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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier
In שמות ו: כ”ה it states:”…ואלעזר בן אהרן לקח לו מבנות פוטיאל לו לאשה ותלד לו את פינחס”
“And Ahron’s son Elazar took as his wife one of Putiel’s daughters, and she bore him Pinchos…”
The רמב”ן, Nachmanides questions, why does the Torah mention Putiel- we don’t know who he
is; consequently; what difference does it make if we know his name?
The Ramban answers; herein lies the reason as to why Pinchos, פינחס was the person to bring
שלום, harmony between Hashem and Klal Yisroel, by killing the prince of the tribe of שמעון, זמרי
בן סלוא and the Moabite princess, כזבי בת צור. For this courageous, determined, selfless act, he
was rewarded by Hashem to be a כהן; and not only him but all his descendants eternally.
The name פוטיאל is a ‘title’ that describes the greatness of the ancestors from whom Pinchos
inherited the ‘spiritual genes’ to sanctify Hashem’s name, even earning Hashem’s covenant of
harmony. Most opinions are that he was blessed with eternal life; he being אליהו הנביא, Elijah the
Prophet, who never died.
Pinchos was a descendant of Yosef HaTzadik, יוסף הצדיק, who overcame the difficult test of
resisting the seductive advancements of the wife of Potiphar. Pituel, the word פיתו meaning
seduction, יוסף overcame it. A sign of one’s ability to selflessly conduct themselves with dignity
and nobility; Hashem being in their mind and ‘view’ constantly. Leadership is only sincere, true,
and real if one possesses the innate or acquired ability to have unadulterated control of one’s
desires and passions, totally focusing on the needs of his constituency.
He was also a descendant of יתרו, Jethro, the father-in-law of Moshe Rabeinu. Here the name
פוטיאל connotes the idea that he fattened cows to sacrifice to every idol that existed. יתרו was an
unequivocal, seeker of the true manner to worship The Almighty. He diligently, with great
sacrifice and dedication brought the choicest animals as sacrifices, testing if he felt a true sincere
connection to whichever idol he was worshipping. He was a paragon of honesty, integrity, and a
researcher of the undeniable truth.
These two traits; the ability to have complete control over oneself, pursuing what is proper and
the undiluted, absolute quest for veracity were the attributes that enabled פנחס to become the
‘giant’ he is, the leader of Klal Yisroel.
Moshe Rabeinu, after being told by Hashem that he won’t enter Eretz Yisroel, asks Hashem to
appoint a leader, one who can absorb the personality of each and every person.
The כלי יקר, authored by Rav Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz (1550-1690) who was the Rabbi of
Prague from 1604-1619, after serving as the Rosh Yeshiva in the yeshiva in Lvov, teaches us a
fascinating, profound lesson.
In דברים יא:י-יב, Deuteronomy, 11:10-12, it states: “For the land that you are about to enter and
possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come. There the grain had to be sowed
by your own labors (irrigation ditches from the Nile River). The land you will enter… is a land…
which soaks up its water from the rains of heaven. It’s a land which Hashem always keeps an eye
on throughout the year.”
The כלי יקר explains based on his understanding of the ילקוט שמוני that the
Torah is admonishing us to be vigilant to give a share of one’s crops in Eretz Yisroel- notably
חלה. To give a portion of dough and תרומה, the first portion of grain to the כהן, the priest.
Though these amounts of gifts that are given to the כהן are minimal, they are only required in
Eretz Yisroel. Why? For outside the land, a farmer’s labor is much more extensive due to the
lack of the natural feeder-rain showering on the field, (and even if there is rain, it doesn’t rain at
the same exact time as it was when we abided to keep all the Mitzvos).
Since one has to expend intense labor in one’s fields; the Torah did not obligate one to give
תרומות ומעשרות to the כהן ולוי, for it isn’t proper for one who has strained, struggled, and sweated
to produce one’s crop to give it to another who didn’t exert any effort. In Eretz Yisroel, despite
the need to seed, plow, and harvest, nevertheless, our partner, Hashem provides the rain in its
‘right time.’ Therefore, our Partner demands us to give from ‘the part’ to the priests.
Let us ask; the amount of חלה is minimal, the mitzvah of חלה is one of three that a woman teaches
the world a fundamental of life, that being that all we have is a ברכה, blessing from Hashem. Its
not me, it’s Hashem who gifted one’s ability and also allows one’s effort to be actualized
successfully. If so, why would the Torah free us from the obligation and remove this life lesson
from those outside Eretz Yisroel?
Sensitivity! A person relentlessly diligently dedicates all their time and thought to produce a
product. It’s their constant focus from morning to evening, always ensuring that all their work is
done with complete responsibility, never slackening in their difficult labor. When the product is
finally realized, it represents the total implacable, unflinching commitment and devotion. The
Torah honors the person by recognizing their commitment to judiciously utilizing the talents
given by Hashem. “Your crop is a manifestation of who you are, it’s difficult to share it with
another, and it’s not correct to obligate you”
That is כביכול, “the leadership of Hashem”. One always has to with honesty and effort, selflessly
inquire, examine, absorb, and feel another’s emotional state and makeup. What applies to one,
doesn’t apply to another. Rather, one has to reflect on every situation another is in, spending time
and effort to truly comprehend what ones reaction should be- be it what to say! What to do!
