Parsha in 60 Seconds Presents Pinchas

Parsha in 60 Seconds

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Classic Questions

 

Why does verse 11 stress the lineage of Pinchas?

Rashi: Because the tribes ridiculed him, saying, “Have you seen the descendant of Puti [i.e., Yisro], whose mother’s father fattened calves for idol worship, and yet he killed a leader of one of the tribes of Israel?” Therefore, scripture traces his lineage to Aharon.

Sifsei Chachamim: At the end of Parshas Balak, the Torah already stated that Pinchas was “the son of Elazar the son of Aharon the priest” (25:7), so why does this point need to be stressed again here? Rashi concluded that the Torah stressed Pinchas’ lineage again in response to the ridicule he suffered.

Kli Yakar: The tribes ridiculed him because it was difficult to believe that a person whose own father married somebody who was not born Jewish should feel genuine indignation against Zimri for cohabiting with a non-Jewish woman.

Likewise, Pinchas’ grandfather was an idolater, so it is difficult to believe that he was genuinely disgusted by the worship of Ba’al Pe’or.

Be’er Basadeh: The tribes felt that the Torah only sanctions a true zealot to execute a person such as Zimri. They found it difficult to believe that his intentions were pure.