The Book of Numbers, or Bamidbar in Hebrew, recounts a particularly troubling episode in the Israelites' wanderings. Specifically, our source today comes from Sifrei Bamidbar 131, and plunges us into the heart of a moral crisis at a place called Shittim. But the name itself hints at what’s to come. The text notes, with a grim sort of wordplay, that Shittim sounds like the Hebrew word sitoth, meaning "straying" – straying from God, from their purpose, from everything they were meant to be.
After great victories against Sichon and Og, kings of immense power, the Israelites found themselves swimming in spoils. They had conquered lands overflowing with resources, a stark contrast to the barren desert they had known. But instead of using their newfound wealth wisely, they became wasteful. The text says they "spoiled" the spoils, tearing apart garments and animals, caring only for silver and gold. It's a vivid picture of excess and a loss of perspective.
And that's when the real trouble started.
The people settled in Shittim, and the Moabites and Ammonites saw an opportunity. They set up markets, strategically placing alluring women – older ones to lure the men in, and younger ones to seal the deal. These women offered flaxen garments at tempting prices. It was a classic honey trap, a carefully constructed scheme to lead the Israelites astray.
As the men indulged in food and drink, they were enticed by the women. One would offer wine, specifically "Ammoni wine," the wine of idolators, which hadn't yet been forbidden. Under its influence, the women would suggest bowing down to Peor, a local deity. The text tells us that the act of worship was particularly degrading: baring oneself before the idol. Can you imagine the shame and spiritual pollution? It’s a disturbing image, this blatant disregard for their covenant with God.
The downward spiral continued. The women encouraged the men to "veer off" from the Torah of Moses, as (Hosea 10:10) puts it. They were invited to idolatrous banquets, further entangling them in foreign practices. The lure of the forbidden proved too strong for many.
Rabbi Elazar b. Shamua offers a chilling analogy: just as a nail cannot be removed from a door without wood attached, an Israelite could not leave Peor without souls attached – without being stained by its corruption.
The text even includes a few shocking anecdotes that show just how pervasive this corruption became. One story tells of a man named Pinchas, who, after being assailed by the "spirit of Peor," defended himself with a spit. Another tells of a man from Ullas who hired his donkey to a gentile woman, and ended up participating in the idol worship himself, just to fit in. There’s even a tale of a governor who tried to worship Peor with a sacrifice, only to be met with scorn, as the locals explained that the true worship involved indecent exposure. Disgusted, he slaughtered them.
These stories, though brief, paint a disturbing picture of a society losing its way, succumbing to temptation, and abandoning its moral compass. It highlights the dangers of assimilation and the seductive power of idolatry.
The consequences were swift and severe. God commanded Moses to "take all the heads," the judges of the people, and hang them up. Moses instructed the judges to slay those who had joined themselves to Ba'al Peor. A plague broke out, and thousands died.
And then, we have the infamous story of Zimri, a prince of the tribe of Shimon. Defiantly, in broad daylight, he brought a Midianite woman, Kozbi, into the Israelite camp. It was a brazen act of rebellion, a slap in the face to Moses and the entire community. According to the text, the tribe of Shimon even taunted Zimri, urging him on because they believed the other tribes were unfairly targeting them.
At this moment of crisis, Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron, stepped forward. Filled with righteous zeal, he grabbed a spear and entered Zimri's tent. In a single, decisive act, he pierced both Zimri and Kozbi, ending the plague.
The Sifrei Bamidbar describes a series of miracles that occurred during this act, emphasizing the divine intervention. The couple was held together, their mouths sealed, and they were transfixed in a way that left no doubt as to their sin. The lintel of the tent was lifted so that all could see, and Pinchas was protected from the wrath of Zimri’s tribe. The text even says that Zimri was overturned upon Kozbi, so that all could see that their death was ordained.
(Psalm 106:30-31) says, "Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed. And that was reckoned to him as righteousness, from generation to generation forever."
This narrative is brutal, shocking, and deeply disturbing. It serves as a stark warning about the dangers of temptation, the importance of moral leadership, and the consequences of straying from one's spiritual path. It raises difficult questions about zealotry, divine justice, and the role of violence in maintaining moral order.
It reminds us that even after experiencing miracles and receiving divine commandments, we are all susceptible to temptation. It is a call to vigilance, a reminder to guard our hearts and minds against the allure of the forbidden, and to remain steadfast in our commitment to a higher purpose. How do we ensure that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past? How do we remain vigilant against the forces that seek to lead us astray? These are questions we must continue to grapple with, as individuals and as a community, if we are to learn from the tragic story of Shittim.
