Posted on 07/05/18
[Ed. Note] Out of the respect and recognition of the impact made by longtime BJL friend and contributor, Reb Shaya Gross, z’l, we will maintain a living memoriam to Shaya through the sweet words and thoughtful insights of his Divrei Torah. BJL readers will remember his weekly column on the Parsha and on various Torah ideas and concepts. These meaningful words will help us remember this special young man who will be sorely missed and for those who did not merit to know him, this will be the most appropriate way for them to become familiar with who he was.
This week’s Parsha begins by informing us that Pinchas received the covenant of peace rewarding his act of zealotry.
At first glance this seems ironic, a covenant of PEACE for being a ZEALOT???
But if we think about it a little deeper, with the understanding that Shalom means more than just peace but rather harmony and perfection, then it makes ‘perfect’ sense.
We are not a people who act solely with Chesed, as unbridled Chesed leads to immorality... Nor are we a people who act solely with Gevurah-strict judgment, as too much Gevurah in Chinuch pushes kids away... Rather we are a people who seek to fuse our Midos into perfection; using Chesed in its proper time, Gevurah in its proper time, and likewise with all other Midos.
The proper definition of shalom is having a perfect balance in all midos and using each mida in its proper time.
This is the hallmark of our Gedolim, a few that I have merited to meet and see for myself, and many more of whom I have read about. They may have some very strong opinions about certain topics and certain practices, but when you come to speak with them, their warmth, love and care is so evident.
This, I suggest, is the understanding of the covenant of Shalom concerning Pinchas. Pinchas, as the Torah emphasizes, was a grandson of Aharon, the quintessential lover of mankind. Pinchas had in his blood the warmth and love of Aharon. Yet when it came to matters that he had to take a strong stance on and act zealously, he did so. Hence he merited the covenant of SHALOM for his act!
May we all take this lesson to heart, to always work hard towards having a synthesis in our Midos, using each one positively in its appropriate time.