The ‘Tip Of The Spear’ To Repair The World
We find a very interesting story in the holy Zohar which teaches us about the spiritual goings-on when Pinchas took G-d’s revenge and killed Zimri and Cozbi. Let’s first preface, based on the Zohar and the commentaries, that “Pinchas” and “Yitzchok” are numerically equivalent • Read More
BEGIN WITH A GRIN
How come, in Chelm, they would put a sword above the computer screen?
So the picture would be sharper.
SPEAR TIME
We find a very interesting story in the holy Zohar which teaches us about the spiritual goings-on when Pinchas took G-d’s revenge and killed Zimri and Cozbi. Let’s first preface, based on the Zohar and the commentaries, that “Pinchas” and “Yitzchok” are numerically equivalent, 208. This indicates that Pinchas shares the same spiritual root as Yitzchok; both of them represent the midda of G-dly gevura and this G-dly gevura stood by Pinchas as he carried out the sentence of Zimri.
The Zohar goes on to say that Pinchas saw with “his spirit’s eyes” the letter ‘mem’ flying above the heads of the Jewish people. This open mem was full of blood and Pinchas understood that it represented the Angel of Death and an impending decree upon the Jewish people. He grabbed the flying letter, uttered the explicit name of G-d, drew it down to him and turned it into ר(ו)מ״ח!
What does this mean?
As mentioned, Pinchas is 208, and Pinchas’ name together with the mysterious mem = 248רמ״ח. That’s why the verse says, “And he took the רמ״ח in his hand,” the physical spear which Pinchas grasped is a symbol of what happened in the story on the spiritual plane.
Why was Pinchas concerned about the mem symbolizing the Angel of Death? What’s so terrible about the letter mem?
The Zohar goes on to explain that Pinchas was concerned lest the mem join the letters vav and tav as in the words, “ותאכל ותתן ותפקחנה” [which would spell מ-ות – death] These words, directly connected to the sin of the Eitz HaDaas, the sin which brought death to the world, represent the opposite of life (as the Zohar says), “from all sides.” Therefore, Pinchas turned the wandering mem into רמ״ח with which he stopped the plague.
It sounds truly otherworldly… utterly mysterious… What does this mean to people like us? What added insight can we internalize from this story in our daily lives? Most importantly, what connection does all this have with the true and complete Geula?
In the Gemara (Shabbos 104a) it says, “An open mem is an open statement; a closed mem is a closed statement.” Rashi explains that the Gemara is saying that the letter mem, when open (in the middle of a word), represents Nigleh of Torah, the part we understand, while the closed mem (at the end of a word) represents the hidden, esoteric part of Torah.
Why did the open mem fly in the air? Why was Pinchas afraid that it would join with the vav and tav?
The Rebbe explains that this provides an eternal lesson regarding the way we need to learn the holy Torah. As mentioned, the open mem represents Nigleh, the study of Gemara and halacha as they are disconnected from pnimiyus ha’Torah. The mem flying freely in the air symbolizes that the words of Torah on their own do not acquire impurity; words of Torah are free of any connection to the physical world, and all the impurities of the world cannot contaminate it.
However, if the mem joins the vav, a letter that represents extension, coming downward, like the shape of the vav which is like a vertical line, we get the beginnings of the word מ-ו-ת. The letters vav and tav are found in many words, a “dynamic duo” which causes much destruction. From the vav, we quickly get to tav and the results are all too well known…
If the person who is learning draws the Torah to him (like a vav) without purifying himself, without working on himself, without learning pnimiyus ha’Torah, the very Torah that he learns can turn into a “potion of death” as the Gemara itself relates in connection with Torah study, “If he is not meritorious, it becomes a potion of death for him!”
SPEAR CHANGE
The process of spiritual deterioration is also hinted at in the letters vav and tav as they appear many times in the story of the sin of the Eitz HaDaas. First of all, ותרא – looking where it’s forbidden to look with the claim that forbidden sights don’t affect him. Then, ותקח… ותאכל – what you see, you take and eat and in this way, man corrupts and contaminates himself. If that’s not enough, then ותתן, he corrupts others until he opens his eyes (ותפקחנה) and understands that he lost even the one mitzva that he had.
How does one prevent this spiritual deterioration? What is the insurance policy that we need to buy?
We need to bring the mem down and connect it with ר״ח, with (the gematria) of Yitzchok. Yitzchok never left Eretz Yisrael, not the physical land nor the spiritual land, “the land that has the eyes of the L-rd your G-d upon it!”
First of all, a Jew needs to know that he is in (the spiritual) Eretz Yisrael and Hashem’s eyes are upon him and scrutinizing his behavior at every moment. “Behold, G-d stands over him and gazes upon him and examines his kidneys and heart – Tanya 41.” Then he needs to attach the open mem, his Torah study, to fear of heaven and G-dly gevura which symbolize Yitzchok. This is accomplished through pnimiyus ha’Torah, a study where a person feels the existence of the Creator and the unity of the Creator, at every step.
This way, one receives the “ר(ו)מ״ח” – the means of protection and rescue by which it is possible to stop the plague and stop the Jewish people from a spiritual death! The Rebbe adds that “רמ״ח” also alludes to the 248 letters of the Shema. The essence of Shema is accepting the yoke of heaven, i.e. knowing that G-d is with us everywhere, at every moment, every situation. This is precisely what Yitzchok is about as explained above. In order to arrive at a full realization of this, we need to learn pnimiyus ha’Torah which explains in relatable terms the existence of the Creator, His unity and His eternal bond with every Jew.
As for the connection to the Geula, we know the Medrash (Yalkut Shimoni) that “Pinchas is Eliyahu,” and Eliyahu is the one who announces the Geula. The way to bring the Geula is through Pinchas’ way, which is Yitzchok’s way, the way of G-dly gevura. By adding in Torah study, Nigleh as it is inextricably combined with pnimiyus ha’Torah, and by internalizing the awareness that we are constantly in the presence of Hashem, we create a spiritual רומח which saves us from the terrible plague called galus.
Pinchas stopped the plague by using ר(ו)מ״ח and we will stop the galus by using a ר(ו)מ״ח. Pinchas used the power of Yitzchok who never left the spiritual Eretz Yisrael, and we need to not leave (the spiritual) Eretz Yisrael. Pinchas internalized the awareness that “behold, Hashem stands over him,” and we need to internalize the awareness that He “examines kidneys and heart.” Pinchas brought down the flying mem and rectified it by mentioning G-d’s explicit name, and we need to bring the study of Gemara and halacha (open mem) down to action in the right way by learning pnimiyus ha’Torah (in which G-d’s name is prominent and explained), and thus we will merit the eternal blessing of peace which Pinchas earned, “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace.” Eternal peace with the true and complete Geula.
TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY
We will end with a story about avodas Hashem done Yitzchok’s way, the way of G-dly gevura. This story was told by the Rebbe at a farbrengen on 13 Tammuz 5715.
The Rebbe Rayatz once related a practice in his father’s house that when someone entered the house and he was ‘overheated,’ they would give him hot tea.
The Rebbe Rayatz asked his father the reason, whether it was a medical thing or a matter of iskafya in that not only isn’t he given cold water (or, what would we call, ice cream) or even lukewarm water, but he’s given hot tea.
The Rebbe Rashab’s answer was, “If you want, let it be iskafya!”
Good Shabbos!
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