Courageous Act of Pinchas

The action of Pinchas was one of the more controversial incidents in the Torah. Many felt that he acted irrationally by taking the law into his own hands.

After he miraculously killed Zimri and the Midianite princess, Kozbi, many people distanced themselves from him. They felt that Pinchas acted hastily and gave into an uncontrolled rage.

It was only after Hashem had intervened, was it clear that he had done a heroic act that stopped the plague that had already taken the lives of 24,000 members of the Tribe of Shimon.

When someone sincerely acts on behalf of Hashem, and he cannot tolerate seeing a desecration of His name, he will only succeed if his intentions are pure.

The action of Pinchas resembles the act of Dan’s son Chushim, who was deaf. Eisav had made a lot of trouble by not allowing the burial of Yakov Avinu. They were going to wait for the speedy Naftali, to bring the deed of ownership from Egypt.

Chushim would not have any of this desecration of his saintly grandfather, Yakov. He simply cut off the head of Eisav, to put a stop to that spectacle.

Pinchas was blessed with a covenant of peace for his selfless, devoted act. It’s tough to be a zealot, but when someone chooses that path, he had better follow the example of Pinchas and Chushim.