“Be all that you can be,” the American Army slogan tells us. It’s good advice as far as I can tell. There’s a story of a Rav Zusha who was asked if he was worried that he wasn’t living up to the greatness of our ancestors. He responded that after 120 years, he wasn’t going to be held accountable for not having been the best Moshe he could be, but he would be held accountable for not being the best Zusha he could be.
Last week, we saw Pinchas, zealous to uphold the Torah, spear Zimri and his Midianite lover in the throes of their unholy union. This week Rashi brings in a reference from the Talmud which points out that only after doing so did Pinchas attain the status of high priest. He could have joined their ranks earlier when the others of his generation were anointed, but for some reason, it was deemed that he should wait. Later in the Pasha, the daughters of Zelophehad approach Moshe to inherit the land of their father in the absence of any male heirs to the property. Rashi wants to know why this story comes right after a rehashing of the story of the spies who spoke badly about the land of Israel. We already had a whole parsha on those spies; why is it brought up again here? Lastly, we’re reminded of the Korach saga, specifically the fact that his 250 followers were swallowed by the earth and consumed by flames, becoming “a sign.” What’s that all about?
Potential. It is at once an end point and a beginning. It’s something we’re always trying to reach even though we have no real way of knowing exactly what our potential is. Is it truly unlimited? Are there designated paths we must take to find it? Pinchas didn’t reach his potential to be a leader until he had testified to the depth of his commitment to law, to justice. Until he demonstrated the intensity of his commitment to holiness in life, he wasn’t ready to pass to the next level of his “avodah” (his role in the world) where he would help others to develop holiness. Zelophehad’s daughters are also demonstrating an intensity. Their love for the land of Israel was so unwavering that the decree of death for those that heard the spies’ report did not apply to them, or to any of the women of that generation. They saw the physical place of Eretz Yisrael as undeniably holy and were determined to root their new families in that land. In achieving these potentials for connecting to the holy, Pinchas and Zelophehad’s daughters joined the followers Korach in becoming a sign.
Rashi explains that at the time of their divisive abuse of power, Korach’s followers had thoughts of repentance in their hearts. G-d saw they were caught between the two worlds of cleaving to Hashem and embracing their independence, thus they were banished to a cliff which lay between the surface of the earth and the world beyond our existence. So, the second meaning for sign “oht”, connoting a reminder, is in use here. Remember the perils that division can bring about. But what of the actual word used in the Torah, “nes.” “Nes” implies a miracle is taking place (“nes gadol hayah sham,” a great miracle happened there…a miracle we celebrate on Chanukah). Well, the followers did not die, which is a miracle in itself; instead they were spared a death by fire and banished to a cliff within the earth. But more than that, they are reminding us of the “nes” that is our potential. The supernatural devices G-d employs aren’t half as miraculous as the achievements of our own fragile human hearts - hearts that year for love, justice, and growth.
Potential. Seeing someone reach it is a reminder to us all of how far we can go in this world. When potential is achieved it’s quickly apparent that it wasn’t an endpoint at all. The miracles we remember this week were merely beginnings. They are reminding us of the power, the responsibility we already have: to awaken each other, to be a sign for each other, and to see each other for the miracles we are.