Does religious extremism relegate a zealot to a life of loneliness? Let's examine the title character of this week's Torah portion, Pinchas. After slaying a Midianite woman and an Israelite man with one thrust of the spear (while they were mid-sexual intercourse, no less!), Pinchas is rewarded with a promise of everlasting priesthood and what the Torah calls a "brit shalom," a covenant of peace. What on earth is the Torah trying to tell us here? In my remarks (see video), I propose that the Torah expresses a few concealed reservations about the self-motivated zealous action undertaken by Pinchas, and that in fact the Torah wishes for religious zeal to be tempered by shalom, the need to preserve peace in and among religious communities.Please read, watch, listen, and offer your remarks. I look forward to learning with you and from you! With Shalom!
Interesting that there was an Halachic law in effect that Pinchas claims he was taught by Moses. It states that if a tribal leader is caught in a sexual act with a non Israelite, he can be killed. The killing must be done during the sexual act. If not, then the intended killer is guilty of murder. Supposedly Moses either forgot or didn't remember the law and so Pinchas acted immediately in order to bring an end to the plague that had killed 24,000 Israelites, most from the tribe of Shimon, from which Zimri came. I am not going to say anymore because I hope to be able to lead a rather intense discussion on this Shabbat.
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