Questions on Parshas Pinchos to think about and discuss:

1. How many miracles happened to Pinchos when he went to kill Zimri and Kosbi and what were they?
2. Why was the weapon chosen to be a used a spear more than anything else (e.g. a long sword)?
3. When else during the year do we read from Parshas Pinchos?
4. The act of Pinchos is mentioned already at the end of Parshas Bolok. The rest of it is mentioned in Parshas Pinchos. Why the split and not simply mention it all in Parshas Pinchos?
5. The mitzva of Yerusha, inheritance, is in Parshas Pinchos. It states that all the inheritance goes to the sons and not to the daughters. How can people nowadays apportion their inheritance different to this?
6. What unusual letter do we find in Parshas Pinchos and why?
7. After this episode with Kosbi, the Jews were told they could persecute Midyan. Why were they not allowed to also persecute Moav?
8. Why were they commanded to afflict Moav and not simply told to kill them (that only takes place later in Parshas Matos)?
9. Why the need to count the Jews again after the deaths in the plague?
10. The Torah is split into different parts as seen in the Sefer Torah by gaps of letters. These are seen in the Chumash as the letter Samech or Pei that stand for a Parsha Setuma, closed, or Pesucha, open. These usually happen at the end of the possuk, verse. In Parshas Pinchos (26:1) we find one in the middle of the possuk. What is the significance of this?
11. Why is the fact that the Bn’ei Korach did not die only mentioned in Parshas Pinchos, and not with the main story in Parshas Korach?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. The Gemora (Sanhedrin 82b) brings six miracles while the Targum Yonason (Bolok, 25:8) brings an additional six. They are: Zimri did not separate from Kosbi as then Pinchos could not have killed them; Zimri did not scream out for help; he pierced them exactly through the place of the sin so all could see what was happening; despite their sheer weight they stayed on the spear; the doorway of the tent was raised so Pinchos would not need to lower the spear and risk them falling off; the tribe of Shimon outside were distracted and did not attack Pinchos; the spear extended to go through both of them and still be seen on top; Pinchos’s arm were given the strength to keep holding the spear upwards with all the weight; the spear did not break; the blood of the sinners did not fall down and dirty Pinchos’s clothes; Hashem kept them alive so as not to make Pinchos tomai, impure; the positioning of them on the spear was switched.
3. On all festivals the maftir is from Parshas Pinchos, as all the korban mussafs are detailed in Parshas Pinchos.
4. Perhaps the idea here is that the actual episode with Pinchos is relevant to Parshas Bolok. This is because the purpose of Bolok calling Bilom was to cause harm to the Jews. Although Bilom’s curse did not work, nevertheless his advice with the Bnos Moav, the daughters of Moav, did succeed. It therefore makes sense to mention all of this in one parsha, namely Parshas Bolok. Parshas Pinchos then discusses the reward of Pinchos and this is then connected with the next part that discusses the counting of the Jews as will be explained.
5. The general idea of how halachic wills work is that instead of the inheritance being received after death, it is given as a present just before death. This enables parents to apportion their inheritance as they wish.
6. It is the letter Vav that is kitua, cut in the middle, found in the word “Sholom” when describing how Pinchos was promised kehuna forever. The Baal Haturim (25:12) offers several explanations as to what this symbolises. One is that this word is read without the Vav and reads “sholaim” meaning perfect, to teach that the work done by a Kohen with a blemish is invalid. (Gemora Kiddushin 66b)
7. Rashi (25:18) explains since Rus was to descend from Moav. The Midrash says since Moav was acting in self-defense while Midyan willingly entered the fray.
8. The Jews were negatively effected by contact with the non-Jewish women. Therefore they needed to do two things: the purpose of afflicting the Midyonim was for the Jews’ sake. It was to purge the Jews from their bad influence. Only once this was done then they had to prepare themselves to kill them and avenge the deaths of the Jews and this takes place later in Parshas Matos. (See Ohr Hachaim)
9. Rashi (26:1) brings two explanations. Ibn Ezra says to know which people were left to allocate the land of Eretz Yisroel to. The Alshich explains that it was to show all the Jews were meyuchosim, of good stock. Like when they left Mitzrayim they were counted to show that all the children were not born from adultery, so again when faced with the temptations of the daughters of Moav and Midyan, the Jews are counted to show they were still meyuchosim.
10. The Parsha Peshucha is found in the middle of the possuk that splits between the words “and it was after the plague” and the command to count the Jews. The implication is that
11. The Shach answers that this was for Moshe’s honour. Since he had davened that all the wicked people should be killed, it is not fitting to mention the Bn’ei Korach as having survived. Instead it is mentioned elsewhere, in Parshas Pinchos.

