The Sword and the Spell — Pinḥas vs. Bilaam - Zealotry or Sorcery? A Clash of Worlds
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Show Notes
Parashat
Pinḥas
introduces us to the reward and eternal legacy of a man who acted with zeal,
truth, and complete selflessness. But to fully understand Pinḥas, we must contrast him with
another towering figure — one who also spoke with God, one who was considered a
prophet among the nations — the notorious Bilʿam.
Two
men. Two missions.
One
sword. One spell.
One
rooted in truth. The other swallowed by ego.
But
what happens when these two meet?
Let’s
begin not in our parashah, but in the next:
When
the Jewish army goes to war with Midyan, who do they find there?
Bilʿam.
He’s
not on the battlefield.
He’s
not in the beit midrash.
He’s
not prophesying.
He’s
collecting payment — for his wicked advice: “Send in the Midyanite women. Break
their morality, and you break their protection.”
And
it worked.
24,000
men of Shevet Shimʿon died in a plague.
176,000
were guilty of idolatry.
Bilʿam was being paid per Jew
lost.
But
Hashem doesn’t forget.
Enter
Pinḥas,
leading the army.
He,
the same man who halted the plague with a spear in last week’s parashah, now
brings justice with a sword.
The
Midrash (Yalkut Shimʿoni 771) says Bilʿam tried to escape using sorcery — he flew into the air! But
Pinḥas
invoked the Divine Name, and Bilʿam crashed down. One clean stroke — and the man who thought
his mouth ruled the world was silenced forever.
וַיַּהַרְגוּ אֶת־מַלְכֵי מִדְיָן עַל־חַלְלֵיהֶם… וְאֵת בִּלְעָם בֶּן־בְּעוֹר הָרְגוּ בֶּחָרֶב
(במדבר ל״א:ח׳)
“They
killed the kings of Midyan… and Bilʿam ben Beʿor they killed by sword.”
Not
by spell.
Not
by debate.
By
sword — because truth cuts deeper than illusion.