Why Does Pinchas Live Forever? Because He Is a Zealot! – Parashat Pinchas by Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a

INSIGHTS ON THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION – PARASHAT PINCHAS -- BY MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A “HE ZEALOUSLY AVENGED MY VENGEANCE” Cozbi wanted to convert; Cozbi was sincere.  She wanted to convert, but was unsuccessful because they did not want to convert her.  Therefore, she came in reincarnation as the wife of Turnus Rufus, and then she converted and married Rabbi Akiva, who was a reincarnation of Zimri.  Because every gentile woman wants to convert.  There is no gentile woman who does not want to convert.  According to Rabbi Meir, a person can sanctify a gentile woman and say to her, “You are sanctified to me when you convert.”  Every gentile woman wants to convert.  There’s no such thing as not wanting to convert.  Everyone wants Hashem. “Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon HaKohen saw, and he stood up from amid the assembly and took a spear in his hand” (Bamidbar 25:7) and killed them.  Therefore, he lives forever.  Why does he live forever?  Because they wanted to put him to death.  All the Jewish people wanted to kill him.  They said, “What Zimri did there is all-in-all just a conversation, a heartfelt conversation.  He wanted to convert her.”  But really the Torah tells us the truth, that he committed a transgression with her.  Then what happened happened.  A horrible thing happened, that Pinchas pierced Zimri, “He followed the Israelite man into the tent and pierced them both, the Israelite man and the woman into her stomach” (ibid. 8).  Then he lifted them up, the barrier was raised.  Each one weighed a hundred kilograms, and he needed to lift up two-hundred kilograms.  He walked throughout the Israelite camp while carrying two-hundred kilograms. In a wicked person, there is a spark of a Tzaddik, like we have said, that Sisra was the soul of Rabbi Akiva.  And in a Tzaddik is a spark of a wicked person.  Rabbi Akiva received, in order rectify, the spark of Zimri ben Salu, leader of a father’s house of Shimon.  Only that he, Rabbi Akiva, did not manage to come to every shiur of Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol.  Rabbi Eliezer said to him, “You missed a number of shiurim; you missed out on the rectification, because you came to the world to rectify the sin of Zimri, and your 24,000 students are the students of Zimri, who defended Zimri and died in the plague then.”  Then Rabbi Eliezer said to him, “You are the Tzaddik who defended Zimri, and instead of overcoming himself through the power of the great soul that was impregnated within him, he fell to where he fell, may Hashem have mercy.” When Pinchas killed Zimri, he pierced Zimri and Cozbi with the spear that was in his hand.  Twelve miracles occurred for him, that he walked throughout the Israelite camp with the spear and they didn’t kill him.  Everyone said that it was only a conversation to get her to repent.  It was only that she came to convert.  It’s a fact that she converted in the next reincarnation when she came as the wife of Turnus Rufus the wicked.  This didn’t help, because every gentile woman wants to convert. The “Mei Shiloach” says that Cozbi bat Tzur really was innocent.  The “Mei Shiloach” has an awesome interpretation.  It is written “Zarzir” (Mishlei 30:31).  “Zarzir” (242) is the numerical value of Mashiach ben David (242).  If Zimri had truly converted her, Mashiach ben David would have come, because she really did want to convert.  Therefore, she came in reincarnation and converted.  She was the wife of Turnus Rufus the wicked, for Turnus Rufus the wicked scraped the flesh of Rabbi Akiva with iron combs.  Turnus Rufus – srufus is the title of an important official and Turnu is his given name.  Everyone is a reincarnation of someone.  Rabbi Akiva came to rectify Zimri, who was also innocent.  Rabbi Akiva had needed to rectify him, and the 24,000 who had defended him came now in reincarnation with Rabbi Akiva as his students, together with their rabbi, with their leader, Zimri, who was spiritually impregnated in Rabbi Akiva.  Zimri is the greatest Tzaddik, so Rabbi Akiva came in Zimri, and it was forbidden for him to miss a shiur of Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol.  If he hadn’t missed any shiur, he could have rectified this soul.  However, since he missed a number of shiurim, bringing about the rectification would only be through iron combs, because to hear a shiur is also iron combs, and if he had come to shiurim, he would have sweetened the decree of iron combs. It is written, “He zealously avenged My vengeance” (Bamidbar 25:11), because Pinchas had only the zealotry of Hashem.  Therefore, “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace” (ibid 12).  All the Kohenim until the end of generations will come from Pinchas.  Any Kohen Gadol that there will be will come from Pinchas.  Even Yael is related to Pinchas.  She became Eli.  Every woman, if she is righteous, will turn into the Kohen Gadol.  Why does Pinchas live forever?  Because he is a zealot!  If a person is zealous for Hashem, his entire body transforms for him.  He receives a new body from the Garden of Eden, and he lives forever. “AND THE NAME OF ASHER’S DAUGHTER IS SERACH” Serach bat Asher did not understand what was happening here.  Why don’t they reveal to Yaakov that Yosef is alive?  Why do they allow him to sit on the ground for twenty-two years and cry?  Serach bat Asher said, “I am willing to die.  Over my dead body, until the last drop of blood, I will say that Yosef is alive.”  It was forbidden to say that Yosef was alive.  Whoever would say it would have to die on the spot.  A person says after twenty-years that the child is alive.  Immediately, Yaakov would begrudge him.  He would say, “For twenty-two years, you hid it from me?!  I sit on the ground and cry,” “Sackcloth and ashes were spread out for the masses” (Esther 4:3).  Yaakov sits for twenty-two years on the floor in ashes, wallowing in ashes, sits mamash in ashes, and Serach bat Asher said, “Enough!”  This was the greatness of Serach bat Asher.  Therefore, she entered with her body into the Garden of Eden.  She didn’t relent; don’t relent. Serach bat Asher does not relent.  This is what we read in Parashat Pinchas, “And the name of Asher’s daughter is Serach” (Bamidbar 26:46).  Now she is revealed; it is possible to see her.  She is so small, but she has more intellect than anyone else.  She is now revealed, and it is possible to see her.  One who says, “And the name of Asher’s daughter is Serach” enters with their body into the Garden of Eden. Therefore, Serach bat Asher, who took onto herself death, lives forever.  If a person accepts onto himself death, he lives forever.  Pinchas took unto himself death – he lives forever.  In our Parashah, there are two people who live forever.  Who are these two people?  Pinchas ben Elazar and Serach bat Asher.  This Parashah speaks about how it’s possible to live forever.  If a person accepts onto himself all the deaths in the world…  And Serach was willing to die, because whoever would reveal to Yaakov that Yosef is alive needed to die immediately, according to the simple interpretation – according to nature – [because of] the resentment of the Tzaddik. The shiur underwent editing, and if an error occurred, it should be attributed to the writer, and not to, God forbid, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a. ARTWORK COURTESY OF YEHOSHUA WISEMAN: WWW.YEHOSHUAWISEMAN.COM