בין המצרים
“Between the Straights”
Av 9th, 5784
August 13th, 2024
Tammuz 17, 5784
July 23rd, 2024
“Pinchas is Elijah.”�Yalqut Shimoni, Torah 771
Translation: “How are you?”
Literal Translation:
“How is your peace?”
To a Male: Mah Shlomcha?
To a Female: Mah Shlomeich?
מה שלומך
וַיַּעֲמֹד פִּינְחָס וַיְפַלֵּל
“Pinchas stood up and intervened…”�Psalm 106:30
“Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moshe, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”
Numbers 25:6
“…don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of G-d? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of G-d. Such were some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Yeshua, and in the Spirit of our G-d.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
“Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: That which is hidden is hidden, and that which is revealed is revealed, but in Heaven everything is known, and the great court in Heaven will exact payment from those who wear the cloak of the righteous but are in fact unworthy. . . Do not be afraid of the Pharisees [perushin], and neither should you fear from those who are not Pharisees, i.e., the Sadducees; rather, beware of the hypocrites who appear like Pharisees, as their actions are like the act of the wicked Zimri and they request a reward like that of the righteous Pinehas.”�Sotah 22b, The William Davidson Talmud, Sefaria.org
“How do we know that one who causes a man to sin is even worse than one who kills him? … Of those who had advanced against Israel with the sword it is written, "You shall not abhor an Edomite... You shall not abhor an Egyptian" (Deut 23:8). Of those, however, who had advanced against them with transgression, endeavoring to make Israel sin, it says, "An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of G-d...".
Midrash Rabbah, cited in Chabad.org
“…if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. "Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!”
Matthew 18:6-7, NIV
“Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the children of Israel in my jealousy.”�Numbers 25:11
“Rashi: Kana means zealous to avenge.” � Gur Arye: Kana does not mean jealous, �for there is no jealousy in HaShem.”
The Lion Cub of Prague, Numbers and Deuteronomy, �Gefen Publishing House, Pg. 112
כי יי אֱלֹהֶיךָ� אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה הוּא אֵל קַנַא
“For HaShem your G-d is a devouring fire, a G-d.”
Deuteronomy 4:24
Jealous
Zealous
“…salvation has come to the Gentiles, �to provoke them to jealousy.”
Romans 11:11
“Behold, I give to him my covenant of shalom.”
Numbers 25:12
208
Isaac – יצחק
Pinchas – פינחס
Ben Yosef – בן יוסף
Paneach – פענח
We are hoping for him – קוינו לו
Crown/Brow – קדקד
Upon the Throne of David My Father – על כסא דוד אבי
Betzalel and Oholiav – בצלאל ואהליאב
Hagar, Ha’Ger – הגר
The Well – הבאר
And he appeared – וארא
Cedar – ארז
“…what happened for him was the inevitable result of being a zealot for God, which automatically connected him to Heaven and allowed for the Ohr Ain Sof, the Ohr HaNissi — Miraculous Light — to flow to and through him — a descendant of Yosef (through his daughter). . . In a certain capacity this light has a different name: Nehura d’Moshiach Ben Yosef — the “Light of Moshiach Ben Yosef”.�R’ Pinchas Winston. The Physics of Kabbalah. �Thirtysix.org. Kindle Edition
“He took a spear in his hand…”
Numbers 25:7
“RoMach (רמח, spear) is a contraction of the phrase Ruach Mem (רוח מ, the spirit of 40) This refers to the four RuChot that come from the four cardinal directions, each of which is comprised of Ten Sefirot. The source of this ruach mem is the tzaddik. Phineas drew upon the spirit of the greatest tzaddik, Moses, in order to overcome Zimri. “The spirit of 40” also refers to the spirit of the Torah, which was given on Mount Sinai over a period of forty days.”
Rebbe Nachman’s Torah, Numbers-Deuteronomy, Breslov Research Institute, pgs. 146-147
208 / 4 = 52
Ben (Son) - בן
Eliyahu - אליהו
HaShem HaShem – יהוה יהוה
The Word of HaShem -דבר יהוה (Mispar Siduri)
Mashiach – משיח (Mispar Siduri)
Let their be light -יהי אור (Mispar Siduri)
“Elijah is Elijah.”
I give to him My covenant of peace (25:12)
Pinchas is Elijah.
Said G‑d to Pinchas: You made peace between Israel and Me in this world. So too, in the world to come, it is you who shall make peace between Me and My children. As it is written (Malachi 3:23–24): “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of G‑d. He will return the hearts of fathers to children, and the hearts of children to their fathers.”
Yalkut Shimoni cited at Chabad.org
“Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘Why are you here, Elijah?’ He replied, I am moved by the zeal for the Lord, God of Hosts…” The Lord said to him, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind was an earthquake , but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire – a still, small voice.”�I Kings 19:9-12
“Essentially, a “kanoy” is someone whose very being is intertwined with the truth of Torah and love of God, to the point that any violation of Torah is also a violation of his or her self. As such, it is impossible for the kanoy to stand back and watch the violation occur, but rather, he will take action—either peaceful or aggressive—to rectify the situation.”�R’ Pinchas Winston, Talking About the End of Days: View Of Our Times Based On Revealed And Inner Teachings of Torah (pp. 152-153). Kindle Edition
“One of the commentators explains that the chariot of fire represented that Elijah’s body (in its original physical state) was consumed, and he thus assumed angelic form when he ascended to Heaven (Radak to II Kings 2:11). Alternatively, the fire separated the spiritual and physical sides of Elijah into two separate parts. He could thus ascend to Heaven as a spiritual being, while his body remaining separate – as a “garment” he could put back on whenever he would need to assume physical form (Malbim there).”
