Parashat Pinchus: Standing Up For Hashem

פִּֽינְחָ֨ס בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָ֜ר בֶּן־אַהֲרֹ֣ן הַכֹּהֵ֗ן

Parashat Balak seems to end like a “to be continued” episode of a show. Pinchas kills Zimri after he commits a detestable act of promiscuity and now our Parasha begins again with Pinchas. The Torah seems to praise Pinchas for taking the law into his own hands and defending Hashem’s honor and dignity.

There is one (at least) question that is glaring at us. We already were introduced to Pinchas last week, so why does the Torah feel the need to tell us the lineage of Pinchas as the son of Elazar and grandson of Aharon? Don’t we already know who he is?

Rashi explains that the Torah mentions his relationship to Aharon because the other shevatim were speaking disparagingly about Pinchas. They were asking how he felt he had the chutzpa to act on behalf of Hashem since his mother came from  family of idolaters. Therefore, the Torah tells us not to forget that his grandfather on his father’s side was Aharon and that gave him the right to act the way he did.

The commentary of the Kli Yakar offers an insight that teaches us a crucial lesson about our own spirituality. He says that the act of killing Zimri was not what made Korach so great. What made him great was him putting the kavod Hashem above all else; he put that kvod above public opinion, above peer pressure and above what everyone else was saying. They argued, how could you stand up for Hashem when you come from idol worshippers. They even said that your grandfather Aharon took part in the golden calf so how can you stand up for Hashem? But the conclusion was that all of this actually led to more kavod Hashem since Pinchas was able to withstand the pressure and do what he knew to be right.

This teaches us a crucial lesson; when we stand up for Hashem, His Torah, His mitzvot, etc - never be concerned that somehow your kavod will be diminished. On the contrary, stand up for what you know to be right despite what public opinion or public practice might be. This will not only lead to more kavod Hashem, but it will lead to more kavod for you as well.