Variantly: "And Israel sat in Shittim": in the place of sitoth ("straying" [from the L-rd]). When Israel were in the desert, a place devoid of seed, figs, wine, and pomegranates, they came and waged war against Sichon and Og, who fell into their hands, and they took all that was theirs. That kinG-dom was proud and haughty, though they had only four provinces worthy of the name — Asia, Alexandria, Carthaginia, and Antiochia, while these (Sichon and Og) had sixty cities, all worthy of "kingdom," viz. (Devarim 3:4) "… sixty cities, the entire province of the palace, the kingdom of Og in the Bashan." Israel came and waged war against them and they fell into their (Israel's) hands. But when Israel was surfeited with the spoils, they began "spoiling" the spoils — they tore apart garments and cast them away and tore apart beasts and cast them away — for they sought only vessels of silver and gold, viz. (Devarim 3:7) "and every beast and the spoil of the cities we 'spoiled' unto ourselves." "They came and sat in Shittim," in the place of sitoth. At that time Ammonim and Moavim arose and built markets for themselves from Beth Hayeshimoth until Har Hashaleg, where they installed harlots, old ones outside and young ones within, who sold flaxen garments. When an Israelite would eat and drink and make merry and go out to promenade and to buy something from the old one, she would offer it to him at cost, whereupon the young one would call out to him from within, saying "Come and buy it for less," and he did so. The same, the next day and the day after. The third day she would say to him "Come inside and pick for yourself — you're like one of the family." He obliged. The pitcher near her was full of Ammoni wine, the wine of idolators having not yet been forbidden to Israelites. She: "Would you like to drink some wine?" He obliged, and when the wine burned in him he said to her "Consent to me," at which she took an image of Peor from under her breast-band and said to him: "My master, if you want me to consent to you, bow down to this." He: "Can I bow down to idolatry?" She: "What difference does it make to you? I am only asking that you bare yourself before him." (The sages ruled that baring oneself to Peor is its mode of worship.) The wine burned in him and he said "Consent to me." She: "If you want me to consent to you, 'veer off' from the Torah of Moses." And he did so, as it is written (Hoshea 10:10) "They veered off to shame (i.e., to idolatry); and they became detestable (to Me) in loving (the daughters of Moav)." In the end, they reverted to (their practice of) making idolatrous banquets for them to which they invited them, as it is written (Bamidbar 25:2) "And they (the Moavite women) called the people to the sacrifices of their gods, etc." R. Elazar b. Shamua says: Just as a nail cannot be removed from a door without wood (attached), so, an Israel cannot leave Peor without souls (i.e., without adhesions thereof). Once, Pinchas from the district of Ariach was rolling (wine-) jars, when the spirit of Peor assaulted him, whereupon he brandished the spit against it and it fled. It returned to him the second night, saying "Why did you curse me." Pinchas: "I won't do it again." Once, Sabbatia of Ullas hired out his donkey to a gentile woman. When she came to the outskirts of the province, she said to him: "Wait until I bare myself in its temple." After she left, he said to her "Wait for me until I go in and do as you did." She: "But you are a Jew!" He: "What difference does it make to you?" He went in, (did his "devotions,") and wiped himself on the nose of Peor — whereupon the gentiles praised him, saying "No one ever equaled you in this (worship)." Once, a governor came from abroad to bow down to Peor. When he said to them "Bring a bullock or a ram, which we sacrifice to it," they said to him "We don't worship him in that manner. All you have to do is bare yourself before it" — whereupon he loosed his cohorts upon them, who split their skulls, (the governor) saying "Woe unto you and to your error!" Not so, (i.e., not as the governor) the Israelites, of whom it is written (Bamidbar 25:3) "And Israel attached itself to Ba'al Peor (at that time) and the L-rd was wroth with Israel." (4) "And the L-rd said to Moses: Take all the heads (i.e., judges of the people, and hang them (the Peor worshippers) up … in the face of the sun." (5) "And Moses said to the judges of Israel: Slay each (of you) his (two) men that have joined themselves to Ba'al Peor." The tribe of Shimon came to Zimri: "You are sitting in peace while we are being slaughtered!" — whereupon he gathered 24,000 of his tribe, came to Kozbi, and said to her: "Consent to me." She: I will consent only to the greatest of you, (someone) like Moses your master." He: "I, too, am the chief of a tribe. And, what is more, I am greater than he, (Shimon) being second (of the womb of Leah), while he (Levi) is (only) third," saying which he seized her and stood her in the midst of all of Israel, viz. (Ibid. 6) "And, behold, a man of the children of Israel came, and he brought near to his brothers the Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and they wept at the door of the tent of meeting." At that time Pinchas cried out "Is there no one here who is ready to kill and to be killed! Where are the lions?" (Bereshit 48:9) "A lion's whelp is Judah," (Devarim 33:32) "Dan is a lion's whelp" — whereupon he began to shout. Seeing that all remained silent, he arose from his sanhedrin, took out his spear and placed it (i.e., the blade) in his (hollow) belt, supported himself on its haft, and left. (Seeing him about to enter her tent,) they called out to him "Pinchas, where are you going?" He replied: "Is Levi always to be greater than Shimon?" ("Zimri can do it, so can I,") — at which they said "Let him go in" — whereupon the perushim (the "devout" among them) permitted the thing. Once he entered, the L-rd performed six miracles: the first: Normally they would have separated (upon his entrance), but the angel kept them joined. The second: The angel sealed their mouths so that they could not cry out. The third: He transfixed them (with the spear) in their (conjoined) genitals, for the "benefit" of the skeptics, so that they not deny their cohabitation and maintain that he had gone in for the same purpose. The fourth: They did not slide off from the spear but remained in their places. The fifth: The angel lifted the lintel so that they both could appear to all slung from his shoulders. The sixth: When he left, the men of his (Zimri's) tribe, rose up to kill him, and the angel fought them off. When Pinchas saw that too much havoc was being wrought by the angel, he cast them to the ground and stood up and intervened, viz. (Psalms 106:30-31) "And Pinchas arose and intervened, and the plague ceased, and it was reckoned to his merit." And six more miracles were performed for him: The seventh: The blade of the spear was lengthened until it transfixed both bodies and projected upwards. The eighth: The arm of Pinchas was strengthened (to support such a burden). The ninth: The haft did not break. The tenth: Their blood did not descend on Pinchas so that he not become tamei. The eleventh: The Holy One Blessed be He kept them alive so that they not die and cause Pinchas to become tamei. The twelfth: The uppermost (to be thrust through) is the lower on the spear (when it is lifted), but in this instance, Zimri was overturned upon Kozbi, as in the act, so that all of Israel could see that their death was ordained.
