Short-term memory

Parsha and its Implementation - Pinchas - Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald - 5779

The Stories of Balak and Bil'am and the sin with the daughters of Moav accompany us in reading the Parashot Pinchas and Matot as well. In reading the Torah every year, we preserve our collective memory of Balaam and Balak's conspiracy with the Moabite girls and its traumatic consequences thousands of years after they occurred. Like the other formative events of our distant past and of key figures in history.

In our Parasha, Pinchas is praised by G-d for his conduct in the crisis with the daughters of Moav:

פִּֽינְחָ֨ס בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָ֜ר בֶּן־אַהֲרֹ֣ן הַכֹּהֵ֗ן הֵשִׁ֤יב אֶת־חֲמָתִי֙ מֵעַ֣ל בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּקַנְא֥וֹ אֶת־קִנְאָתִ֖י בְּתוֹכָ֑ם וְלֹא־כִלִּ֥יתִי אֶת־בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּקִנְאָתִֽי׃

“Pinchas, son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites by displaying among them his passion for Me, so that I did not wipe out the Israelite people in My passion" (Bamidvar 25:11). He is rewarded with a covenant of peace and the eternal status of priesthood:

לָכֵ֖ן אֱמֹ֑ר הִנְנִ֨י נֹתֵ֥ן ל֛וֹ אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֖י שָׁלֽוֹם׃ וְהָ֤יְתָה לּוֹ֙ וּלְזַרְע֣וֹ אַחֲרָ֔יו בְּרִ֖ית כְּהֻנַּ֣ת עוֹלָ֑ם תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר קִנֵּא֙ לֵֽאלֹהָ֔יו וַיְכַפֵּ֖ר עַל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

“Say, therefore, ‘I grant him My pact of friendship. It shall be for him and his descendants after him a pact of priesthood for all time, because he took impassioned action for his God, thus making expiation for the Israelites.’” (Ibid 12-13).

In the historical perspective, Pinhas did indeed merit that his dedication be commemorated for generations, and to great priests from his family:" ברית כהנת

עולם כל כהנים גדולים שהיו במקדש אפילו בתחלת בית שני היו מפנחס כדכתיב בדברי הימים ואלעזר הוליד את פנחס וגו'.

ברית כהונת עולם, “the covenant of an everlasting priesthood;” All the High Priests following the High Priest Pinchas, who succeeded his father Elazar, who functioned during the period of the first Temple, and even beyond, during the early period of the second Temple were direct descendants of Pinchas as spelled out in Chronicles I 5,30. (Chizkuni Bamidvar 25:13).

In the Haftara of Parashat Balak we read the words of the prophet Micah concerning the obligation to remember this event for generations: "

עַמִּ֗י זְכָר־נָא֙ מַה־יָּעַ֗ץ בָּלָק֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ מוֹאָ֔ב וּמֶה־עָנָ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ בִּלְעָ֣ם בֶּן־בְּע֑וֹר מִן־הַשִּׁטִּים֙ עַד־הַגִּלְגָּ֔ל לְמַ֕עַן דַּ֖עַת צִדְק֥וֹת ה'׃

“My people, remember what Balak king of Moab Plotted against you, and how Balaam son of Beor Responded to him. [Recall your passage] From Shittim to Gilgal— And you will recognize the gracious acts of Hashem.” (Micah 6: 5).

To remember what happened and the divine providence that saved the people of Israel from Balaam's curses. Because of the importance to remember:

...בקשו לקבוע פרשת בלק בקריאת שמע ומפני מה לא קבעוה משום טורח צבור.

… "The Sages sought to establish the blessings of Balaam that appear in the Torah portion of Balak, as part of the twice-daily recitation of Shema. And why did they not establish it there? Because extending Shema would place an encumbrance on the congregation, from which the Sages sought to refrain” (Berakhot 12b).

Although it is decided not to say it every day because of the “Tircha DeTzibura” –(encumbrance on the congregation), but it is necessary to learn from the intention of mentioning it, that the affair has general bases and principles that we should reflect on every day.

Indeed, we mention it to a certain extent by saying "Ma To’vu”" every morning, and there are Sephardic congregations that include reciting the "ten recollections" every day.

The memory of the specific event is embraced in the obligation to preserve the memory of the events that have formed our history, in some Siddurim, there is a list of verses called “Zchirot” (reminders) to say after prayers.

Thank G-d, we do not lack memory. We remember! We have the talent and the obligation to remember.

Recollection is the heroism of talent, spiritual and even psychophysiological forces; forgetfulness is a weakness, and there is a special expression in the books: forgetfulness is הַסִּטְרָא־אָחֳרָא - the Other Side – impurity. Sometimes one forgets oneself, we must remember who we are, “what we are, what our lives are” etc. (Harav Zvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook).

The memory strength of the founding events of the nation, and the memory of national destiny are elements of national power.

The Torah often emphasizes the "remembrance of the exodus from Egypt," as the root of the spiritual and national existence of the people of Israel, a root that radiates into the future. For if we remember where we came from, we will know where we are going! And we shall strive with all our might. As one article says, "remembering is the secret of redemption!"

In the modern era, it is important to preserve the collective memory of the founding events and the actions of key figures throughout history. Both from the distant past and from the near.

Modern media creates a flood of information that overloads memory. The real and imaginary media dramas that nourish the media transmission time every day and every hour, cause a shortened scope of public memory.

צרות אחרונות משכחות את הראשונות

“more recent troubles cause the earlier troubles to be forgotten” (Berakhot 13a)

The shortening of public memory works in both directions. You forgot those who acted for the public good and did not receive the respect they deserved, and forgot those who failed and made it worse and caused damage to the public. Even if we are dealing with events from the recent past that are forgotten with overloaded information.

Sometimes, someone has an interest in which he seeks to extract from the past, events that seemed to have been forgotten already, and sometimes rewrite the past, according to his needs. On the other hand, there are quite a few bodies and people who base themselves on the short-term memory of the public. Events that they would like the public to forget, but for the benefit of the public should remember and not forget their actions and achievements. And if for a moment it escaped his memory, some people should remind him.