At the end of last week’s Parsha, Pinchas killed Zimri, the Nasi of Shevet Shimon and Kazbi the daughter of Zur, one of the kings in Midyan.
This week’s Parsha starts off by Hashem telling Moshe Rabbeinu, “Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron Hakohen has turned My anger away from Klal Yisrael by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the Bnei Yisrael because of My zealousness.
Rashi explains that since the tribes were degrading Pinchas saying, ‘look the son of Puti (grandchild of Yisro) who fattened calves for idol worship. (The name Puti is used for Yisro here because ‘Pitem’ means to fatten.) So he killed a Nasi in Klal Yisrael. Therefore the Passuk came and attributed him to being the grandchild of Aharon Hakohen who was the peacemaker in Klal Yisrael, his actions were justified and were with the correct intentions.
How could the Jews degrade Pinchas? Pinchas stopped Hashem’s anger through his daring act of zealousness. Didn’t they see that the plague that killed 24,000 Jews only stopped after Pinchas killed Zimri and Kozbi? Wasn’t that enough?
The answer is that when it comes to acts of zealousness it isn’t enough that the results and the consequences were praiseworthy. Such actions require pure motivations otherwise they are forbidden, no matter the outcome.
The Jews claimed that the motivation that drove Pinchas to do what he did wasn’t pure. It came from the non-Jewish blood of his grandfather Yisro who fattened calves for Avoda Zara.
Therefore the Torah had to come and make it clear that his intentions were pure and he is a descendent of Aharon Hakohen.
But were it not that his intentions were pure it would have been forbidden for him to take such action, even if the outcome was good.
Rabbeinu Yona (Shaarei Teshuva 3-219) writes that although one publicizes people who flatter falsely, but it is only permitted for someone who is completely clean from this sin. Otherwise it’s forbidden. Rabbeinu Yona brings the Passuk in Mishlei (24-28) don’t be a false witness against your friend. Rabbeinu Yona explains that if you and he are friends in this sin, don’t go out against him.
Rabbeinu Yona brings a proof from what happened with King Yeihu. King Yeihu was a big Tzaddik and he killed the whole house of King Achav and the priests of the Ba’al idol. But since he never removed the idols of Yeravam the Passuk considers his killing as murder and he was punished.
We find another example in the Gemara. Rabban Gamliel came and asked the Chachamim if there was anyone who could compile the Beracha against the slanderers and heretics (The Beracha Velamalshinim Velaminim). Shmuel Hakatan stood up and complied the Beracha.
Rabbi Yechezkel Abramski asked, what is so difficult to compile this Beracha? Yes, Shmuel Hakatan was very great, righteous, humble, a student of Hillel and a Heavenly voice called out that he was worthy of Divine presence like Moshe Rabbeinu, just his generation wasn’t worthy. But what does that have to do with composing a Beracha?
Rav Abramski answers that in Pirkei Avos we have a message from Shmuel Hakatan (4-19). Shmuel Hakatan said when your enemy falls don’t rejoice, and at his failure your heart shouldn’t be happy.
Our Rabbis tell us that the Tanaaim in Pirkei Avos said over lectures and messages of what they practiced and worked on. Their messages were their very essence. Only someone who is careful not to rejoice, when his enemy has a downfall. Only someone like that is worthy to compile such a Beracha.
Rabbi Chaim Soleveitchik once spoke about how one can define if a person who is zealous if his motives are pure or just an opportunity to have a good fight. Reb Chaim gave a parable. The mouse has two enemies that will try every way to kill it. The house owner and the cat. The house owner puts out a mouse catch, sprays pesticide killer. The cat hides looking out to catch his prey. But there is a major difference between the two. The house owner would be more than happy if the mice never appeared at all. It’s sickening and just the sight of the mice causes the stomach to throw up. The cat, however, is happy for every mouse it sees and even happier for every mouse it manages to catch. Without the mice life would be boring!
Pinchas wasn’t excited to be zealous but since his motives were pure it brought peace between Hashem and Klal Yisrael.
The message is clear. But let us take it to our personal lives. We get so angry how someone said something about us they shouldn’t have said, even though it was just a slip. And the truth is we are right. We have all the right in the world to be mad at them. But, on one condition. We never made any similar mistakes in our lives! We watch our tongue and never speak wrongly about anyone. We never poked fun, embarrassed, judged anyone unfavorably in our lives. Or maybe they could be our partners in crime or more likely our students.
How many times do we have some small or not so small impure motivation that suddenly turns us into such big Tzaddikim putting people right with our fullest energy and our loudest voices for everybody to hear. Because it is such a MITZVA that everyone should know what terrible sin that Rasha did. (And silently we thank Hashem that we weren’t caught in the same crime a few weeks earlier.)
Maybe the following story can give us a little idea in the purity and greatness of our true Tzaddikim. In Teveria was a Yeshiva called Ohr Hatorah. It was headed by three great Tzaddikim, Rabbi Moshe Kaliers the Rabbi of Teveria, Grand Rabbi Mordechai Slonim (Author Maamar Mordechai) and Slonimer Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham Weinberg (Author Bircas Avraham).
One student didn’t quite keep to the rules of the Yeshiva. It was Rabbi Odeser who started following the path of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov zt”l. He would spend many hours in seclusion as instructed by Rabbi Nachman. Rabbi Odeser was informed that if he doesn’t stop he will have to leave the Yeshiva. He came over to Rabbi Avraham Weinberg, later the Slonimer Rebbe and poured out his heart. “Rebbi,” he said, “what have I done wrong? I am following the path of my Rebbi, Rabbi Nachman!”
The Bircas Avraham replied, “you are right and I agree with you. But when the Roshei Yeshiva get together I will be a minority, one against three. But I have an idea for you. If you behave disrespectful to Rabbi Mottlel Slonimer I am sure when it comes to the meeting he will refrain from voicing an opinion. He will be scared that maybe his opinion is influenced by your disrespect towards him and his hurtful feelings against you. The purity of his heart won’t allow him to voice any opinion against you. That will leave us with two to decide and then it will be one against one, so there will be no decision.” And so it was.
