Too early to be tired – Pinchas
Ma’asei avot siman labanim, the old proverb declares: “The deeds of the fathers are an example to their children”. Parents are reflected in their children, and children in their parents.
The thought comes to mind with this week’s sidra, which informs us that Pinchas is Ben Elazar ben Aharon HaKohen – “the son of Elazar and the grandson of Aaron the priest”.
So how does Pinchas compare with his illustrious grandfather? Aaron was renowned as a man of peace. (The sages said everyone should, like him, love peace and pursue it.)
Yet Pinchas is quite a different type. He is no man of placid temperament. He sees something he cannot bear, and rushes in violently to right a wrong. Because of his action he risks defilement and punishment. And yet what do we see? He is rewarded with God’s favour! Violence, it seems, does pay after all! Aaron’s example is not the last word!
True, the teaching of Judaism is that one should try to be an Aaron and settle problems peaceably. But there comes a point to be a Pinchas, to make a stand and say, peace, but not peace at any price; not if it means compromise, appeasement and moral indolence. There are times when even an Aaron has to say, Stop! Enough! Dayyenu!
We all want to live at peace, but it depends what kind of peace it is. To sit back and fail to act can be simply cowardice. And there was never a more pertinent time to realise this.
We live in an age when there is evil on two levels – the acts of flagrant evil that menace the stability of civilisation, and the tendency towards a grey morality in public and private life. Both are evil, but in some ways the second is worse, because it parades as morality but does not clearly distinguish between right and wrong. It justifies itself on subjective grounds of personal or group interest or expediency.
Once upon a time Jews were the pioneers of moral principle. Today, unfortunately, some prefer the quiet life. Eternal principles are at stake, but they are reluctant to get up and act. Yes, after all these centuries we do sometimes feel tired.
But no moral pioneer ever had it easy. There was never a guarantee that a champion of morality would be able to retire. History, and God, gave us a task; we have to keep on finding the energy for it. There must never come a time when we can afford to be moral relativists and agree that whatever a person or group prefers, that’s all right with us.
The fact is that it never can and never will be all right for us until truth, justice, honour, honesty, respect, decency, and the sanctity of life, limb and conscience are unambiguously assured.
No matter how much you want to be an Aaron, there are times when you simply have to be Pinchas.
