וירא פינחס (במדבר שם ז). וכולן לא ראו (והלא לעיני כל ישראל ולעיני משה), [והלא כתיב לעיני משה ולעיני כל עדת בני ישראל (שם שם ו), אלא ראה מעשה ונזכר הלכה, שהבועל ארמית קנאין פוגעין בו.
(Numb. 25:7–8:) WHEN PHINEHAS <BEN ELEAZAR BEN AARON THE PRIEST> SAW THIS, <HE AROSE FROM THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION AND TOOK A SPEAR IN HIS HAND. THEN HE WENT AFTER THE MAN OF ISRAEL INTO THE TENT, AND PIERCED BOTH OF THEM, THE MAN OF ISRAEL AND THE WOMAN THROUGH HER BELLY>. But did they all not see it?124Tanh., Numb. 7:21; Numb. R. 20:25. {And was it not before the eyes of all Israel and the eyes of Moses?} [And is it not written (in vs. 6) BEFORE THE EYES OF MOSES AND THE EYES OF THE WHOLE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL?] It is simply that when he saw the deed, he remembered the ruling (halakhah), that one who cohabits with an Aramean woman will have zealots strike him down.
2
ויקם מתוך העדה (שם שם ז). מהיכן עמד, אלא שהיו נושאין ונותנין בדבר, אם הוא חייב מיתה, אם לאו, והוא עמד מתוך העדה ונתנדב.
(Numb. 25:7:) HE AROSE FROM THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION. From where did he stand up? It is simply that, while they were involved in give and take on the matter of whether or not <the culprit> was liable to death, that man (Phinehas) stood up from the midst of the congregation and volunteered <to carry out the sentence >.
3
ויקח רומח בידו (במדבר כה ז). נטל שיני של ברזל בידו, והניחו בחיקו, והתחיל מסמיך על העץ כמקל, שנתיירא מפני שבטו שהקיפו אותו, כיון שהגיע אצלם, אמרו לו למה באתה, אמר להם אף אני באתי לעשות צרכי, הניחוהו ונכנס, שאלמלא כן לא הניחוהו.
(Numb. 25:7, cont.:) AND TOOK A SPEAR IN HIS HAND. He put the iron prongs in his hand, which he put in his bosom. Then he began <to approach> leaning on the wood like a staff,125I.e., with the iron prongs hidden, the spear shaft seemed like a mere staff. because he was afraid of <the culprit's> tribe as they surrounded him. When he reached them, they said to him: Why have you come? He said to them: I also have come to fulfill my needs. So they gave him permission, and he entered, for otherwise they would not have given him permission.
4
ויבא אחר איש ישראל אל הקובה וידקור את שניהם (שם שם ח). דקר את שניהם זה על גב זה לתוך טומאת שניהם, שלא יהו ישראל אומרים לא היתה שם טומאה, בא וראה כמה נסים ננעשו שם, נתן כח בזרועו לסובלן, וכח במקל לעמוד בהן, ונתלה הפתח שיצאו שניהם תלויין, כשיצאו עמדו בני שבטו לפגוע בו, ועמד המלאך ונגף לפניו, כשראה פינחס שעמד לכלותן חבטן בקרקע, ועמד והתפלל וסילקן, הה"ד ויעמד פינחס ויפלל (תהלים קו ל), שהוא עשה את הדין, אין ויפלל אלא דין, שנאמר ונתן בפלילים (שמות כא כב).
(Numb. 25:8:) THEN HE WENT AFTER THE MAN OF ISRAEL INTO THE TENT, AND PIERCED BOTH OF THEM. He pierced both of them, the one on top of the other, through the unclean place (i.e., the private parts) of the both of them, lest Israel say there was no defilement there. Come and see how many miracles happened there!126Some versions of the traditional Tanh. 7:21 and Numb. R. 20:25 have twelve miracles. Sanh. 82b and ySanh. 10:2 (28d-29a) have six miracles, but not all of them correspond to the six mentioned here. (1) He put power in his arm for lifting them up and (2) power in the shaft to stay in them. (3) The opening (of the tent) was raised so that both of them might come out raised up (on the spear). (4) When they came out, the members of his tribe were ready to strike him down, but an angel arose and smote those before him. (5) When Phinehas saw that <an angel had arisen> to destroy them, he struck them on the ground. (6) Then when he had arisen and prayed, he removed them. That is what is written (in Ps. 106:30): THEN PHINEHAS AROSE AND INTERCEDED,127The verse continues: AND THE PLAGUE WAS STOPPED. in that he gave the judicial verdict (din). INTERCEDED (rt.: PLL) can only denote a judicial verdict (din), since it is stated (in reference to making a reparation Exod. 21:22): AND HE SHALL PAY AS THE JUDGES (rt.: PLL) DETERMINE.
5
ויהיו המתים במגפה וגו' (במדבר שם ט). להודיעך בכל שעה שנופלין נמנין, אמ הקב"ה בעולם הזה על ידי סרחון נופלין, אבל לעתיד לבא והיה מספר בני ישראל כחול הים אשר לא ימד ולא יספר וגו' (הושע ב א).
(Numb. 25:9:) AND THOSE WHO DIED FROM THE PLAGUE WERE TWENTY-FOUR THOUSANDS>. <These words serve> to inform you that, on every occasion when they fell, they were numbered. The Holy One has said: In this world it is on account of gross misconduct that they fall, but in the world to come (according to Hos. 2:1 [1:10]): THE NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL BE AS THE SAND OF THE SEA, WHICH CANNOT BE MEASURED OR NUMBERED….
