֹם בָּהֶם, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה רָפְתָה מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל כֹּחַ הַדִּינִים. בְּחֹשְׁבָם שֶׁפִּינְחָס יִנְקֹם בָּהֶם בְּיוֹתֵר, כִּי פִּינְחָס הוּא אָדָם, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ לִנְקֹם יוֹתֵר לְכַלּוֹת לְגַמְרֵי, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְכַנַּ"ל,
However, when a human being takes revenge, he is capable of destroying totally, God forbid. Pinchas thus did an amazing favor for the Jews by assuming the mantle of vengeance to take revenge against them. It was this that weakened the force of the judgments against the Jews, by getting [the judgments] to think that Pinchas would take greater revenge, on account of Pinchas being human, with the ability to inflict greater revenge [and even] to destroy totally, God forbid.
וְעַל־כֵּן עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה הֵשִׁיב פִּינְחָס אֶת חֲמָתִי וְסִלֵּק מִדַּת הַדִּין כַּנַּ"ל. אֲבָל בֶּאֱמֶת פִּינְחָס בְּוַדַּאי הָיָה רַחֲמָן, וּבְוַדַּאי אַחַר־כָּךְ הֵקֵל הַדִּינִים מֵעֲלֵיהֶם:
Thus, it was through this that “Pinchas turned away My anger” and removed the Attribute of Judgment, as explained above. However, Pinchas was in fact a most compassionate person, and afterwards certainly eased the judgments from [the Jews]. <That is, Pinchas transposed the word “ChaMaTI (My anger)” into “MaChiTI (I have wiped away) your sins like a cloud” (Isaiah 44:22) .>