Source
Elijah the Prophet (Eliyahu HaNavi in Hebrew) did not die in the incident, but ascended to Heaven alive (see Talmud Baba Batra 121b, Mo’ed Katan 26a) As a result, Elijah became part human and part angel. (See for example Talmud Brachot 4bthat he flies more slowly than other angels – presumably because he is part physical (Maharsha there).
Source
“Shortly before the Messiah’s arrival and the great battles of the End of Days, Elijah will come. He will warn us of the upcoming Armageddon, and help bring us to unity and to repentance, in order that we are spared the suffering and live to merit the Redemption.”
R’ Dovid Rosenfeld, Elijah Ascent to Heaven, Aish.com
“John the Baptist is Elijah.”
“Now it came to pass, when Yeshua finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Mashiach, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 4 Yeshua answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”…
“As they departed, Yeshua began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ . . . And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”�Matthew 11:1-15, NKJV Modified
Pinchas
HaKanoy
Eliyahu
HaNavi
Yochanan
HaMatbil
Zimri
Ahab
Herod Antipas
Kozbi
Jezebel
Herodias
Athaliah
Salome
נר"ן ח"י
Nefesh – Soul
Ruach – Spirit
Neshama – Breath
Chaya – Life
Yechida – Unity
“Mashiach is Elijah.”
“Pinchas was motivated by a profound love of God, which would not give in to public opinion or political expediency. For this reason he was rewarded with the Covenant of Peace.”
R. Ari Kahn, M’oray HaAish, Aish.com
And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
Luke 16:15
“…when we dedicate ourselves to G-d through acts of self-sacrifice, we can reveal the level of the “kohein” in our souls. This level is synonymous with our yechidah, our super-consciousness. The kohen, the yechidah, is also the spark of Moshiach within each of us. Pinchas’s act was one of self sacrifice, transcending logic and personal safety. He acted for a higher purpose, to sanctify the name of G-d alone. . . Because of this act of self-sacrifice, acting as a kohein, as Rambam explained, G-d pronounced him a kohein, and not merely in name, but in profession.”
R’ Aaron Raskin, By Divine Design, Sichos in English, pg. 293
Once upon a time there was once a wealthy merchant who was obsessed with stories about Eliyahu HaNavi - Elijah the Prophet. One year before Pesach he spoke to his rabbi and complained that for all of his yearning to meet Eliyahu, he was always disappointed that Eliyahu did not appear at his Pesach seder. “I want to meet Eliyahu HaNavi this Pesach,” he yelled.
The rabbi responded by telling the merchant to load a cart full of food and wine and Pesach supplies and travel into the forest, down a certain path, to take a left turn, then a right turn and to spend Pesach at the house that he would find at the end of the path. Eliyahu HaNavi would be at that home this Pesach, the rabbi promised. The merchant did as he was told - he got a little bit lost along the way and so only arrived at the home in the forrest minutes for the start of Pesach.
He knocked on the door and a man opened the door. The merchant asked if he could spend Pesach at the home, the man explained that he and his wife had no food for the holiday but the merchant showed him his wagon, filled with enough food for them all to eat and so the merchant spent Pesach in that home in the forest.
As you may imagine, the merchant spent the entire seder in eager anticipation for opening the door for Eliyahu. Finally, the moment came, he opened the door...just the sound of crickets in the quiet and empty night. The second night, the merchant was even more excited. The rabbi had promised him that Eliyahu would be in this home on Pesach and he raced through the seder to be able to fling open the door for Eliyahu. But again there was just the empty night outside of the door.
After Pesach the merchant rushed to the rabbi’s study, barged in, and yelled at the rabbi, “You promised me that Eliyahu HaNavi would be at that home this Pesach and he wasn’t!”
The rabbi told the merchant to go back to the forest early the next morning, to the same path, but to take a left turn instead of a right turn at the end of the journey. The merchant did this and came to a clearing in the forest. In this clearing a group of woodcutters who had been cutting wood since dawn were sitting together to eat breakfast.
The merchant recognized his Pesach host among the woodcutters and he heard that man say to his friends, “You would not believe what happened to me. My wife and I had no food for Pesach and minutes before the holiday began, Eliyahu Hanavi came to our door with a wagon filled with food...”
Sometime Eliyahu comes to us. Sometimes we have to be Eliyahu HaNavi for others
As Told by R’ David Wolkenfeld, ASBI Congregation
“You are Elijah.”
MATTHEW
MARK
LUKE
JOHN
YOU
. . . The yud and the vav are united as a single letter. . .
The Baal HaTurim explains that the gematria of “shalom” (376) is the same as the words “zehu Moshiach” – “This is the Moshiach.” May we merit this now! Amein.”
R’Aaron Raskin, By Divine Design, pg. Sichos in English, pgs. 294-295
“Shalom I leave you, My shalom I give to you; but not as the world gives! Do not let your heart be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27
Tree of Life Version