Parshat Pinchas

Rav Johnny's original thoughts on the weekly parsha

I have long been taught that the reason why we don’t know the location of Moshe’s burial was a heavenly decision to ensure that Moshe’s grave didn’t become a shrine. However, according to the Midrash (Bemidbar Rabbah 20:24), this is not the reason. Instead, this was done as a divine punishment stemming from Moshe’s inaction during the events recounted towards the end of Parshat Balak and the beginning of Parshat Pinchas.

To give some context, in the final year that Bnei Yisrael were in the wilderness, we are told that Moabite women seduced male Israelites and encouraged them to participate in the worship of Ba’al at the mountain shrine called Peor (see Bemidbar 25:3). In response, a plague of pestilence broke out while, at the same time, God commanded that the ringleaders be killed. However, before this command could be carried out, a male Israelite called Zimri brazenly took a female Midianite called Cozbi (see Bemidbar 25:14-15), and he then challenged Moshe as to why he should not be able to have relations with Cozbi since Tzipporah – Moshe’s own wife – was herself a Midianite (see Shemot 2:21). In that moment Moshe, who was expected to have spoken up and rebutted Zimri’s insolent remark, did not do so. Given this momentary leadership vacuum, Pinchas zealously stepped up and punished both Zimri and Cozbi (see Bemidbar 25:8). Considering this moment, the Midrash (Bemidbar Rabbah 20:24) states:

‘Since Moshe was sluggish in his response, “no one knows where Moshe is buried” (Devarim 34:6). This is to teach us that a person needs to be as bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and mighty as a lion in order to fulfil the will of their Creator. From here we learn that God is scrutinizing in His judgement with the righteous with as much precision as a hairsbreadth’.

Before proceeding further, we may wonder what the connection is between the story of Zimri and Cozbi death, and Moshe’s burial? Notably, both occurred in the 40^th year of the wandering of Bnei Yisrael in the wilderness. But more significantly, it is because, when the Torah recounts Moshe’s death, it informs us that he was buried by God: ‘in the land of Moab opposite Bet Peor’ (Devarim 34:6). Thus, as Gemara Sotah 14a explains, Moshe’s burial in this specific location served both as a reminder and as a form of atonement for Moshe’s reactions (or lack thereof) to the events at Baal Peor.

Still, while there is clearly a connection between the story described in Parshat Pinchas and Moshe’s burial, how does the ‘punishment’ (i.e. Moshe’s burial site being hidden) fit the crime (i.e. Moshe not responding to Zimri’s challenge)?

Admittedly, this is a question that has stumped many commentaries. However, I believe that the answer is rooted in the rabbinic interpretation of being, ‘as bold as a leopard’ (see Tur, Orach Chaim 1:1) - which means that one should stand one’s ground even if someone taunts, intimidates or criticizes them. True, we value the trait of humility (which, significantly, Moshe was praised for – see Bemidbar 12:3). Still, being ‘as bold as a leopard’ means that we should be forthright when certain situations arise that demand a bold response (see Bemidbar Rabbah 4:20).

In terms of Zimri, he taunted, intimidated and criticized Moshe when he made reference to Tzipporah. At that moment Moshe should have boldly responded to Zimri - but he didn’t. Given this, why was Moshe buried in an unknown location? Because when it mattered the most, and when a situation arose when Moshe needed to speak up, Moshe was silent.

Rambam writes in his Hilchot Avel 4:4 that: ‘Markings are made on the graves and a tombstone is placed on the grave. For the righteous, by contrast, a tombstone is not placed, because their words will cause them to be remembered; a person will not need to visit in the cemeteries’. What this tells us is that the ultimate honour of the righteous is not a stone over their grave, but the fact that people will remember what they said in their lifetime.

In terms of Moshe, he doesn’t have a tombstone where he is buried because he was righteous. At the same time, the point being made by the Midrash is that there was at least one point in his lifetime when Moshe should have spoken up but did not do so.

Understood this way, we can now appreciate a later verse in Parshat Pinchas where, when God instructs Moshe about his successor Yehoshua, he asks Moshe to pass on his mantle of leadership, ‘so that the entire community of Bnei Yisrael will hear him (i.e. Yehoshua)’ (Bemidbar 27:20). And why is this so important? Because a leader needs to be sufficiently bold that even when directly challenged, they boldly speak up so that the people can hear them.

Shabbat Shalom!

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