The Man Who Saved The Jews: Parashat Pinchas

Pinas begins by highlighting the heroic and impossible act that Pinas bin Elazar bin did. Now there are many people that consider things impossible until they see somebody else do it. How can we learn from this and use it for life of Torah and learn how to do the impossible? To begin, we know that at the end of last week's Balak Bam gave a idea to Balak after his plan of cursing Am did not work. He told him, "Listen, if you want to get is to get punished by God, then what you need to do is just simply cause them to commit immorality." And that's why Balak sent the daughters of his nation and Midian to go and make sins. And there were certain Jews that fell and made sins. They enticed them by making it as if it's a market. You could just come to the market. They put an old lady at the front to make it seem like it's a neutral, as if it's okay. But as soon as the Jews got there, as soon as Amad got there, he told, "Listen, there's better prices inside." And inside there was a uh beautiful woman that would entice them to sin. And then as soon as they would want to sin, she would tell them, "Well, first you have to worship my idol." So it just got from bad to worse. And at some point the act of Zim took place where Zimri wanted to embarrass Moshe Rabenu and therefore he took one of the Goyote Cosby and said, "I'm going to be with her even without marriage as if this is something that's allowed." And Pilas hears this. He sees the leaders of Amos Rabenu included crying crying at what's happening crying ate Zim is about to do Zim is doing and Pas says to Moshe Rabenu weren't you the one that taught us that if you see a Jew in the middle of an act of immorality with a non-Jew someone that's a canai, someone that's zealous for Hashem, truly zealous for Hashem can kill him. And Mashenu says, "Yes, you're right. You fulfill you uh remember the you do it." Now, this sounds simple, but in reality, when you read what the sages teach about the the details, which is that Zimri was the leader of the Shimon tribe. He was a king. He wasn't just some average person. He was surrounded by guards, armed guards, and they were willing to kill for him. Pimas had to follow him, hide the spear that he's going to kill him with, pretend like he's befriending the Shimon tribe, and he wants to sin just like them until he gets the opportunity to kill Zimli if he sees him in the act. Now at the end of the para there's a peculiar line that the talk about where it says in chapter 30 verse number one it's the last verse of the para Moshe said to the children of Israel according to everything that Hashem had commanded Moshe Nowad says why didn't it use different language here where it says that Moshe said to Is everything that Hashem commanded him why does it say like as if Moshe is speaking about in third person and says that's to answer and address all of those heretics that would think for a moment that maybe the oral Torah is not something that we got on Mount Si that perhaps Mosheu invented something or the rabbis invented something. Here Moshe is telling us everything that Hashem told me, I told you. I didn't add anything else to it. And from there we learn also that when you hear something from your rabbi and you want to tell somebody else, not only do you have to mention the source of you know that you heard it from your rabbi as the says that someone that mentions the source of where they got what they got brings the salvation closer just like brought the salvation after she told that uh she heard from that there's a plan to assassinate and because she said it in the name of Modai he was written in the book and later on that's how the salvation came but in addition to that we also learn that you not only have to mention the source you have to say it like he said it meaning don't add your own idea your improvisation your kush to it because it may lead others to think that maybe that's what your rabbi also said. How do you even know your idea is right? It could be problematic. And the point being is ra that here the Torah is telling us that killed Zim and Cosby. But the people initially did not like this. Who are you to rebuke? Who are you to protest? Who are you to take such a act? And a kadoshbu wanted to make sure that everyone knows that not only was this act right but this act brought mercy to the world as it actually saved all of Isel from being destroyed. As the sages tell us, says clearly to Mosheu that the zealousness of Pinas lowered the zealousness of Hashem, if you will, where he was about to destroy Israel. So I did not consume the children of Israel with my in my vengeance. And therefore he gives him shalom which is having the on him at all times. He'll he never dies. He becomes coin gdad. Lots and lots of blessings. But we see here one of the sources where the sages teach that someone that is rebukes and protests in the name of Hashem for the sake of the Torah not for their own you know personal benefits may be viewed by people as something unfavorable but in the eyes of not only is it favorable, not only is it blessed, but it actually brings mercy to the world. >> So anyone that is looking for ways to better his situation, protect himself, protect his family from the horrific situation that's around us, the terrorism and everything else, they must understand that the only way is to increase to more Torah, more life.