וירא פינחס (במדבר שם ז). וכולן לא ראו (והלא לעיני כל ישראל ולעיני משה), [והלא כתיב לעיני משה ולעיני כל עדת בני ישראל (שם שם ו), אלא ראה מעשה ונזכר הלכה, שהבועל ארמית קנאין פוגעין בו.
(Numb. 25:7–8:) WHEN PHINEHAS <BEN ELEAZAR BEN AARON THE PRIEST> SAW THIS, <HE AROSE FROM THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION AND TOOK A SPEAR IN HIS HAND. THEN HE WENT AFTER THE MAN OF ISRAEL INTO THE TENT, AND PIERCED BOTH OF THEM, THE MAN OF ISRAEL AND THE WOMAN THROUGH HER BELLY>. But did they all not see it?124Tanh., Numb. 7:21; Numb. R. 20:25. {And was it not before the eyes of all Israel and the eyes of Moses?} [And is it not written (in vs. 6) BEFORE THE EYES OF MOSES AND THE EYES OF THE WHOLE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL?] It is simply that when he saw the deed, he remembered the ruling (halakhah), that one who cohabits with an Aramean woman will have zealots strike him down.
ויקם מתוך העדה (שם שם ז). מהיכן עמד, אלא שהיו נושאין ונותנין בדבר, אם הוא חייב מיתה, אם לאו, והוא עמד מתוך העדה ונתנדב.
(Numb. 25:7:) HE AROSE FROM THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION. From where did he stand up? It is simply that, while they were involved in give and take on the matter of whether or not <the culprit> was liable to death, that man (Phinehas) stood up from the midst of the congregation and volunteered <to carry out the sentence >.
ויקח רומח בידו (במדבר כה ז). נטל שיני של ברזל בידו, והניחו בחיקו, והתחיל מסמיך על העץ כמקל, שנתיירא מפני שבטו שהקיפו אותו, כיון שהגיע אצלם, אמרו לו למה באתה, אמר להם אף אני באתי לעשות צרכי, הניחוהו ונכנס, שאלמלא כן לא הניחוהו.
(Numb. 25:7, cont.:) AND TOOK A SPEAR IN HIS HAND. He put the iron prongs in his hand, which he put in his bosom. Then he began <to approach> leaning on the wood like a staff,125I.e., with the iron prongs hidden, the spear shaft seemed like a mere staff. because he was afraid of <the culprit's> tribe as they surrounded him. When he reached them, they said to him: Why have you come? He said to them: I also have come to fulfill my needs. So they gave him permission, and he entered, for otherwise they would not have given him permission.
ויבא אחר איש ישראל אל הקובה וידקור את שניהם (שם שם ח). דקר את שניהם זה על גב זה לתוך טומאת שניהם, שלא יהו ישראל אומרים לא היתה שם טומאה, בא וראה כמה נסים ננעשו שם, נתן כח בזרועו לסובלן, וכח במקל לעמוד בהן, ונתלה הפתח שיצאו שניהם תלויין, כשיצאו עמדו בני שבטו לפגוע בו, ועמד המלאך ונגף לפניו, כשראה פינחס שעמד לכלותן חבטן בקרקע, ועמד והתפלל וסילקן, הה"ד ויעמד פינחס ויפלל (תהלים קו ל), שהוא עשה את הדין, אין ויפלל אלא דין, שנאמר ונתן בפלילים (שמות כא כב).
(Numb. 25:8:) THEN HE WENT AFTER THE MAN OF ISRAEL INTO THE TENT, AND PIERCED BOTH OF THEM. He pierced both of them, the one on top of the other, through the unclean place (i.e., the private parts) of the both of them, lest Israel say there was no defilement there. Come and see how many miracles happened there!126Some versions of the traditional Tanh. 7:21 and Numb. R. 20:25 have twelve miracles. Sanh. 82b and ySanh. 10:2 (28d-29a) have six miracles, but not all of them correspond to the six mentioned here. (1) He put power in his arm for lifting them up and (2) power in the shaft to stay in them. (3) The opening (of the tent) was raised so that both of them might come out raised up (on the spear). (4) When they came out, the members of his tribe were ready to strike him down, but an angel arose and smote those before him. (5) When Phinehas saw that <an angel had arisen> to destroy them, he struck them on the ground. (6) Then when he had arisen and prayed, he removed them. That is what is written (in Ps. 106:30): THEN PHINEHAS AROSE AND INTERCEDED,127The verse continues: AND THE PLAGUE WAS STOPPED. in that he gave the judicial verdict (din). INTERCEDED (rt.: PLL) can only denote a judicial verdict (din), since it is stated (in reference to making a reparation Exod. 21:22): AND HE SHALL PAY AS THE JUDGES (rt.: PLL) DETERMINE.
ויהיו המתים במגפה וגו' (במדבר שם ט). להודיעך בכל שעה שנופלין נמנין, אמ הקב"ה בעולם הזה על ידי סרחון נופלין, אבל לעתיד לבא והיה מספר בני ישראל כחול הים אשר לא ימד ולא יספר וגו' (הושע ב א).
(Numb. 25:9:) AND THOSE WHO DIED FROM THE PLAGUE WERE TWENTY-FOUR THOUSANDS>. <These words serve> to inform you that, on every occasion when they fell, they were numbered. The Holy One has said: In this world it is on account of gross misconduct that they fall, but in the world to come (according to Hos. 2:1 [1:10]): THE NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL BE AS THE SAND OF THE SEA, WHICH CANNOT BE MEASURED OR NUMBERED….
חסלת פרשת בלק
The End of Parashah Balaq