Musar sobre Números 25:1

They also expounded "the city of Sichon" in a different fashion, viz. (Ibid. 28): "For a fire has gone forth from Cheshbon, a flame from the city of Sichon. It has consumed Ar of Moav, the possessors of Arnon" — If a man makes himself like a young ass [ayir - similar to ir, "city"], which docilely follows the cajoling talk [(sicha, intimated by "Sichon") of its driver], in this case, the yetzer, "A fire will go forth from Cheshbon" — from those who reckon the account of the world, "a flame from the city of Sichon" — the tzaddikim, who are referred to as "sprouts" [sichin, intimated by "Sichon"], and it shall consume those who make no reckoning of their end." The explanation (in my humble opinion) is, according to the other phenomenon of which Chazal apprise us, that the rasha takes his portion and the portion of his neighbor [the tzaddik] in Gehinnom. This is the intent of "for a fire has gone forth from Cheshbon" — that is, the fire of Gehinnom, created by the sins of the tzaddikim will go forth from them, i.e., it will not prevail over them. And over whom will it prevail? Over the reshaim, who make no reckoning of their end. And thus, the conclusion of the verse: "It has consumed Ar of Moav" — intimating that it will consume the lusters, (viz. [Ibid. 25:1): "And the people began to lust after the daughters of Moav"). (Ibid. 21:28): 'the possessors of the heights of Arnon' — the haughty of spirit."

When the people began to sleep with the daughters of Moab as reported in Numbers 25,1, and even Zimri the prince of the tribe of Shimon cohabited brazenly with Kosbi, a Midianite princess, it became necessary for Pinchas, who was a descendant of the tribe of Joseph on his mother's side – בנות פוטיאל – to repair the damage inflicted by this immoral act by means of killing the chief perpetrators, Zimri and Kosbi. When the Holy Covenant with G–d had been breached by the Israelites, it took a descendant of Joseph, who had starred by maintaining that Holy Covenant, to restore the harmonious relationship between Israel and G–d. [The word Putiel which appears in Exodus 6,25 as a father-in-law of Elazar, Pinchas' father, is a play on words, i.e. pitpet – someone who can overcome his passions. Eleazar clearly had been interested first and foremost to marry into a family with such a background, the name of his wife and Pinchas' mother being a secondary consideration. Ed.] In Numbers 38, 6 Moses and the leaders of the community are described as והמה בוכים, "they were crying." I have found a comment in a book called עשרה מאמרות, that the letters in the word בכים are the initials of the words ברוך כבוד ה' ממקומו. The relevance of this comment escapes most commentators. When considering my approach, however, the words of Rabbi Menachem Azaryah (author of עשרה מאמרות) make good sense. We have said that due to the holiness of the seed of Yehudah impregnating Tamar and in line with the allusion found in the word אי"ה, the Jewish people would ultimately attain the level of holiness which makes it necessary for the angels to inquire from them where G–d's holiness is to be found. In our days the angels can chant only ברוך כבוד ה' ממקומו, "Blessed be the Lord from His place" (wherever that may be). Rabbi Menachem Azaryah told us in a cryptic manner that Moses and the elders cried because -through an act by Zimri and his brethren- Israel would be placed in the position of not knowing where the site of G–d's holiness was to be found. It required a Pinchas, i.e. Elijah the prophet who will announce the arrival of the Messiah until Israel would once again be able to supply the angels with the correct answer as to the whereabouts of the site of G–d's holiness.