Owner of a Broken Vav

“Briti shalom – My covenant of peace” (Bamidbar 25:12)

Pinchas is a complicated character. He stands up in the face of a public violation and, literally, sticks it to the perpetrators, executing them for their violation. While the Sages and commentators struggle to unpack and explain his actions, the Torah explicitly mentions Pinchas’ reward as being shalom.

How might we understand shalom (peace) as the reward for such a violent act? The Talmud (Kiddushin 66b) notes that the reward come with a catch:

“Rav Naḥman says: The letter vav in the word shalom is severed.”

While usually a broken letter in the Torah disqualifies it from being used, in this case, the letter vav MUST be broken. The Torah must be the owner of a broken vav.

Why?

On one level, the broken letter of Pinchas’ reward of peace is fitting. It reflects the natural tension we feel that a violent act is rewarded with peace. In the words of one rabbi, “Peace occasionally must be broken for a higher purpose, and peace achieved through violence will always be incomplete.” This reflects the sentiment expressed by many Sages in the Talmud that the behavior of Pinchas does not serve as an example for anyone trying to respond to Jewish bad behavior. The actions of Pinchas took place in a very specific time, place, and situation. Pinchas was rewarded by God, it is only God who determines when similar actions need to be taken. The broken vav serves as a kind of asterisk to Pinchas’ reward so that we draw the appropriate lessons from Pinchas and not see his behavior as proscriptive in how we might react.

Rabbi Moshe of Coucy (13^th century) notes that Pinchas’ actions take place in one parsha (Balak), while the word is in the next (Pinchas). The broken vav explains the break in the story. A thin line separates impulsive intolerance from righteous zeal. Time clarifies motivation. The pause between Pinchas’ action and his reward represents a period of observation. Only with the passage of time and gauging the aftermath of Pinchas’ actions was Pinchas worthy of a reward.

Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski sees this explanation as relevant to each of us. Many things that we do or experience in life are unclear until after time goes by. Our children may sometimes act in ways we wish they didn’t. Sometimes, it’s a phase, and, sometimes, it’s not. Activists and protesters sometimes have their own personal motivations, and, sometimes, they are genuinely acting in defense of their values. The strength of one’s conviction can only be measured with the passage of time, after a break, with a broken vav.

Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin of Volozhin, the Netziv, has a different take on the broken vav. He speculates that the broken “shalom - peace” in the verse is a negative reflection on Pinchas. In our text Pinchas comes off as a hero, willing to risk life and limb to defend God’s honor. However, later (Shoftim 17), when Michah builds an idol, Pinchas, as the then-leader of the nation, could have been expected to protest but did not act with the same zeal. The broken vav is a reminder that consistency counts. Even the hero of one story needs to be encouraged to remain consistent. We can’t pick and choose when to be zealous and when not.

The Ba’al Haturim connects the broken vav of shalom with the vav that is often missing from the name Eliyahu. There is a rabbinic tradition (or connection made) that Pinchas was Eliyahu. They were the same person. The broken vav and the missing vav remind us that complete shalom, peace and completion, is illusive and will only be achieved at the End of Days. Until then, we try to do our best.

The broken vav is no mistake. It comes as a symbol of complexity and that the ends don’t always justify the means, as a reminder that it sometimes takes time to fully appreciate the full impact of actions, as a warning against inconsistency, and as a sober truth that brokenness exists. Our job is to live the brokenness and strive to repair it.