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Pinchas
Numbers 25:10-30:1
I Kings 18:46-19:21

A misunderstood anecdote from the early rabbinic period records that a Roman came to the sages Hillel and Shammai and said, "Teach me Judaism al regel achat."

This is often translated literally to mean "on one foot." Because the Hebrew word regel can mean either "foot" or "rule," the more accurate translation in this context is "Teach me Judaism in one rule." An impatient and exasperated Shammai threw the man out, whereas Hillel thoughtfully responded to the inquiry of the man who later became one of his disciples by saying: "What is hateful to you, do not do to any other person. All the rest is commentary. Go and learn."

Distilling the essence of Judaism into a brief statement has always been a challenge. Sages, prophets, rabbis and teachers have offered a variety of succinct maxims. In the second century, Rabbi Akiba believed that Judaism could be summed up by the biblical dictum: "Love thy neighbor as thyself." (Lev 19:18) Simeon ben Azzai quoted: "God created man in His image," as a reminder of that intimate kinship. (Gen. 1:27)

In the third century, Rabbi Simlai (Sanhedrin 81a) taught: "Six hundred and thirteen commandments were imparted to Moses." He condensed them by citing Psalm 15:

"Lord, who may dwell in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?
He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness
And speaks truth in his heart;
Who has no slander on his tongue,
Nor does evil to his fellow
Nor borne reproach against his neighbor;
In whose eyes a contemptible man is abhorrent,
But who honors those that fear the Lord;
Who stands by his oath even to his own hurt,
Who has never lent money at interest,
Or accepted a bribe against the innocent.
The man who acts thusly shall never be shaken.

Further reducing this formula, the rabbi pointed to Isaiah 33:15:

"He who walks in righteousness,
Speaks uprightly,
Spurns profit from fraudulent dealings
Waves away a bribe instead of grasping it,
Stops his ears against listening to infamy,
Shuts his eyes against looking at evil."

Still not satisfied, Rabbi Simlai further refined the essence of Judaism by citing the prophet Micah (6:8): "Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God." But looking for an even more simple declaration, he cited Isaiah 56:1: "Keep justice and do what is righteous." Finally, the rabbi offered a choice of two different affirmations, reducing the core of Judaism into a single dictum: "Seek Me and live," (Amos 5:4) or "The righteous shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4)

Pinchas, this week's Torah portion, affords a student of the Torah an opportunity to view the essence of Judaism from a different perspective. In the introduction to "Eyn Yaakov," a talmudic anthology written in the Middle Ages, the compiler Jacob ben Solomon ibn Habib cites a question once asked of three of Judah the Prince's students: What is the most inclusive verse in the entire Torah?

Ben Zoma suggested the Sh'ma; ben Azzai opined, "Love thy neighbor as thyself" (Lev. 19:18); ben Pazzi chose the verse from Pinchas: "You shall offer up one lamb every morning and one lamb every night." (Num. 28:4) Judah the Prince carefully listened to the responses and declared, "I agree with ben Pazzi," emphasizing that ritual practice is more important than expressing the oneness of God or righteous behavior toward a fellow citizen. This response is especially surprising because Judah often diminished the value of sacrifices and deepened the importance of study. But Judah wanted regular religious practice, most notably worship, to be a part of a person's life — every morning and every night.

Whereas it is one thing to subscribe to high ethical ideals, it is quite another to demonstrate faith daily by the observance of concrete deeds and not just high ideals and good intentions. Every Jew feels this tension because it forces a decision: to be a "special occasion" Jew who sees religion as an afterthought, or to be mindful of the practice of mitzvot — command-

ments that sanctify daily living.




Stephen S. Pearce is senior rabbi at the Reform Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco.

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