Lessons on Zealotry

And God spoke to Moses saying: Phinehas, son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest has turned my wrath away from the Children of Israel by jealously making My rights valid among them, so that I did not destroy the Children of Israel by demanding My rights.     

                                                      Numbers 25:10-11

The division of the parashot, in a way which disconnects Phinehas’ reward from the description of his actions [Numbers 25:7-8], is interesting. My father suggested that there is an important lesson here: a righteous zealot (in the positive sense) acts out of motivation to do God’s bidding, not out of considerations of the reward in store. Indeed, one who is motivated by the reward cannot be considered a zealot.

The wording of the verse teaches us other important aspects of the definition of a righteous zealot. It is unusual for the verse to include the grandfather’s name. Generally, the Torah mentions only the father’s name. Adding Aaron to Phinehas’ genealogy is most significant. As our Sages teach us, Aaron’s outstanding characteristic was a love of and pursuit of peace. The Torah, by including Aaron’s name teaches us that there are times when the pursuit of peace requires zealotry. Ultimately, only one who is motivated by a true love of peace can act as a zealot.

Phinehas exhibited his zealotry “among them,” among the Children of Israel. A righteous zealot does not run to the gentiles to complain about Israel’s actions, he is one who remains firmly within the camp of Israel and does not separate himself from his fellow Israelites.