Questions on the counting of the Jews:

1. We find the Jews are counted twice in Sefer Devorim. Once in Parshas Bamidbar and again in Parshas Pinchos. Why the need for two counts?
2. When the shevotim, tribes, are counted their names appear surrounded by two letters of Hashem’s Name – the Hei and then the Yud (see Rashi 26:5). Why use these letters from This Name of Hashem as opposed to another Name of Hashem? Why pick the first two letters of This Name as opposed to the last two letters? Why put these letters in the reverse order and not first the Yud and then the Hei?
3. When counting the tribes and listing the names of the people the possuk sometimes goes off on a tangent and mentions other matters. The first time is when it mentions Doson and Avirom (26:9) and goes off to mention about the congregation of Korach. Why this divergence?
4. When during the count does it mention about the deaths of the sons of Yehuda, Eir and Oinon, who died. What impact does it have on the count?
5. Why is Serach Bas Osher, a woman, singled out to be mentioned in the count?
6. The Torah lists the number of Jews counted above the age of twenty who went to the army. What is the point of counting if this final number does not include all the Jews? Women, elders, babies, and above twenty who were not fitting for the army were not counted?
7. One of the reasons for the count was to find the number of people eligible for having a portion in Eretz Yisroel. Why have the count now when this would only come applicable after the seven years of conquering Eretz Yisroel when there then started the seven years of dividing the land?
8. Ramban (26:57) asks that since the count was to find out the people applicable to getting a portion in Eretz Yisroel, why were the tribe of Levi also counted? Levi was not given a portion of land?

Ideas for answers on the counting of the Jews:

1. See the introduction of the Netziv to Sefer Bamidbar…
2. This Name of Hashem is known as the Sheim Hoetzem, the main Name, whilst all the other Names are Kinuyim, additional Names. This Name therefore express a direct and special connection between Hashem and the world where He is seen as Supreme. The Gemora (Sota 17) brings that the man is associated with the letter Yud and the woman is associated with the letter Hei. Since this count follows on from the episode with Zimri that involved adultery, it comes to say that the sinners died and all those left are counted to show that they are pure in this area and there is Yechus. Therefore these letters representing men and women are used. The Kli Yokor explains the reason for the reversal is that the Hei representing the women appears first since the women were further away from being involved in aroyois, adultery, while we find that it was the men who did sin in this area and therefore their letter of Yud appears last.
3. See the Ohr Hachaim who learns from here that Doson and Avirom were the key culprits amongst the congregation of Korach…
4. Perhaps because it is expressing how had they not sinned then they would have had more children and this would have effected the count and increased the numbers of the tribe of Yehuda.
5. Ramban says that she was not actually the daughter of Osher but was his step daughter and was an only daughter. She was therefore coming like the Bnos Tzlofchod to claim inheritance on behalf of her father. This is taking on that the count was to determine who would be counted in order to know how to divide up and apportion Eretz Yisroel.
6. Rabbeinu Bichai points out from here that the real number of the Jews is never recorded. This is because numbers by definition means the thing is limited and therefore can be counted. However, the Jews are compared to the sand and stars and earth that cannot be counted.
7. Perhaps there is the idea of Moshe being involved and present by the counting which would not have been the case had they counted after entering Eretz Yisroel. …
8. Ramban gives two suggestions. The Leviyim did get a part in Eretz Yisroel in the form of the forty-eight cities of the Leviyim. Therefore, because of this, they like the other Jews had to be counted now as the dividing went according to the number of Jews alive then. Another answer is that since they are the special chosen tribe by Hashem to serve him, the need to be given respect and at the very least be counted like all the other Jews were. Perhaps i can suggest another answer. See the Meshech Chochma (26:63) and Chizkuni who point out that proportionally the tribe of Levi’s increase from the first count was much lower. Since the tribe of Levi was devoted to the service of Hashem, the other Jews were commanded to support them. In order that the other Jews should not complain, Hashem told them to count the tribe of Levi and show them that there were not so many Leviyim to support and feed!

Questions on the mussofim korbonous:

1. How do the mussofim korbonous, extra sacrifices for special days, come into Parshas Pinchos?
2. Why do we daven the special mussaf tefilla only on certain days?
3. The parsha starts by mentioning the korban tomid. What do we know about it?
4. Why out of all  the other sacrifices is the one of Shabbos the shortest?
5. Why by all the mussaf sacrifices it mentions that it was “lichatos” for a sin offering with the exception by the sacrifice of Shavuos?
6. Why by all the sacrifices does it mention to “vehikravtem“, to bring them close, while by the sacrifice for Rosh Hashana it brings “veacisem“, to do it?
7. Over the seven days of Sukkos, different sacrifices were brought, amongst them a goat every day. On some days it simply calls it “soir” and on other days it calls it “soir chatos“. Why the change?

Ideas for answers on the mussofim korbonous:

1. Perhaps we can see the idea from the previous parsha in Parshas Pinchos that deals with the passing of leadership from Moshe to Yehoshua. It seems that whilst Moshe was alive these mussafim were not required. This means that the generations spiritual level went down and therefore needed additional spiritual connection through these additional sacrifices on these special days when there is a greater influx of spirituality. (Perhaps this is similar idea to the Sforno (Shelach, 15:3) that we brought in Parshas Shelach Questions.)
2. Our mussaf davening is called so after the main part of the tefilla that is the description of the mussaf sacrifices mentioned in Parshas Pinchos. These days are singled out as special times of closeness and spirituality seen in these additional korbonous from the word korov, coming close to Hashem.
3.  See the 17th of Tammuz Questions where we discuss this as one of the five disasters was the stopping of the korban tomid. The basic idea is that it came day in day out, one by night and one by day, to atone for any sins done by day and night so that the Jews were in a constant state of purity.
5. Shavuos does not have any mention of a sin offering by it’s mussaf sacrifice since on this day the Torah was given and this itself brings atonement. (Baal Haturim, 28:3)
6. On Rosh Hashana we are like new born creations, being the Jewish New Year… (see Baal Haturim, 29:2)