Parshat Pinchas: Hand to Head

The bulk of this week’s parshah focuses, either directly or indirectly, on one theme: the end of Moshe’s leadership. In the concluding verses to this theme, Moshe requests of God to “appoint a man over the assembly” (Numbers: 27: 16) who will take his place as the new leader of the Jewish people. The Torah depicts God’s response as follows:

“Hashem (God) said to Moshe, ‘Take to yourself Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lean your hand upon him’ ” [Numbers: 27: 18]

As in other instances in the Torah, the “leaning of the hand” refers to leaning ones hand on the other party’s head. What is the meaning of this act? Is it merely a ritual that lacks any real importance, or does the “leaning ones hand over the head” contain deeper significance? And what intrinsic connection does it have to the theme of transmitting leadership?

The idea is quite simple. The “hands” represent the mode of action, while the “head” represents the mode of thought. On one level, the act of placing the hands over the head hints to the idea that “action” and “thought” are meant to be intertwined with one another. As humans, it is incumbent upon us to realize that our thoughts and beliefs parallel our actions in this world. As we all know, believing one thing but acting another is known as hypocrisy. We must live the belief! This is a very difficult feat, but with commitment and patience, it will surely come. Upon being inaugurated as the new leader of the Jewish people, it was crucial for Joshua to understand this concept and keep it on his mind (no pun intended) always. A leader’s deeds must follow his beliefs and values in order to truly have a lasting impact on his people.

Perhaps on a deeper level, the act of placing the hands over the head signifies the idea that action is superior to thought. Yes, we are meant to contemplate and meditate upon the greatness of God. Yes, we were given the Torah in order to expound it and break our heads over it. But if all our efforts only go as far as our own thoughts, we have missed the point. As Jews, we are meant to spread the light of Godliness and Torah throughout the world, and this can only be done by means of our outward actions. Moshe was commanded to convey the message to Joshua that becoming a leader is not about being the wisest guy on the block! A leader can only sincerely affect his people through his actions alone. (*see footnote*)

This idea runs throughout the Torah: Upon receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, we cried out “We shall do, and we shall understand”; the Jewish people understood that to truly accept the yoke of Torah, the “doing” takes precedence over the “understanding”. This can also explain why, when putting on Tefillin, we were commanded to put on the Tefillin for the arm first, and only then to put on the Tefillin for the head. This basic principle of Judaism is meant not only to run through the words of the Torah, but through our veins!

The term of “leaning ones hands” is also used nowadays for when somebody obtains a rabbinic degree (“Smicha” means “the act of leaning”). A Rabbi is supposed to view himself as one of the many leaders of the Jewish nation, and is especially supposed to develop a deep relationship between his thoughts and actions in order to influence his students. Whenever someone receives a blessing, it is very common for the other party to place their hands upon his head (one example is the widespread custom for fathers to bless their children on Shabbos night before Kiddush). Before reciting or receiving any blessing, it is critical to recognize that one of the greatest blessings is the ability to fuse ones thoughts and actions together and to truly understand how much greater our actions are than our thoughts. May we merit to receive this blessing and practice it forever.

Good Shabbos,

NZL


*It is very interesting to note that verse 23, which describes how Moshe carried out God’s command, says that Moshe “leaned his hands upon him…”. When God commanded Moshe, he to told him to lean his “hand” in the singular! Why the change? There are many answers to this question. One possible answer, which relates to our idea, is that action can be divided up into two categories: (1) Action, as we know it, and (2) Speech, which can be viewed as action as well. The Talmud discusses the possibility of speech being considered an action, and the idea is also brought down in Tanya as well. It is fairly obvious that the power of ones words can also seriously impact others, if not more. Moshe therefore leaned both his hands upon Joshua.

I only spoke about the precedence of action over thought in regards to man’s relationships to his fellow human beings. But the idea of course applies to man’s relationship with God. It is a common teaching of the sages that although we may not have the proper intention and concentration while performing the commandments, we must perform them nonetheless. The idea also applies to man’s relationship with himself; very often, one’s own actions are what accord him with feelings of accomplishment and self-worth.