Reflections on Parashat Pinchas
By Yisrael Yitzchak Rosenfeld
In the past several parashot, we have witnessed the tremendous power of negative speech. The devastation caused by the Spies, Korach and his followers, and Bilaam all stemmed from the misuse of words. But at the end of last week’s parashah and the beginning of this week’s, we encounter something entirely different.
Pinchas says nothing.
He simply rises and acts—silently, decisively. By refraining from negative speech, Pinchas fulfilled the first stage of serving HaShem through the power of speech:
“Turn away from evil.”
And HaShem was pleased with him. But that was not the end of the story. Pinchas had not yet used his speech to do good—to bless, to uplift, and to bring people together. Therefore, HaShem commands:
“Therefore, say…”
It is as though He is saying: The true strength of a Jew is not only in holding back harmful words, but in speaking words that build others up. Refraining from negative speech is an essential beginning.
But our deeper calling is this:
- To speak positively about others.
- To thank HaShem.
- To pour out our hearts in prayer and confession.
That is the true power of Jewish speech. Not merely remaining silent in the face of evil—but speaking words that bring life.
