July 10, 2020
A Fortified City
Pinchas, 5780
During the early days of the coronavirus epidemic I was invited by the Mayor’s office to gather with a few other faith leaders and to recite sacred prayers over a temporary makeshift morgue that was being established to care properly for the expected increase in deaths. Our city was bracing itself for worst possible scenarios and it wanted to be certain that from a spiritual perspective every soul would be cared for physically and spiritually. I remember vividly the anxiety that we all felt that day as the holy workers from the medical examiner’s team showed us how each body would be cared for with enormous respect and dignity.
Unfortunately this site was heavily used over the past four months, and yet, this week there was perhaps a glimmer of hope. As we all know the pandemic is very far from being over. However in our city, we have had a partial respite as the number of deaths decreased this week to such a number that the city was able to close down this temporary site. The Mayor’s office called back our small group to “bless out” the facility and to offer words of inspiration to the team of sacred last responders that risked so much to provide proper farewells to far too many people.
We were standing in a place of death and yet at that moment I could not help feeling inspired by the presence of such courageous and sensitive people. I felt grateful to live in this city, which understands that it has a responsibility to provide for its citizens in life and in death.
When it was my turn to offer prayers, I thanked the medical examiner’s team for engaging in the mitzvah of chesed shel emet, true kindness, which in our tradition is the highest level of chesed that one could perform. I prayed aloud that this sacred site will never need to be used again. However, I continued, if Gd forbid the site does need to be reactivated, then we know that it will be staffed by this incredible, holy team.
It felt strange to find inspiration even in moments of death and devastation, but that is what our tradition teaches us to do. It is precisely in life’s darkest moments that we must be open to inspiration in order to move forward.
Our portion also begins in the midst of a plague.
Parashat Balak ends with the Torah telling us that 24,000 people died in a plague (25:9). Our portion, Pinchas, begins with Hashem blessing Pinchas for his decisive action which put an end to the plague.
Says the Torah, “And it was after the plague” (26:1).
Immediately after the plague Hashem tells Moshe and Elazar the Kohen to conduct a census of the people. What is the relationship between the plague ending and the commandment to conduct a census?
Rashi writes that it is similar to a shepherd whose flock has been attacked by vicious wolves. After the wolves depart, the shepherd must count his flock to determine how many have survived. So too, after the plague of the Jewish people, Moshe must count the survivors.
Moshe was told to count the people not to know how many died (as we already were told that at the end of Balak), but to know how many lived. He was being told look how many of you are still alive. There was a terrible plague but there is still so much life here. Each life is a blessing and so Hashem was literally telling Moshe that as a response to the cessation of the plague he should count his blessings.
After the census is completed we see another message hope.
Moshe is told:
“Ascend these heights of Abarim and view the land that I have given to the Israelite people. When you have seen the land, you shall be gathered to your kin, just as Aaron was” (27:12-13).
In these verses Moshe is being told that he will not cross over the Jordan and enter into the land. Instead he will see the land from the mountaintop.
Rashi offers two comments on this verse. Both are extraordinarily sad:
Why does this follow immediately here? Because when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, (v. 17) “Thou shalt surely give them an inheritance in the land” he (Moses) said, “It is me that the Omnipresent has commanded to apportion the inheritance. Perhaps then the decree that I must die in the wilderness is annulled and I shall enter the Promised Land!” Whereupon God said to him, “My decree remains exactly as it was”Midrash Tanchuma, Pinchas 9). — Another explanation: As soon as Moses entered into the territory of the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben (the eastern side of the Jordan, which, having been assigned to these tribes, might be regarded as part of the Promised Land), he rejoiced, saying, “It seems to me that the vow regarding me has been annulled in my favour”. God, therefore, said to him, My decree remains exactly as it was. A parable! It may be compared to the case of a king who decreed against his son that he should not enter the door of his palace. He (the king) entered within the gate, and he (the son) went after him (without the father raising any objection); to the audience chamber, and he after him. But as soon as he was about to enter his sleeping-chamber (his private room) he said to him, “My son, from here and further on you may not go” (Rashi, 27:12).
Both of these explanations of Rashi depict a picture of Moshe desperately begging to enter the land. Despite his fervent pleas, Moshe’s request is rejected. His dreams will not be fulfilled he will not fulfill his dream of entering the land.
But this week a different approach resonates with me. Moshe’s climbing the mountaintop to see the land does not represent an unfulfilled dream, but a tremendous reward and opportunity.
“R. Akiva says: Scripture hereby apprises us that the L-rd showed Moses all the recesses of Eretz Yisrael as (if it were) a set table, viz. (Ibid. 1) "And the L-rd showed him all the land." R. Eliezer says: He empowered Moses' eyes to see from one end of the world to the other. And thus do you find with the tzaddikim — that they see from one end of the world” (Sifrei Bamdibar, 36:1).
Rabbi Akiva, the sage of hope, reminds us that when Moshe climbed the mountain he could see in a way that no other human being could see. He could see the land in a way that he never would have been able to see if in fact he had physically entered the land.
By changing his perspective and looking at the land from the top of a mountain, Moshe was able to see every nook and cranny. He was able to see clearly from one end of the world to the other. Entering the land would have been a physical limitation to Moshe’s vision. It was only by not entering the land that Moshe truly appreciated the beauty of the land.
By climbing the mountain Moshe reminds us that no matter our situation we can never afford to give up hope. If our dreams are Gd forbid shattered, then like Moshe we must change our perspective.
This year we read Pinchas during the period know as The Three Weeks, or bein hametzarim. These three weeks are a period of intense communal mourning in which we remember the terrible tragedies that have afflicted our historical community. It is for this reason that we read three special haftorot for each Shabbat of bein hametzarim. These haftorot are known as the gimmel depuranuta (the three haftorot of punishment).
The special haftorah for this week comes from the first chapter of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is often called a prophet of doom. But when one reads this Haftorah one sees that Jeremiah is not so much a prophet of doom but instead, a prophet of how to respond to doom. Jeremiah offers us hope. In the face of doom, Jeremiah shows us a sure path forward.
The Lord says to Jeremiah: “What do you see?” (1:13). Jeremiah responds that he sees a steaming cauldron coming from the north. Gd tells Jeremiah: From the north shall be disaster upon everyone! (1:14).
So yes, Jeremiah foretells of a tremendous disaster. The fortified city of Jerusalem will be laid to waste. Everything will be destroyed in the holy city—including its magnificent temple. And yet, all is not lost. The most important thing is not lost!
Hashem tells Jeremiah: “I will make you today a fortified city and an iron pillar. You will be the bronze walls against the holy land” (1:18).
Hashem tells Jeremiah that it is he, Jeremiah, who is true symbol of strength. The city of Jerusalem may be destroyed, but Jeremiah’s relationship with Hashem will always continue. Even in the face of devastation and despair, Hashem promises Jeremiah that as long as he continues his relationship with Hashem his fortifications –his inner strength and proper perspective -- will remain strong.
How sad it is that we are living through a pandemic. If there was ever a time where didn’t need extra days of mourning in our lives it is surely this year.
So this year instead of crying for the Temple of Jerusalem let’s take Moshe’s and Jeremiah’s message to heart. Let us climb the mountain and change our perspective. Let us remind ourselves to count our blessings. The strongest city in the world is not the ones with largest tanks, but the one whose citizens have the inner strength to withstand setbacks.
Instead of entirely focusing on what we have lost, let us also focus on what we have. And what we have is glorious. We have a relationship with our Creator. Nothing in the world can ever take this away from us. If we nurture this relationship then we too, like Jeremiah, will be a fortified city.
Shmuel Herzfeld
