Insight 5773-38: Retaliation

For Pinchus
Not yet available on the Nishma website.

Study Question

1) We can look at the two verses -- Bamidbar 25:18 and Bamidbar 31:2 -- demanding action against the Midianites as two poles with the material in between serving as a language of connection. The language them emerges as to the nature of this language. How are these two verses connected through this material? In this regard, there are various comments of Rashi that connect one section to another and it may be worthwhile to look at these in formulating an answer.

 2) This is more applicable to the latter statement of Rashi, Bamidbar 31:2 in that Na'amah is mentioned here while not mentioned in his earlier comment, yet one may still wonder why Na'amah is mentioned at all. Ammon and Moav are clearly connected but they were not specifically connected in the events here. Thus the question.