At the end of last week�s parsha, we read of a terrible plague, fulfilling Bilam�s suggestion to Balak for a �final solution� to his Jewish problem. To some extent, it is successful, as thousands are afflicted and die. Moshe hesitates (he forgets the halacha). Pinchas remembers it and courageously kills Kozbi and Zimri, thereby saving the nation. For this �violent� act, Pinchas is rewarded with a brit shalom, an eternal covenant of peace, in that he and his descendants become kohanim.

What attribute of Pinchas influenced him and guided his actions? Our Sages respond that it was his kana�ut, �zealousness�, which led to our salvation.
Strangely enough, this trait is often maligned. Overzealous and even foolish individuals are referred to as kana�im. They are perceived as trouble-makers and rabble-rousers!

That being the case, we must examine the sources and formulate a proper Torah perspective towards the attribute of kana�ut.

Rashi is our first stop. At the beginning of our parsha, he comments (25:11) ... �Because the tribes were humiliating him (i.e., Pinchas), [saying] ... �Did you see this son of Puti (i.e., Yitro) whose mother�s father used to fatten calves for idolatry (and) ... he killed a prince of a tribe of Israel...�, therefore, the verse traces his ancestry to Aharon.�

Rashi is difficult to understand. If the tribes questioned the yichus (lineage) of Pinchas, of what significance is his grandfather? It�s the mother who counts in establishing the Jewishness of the offspring!

The �Ohr Yahel� explains as follows. The halacha states Ahaboel aramit, kana�im pog�im bo�, one who has relations with a non-Jewish woman may be killed by kana�im. It is not a capital crime, however, as far as beit din is concerned. He continues by quoting Kind David, �ohavei HaShem sin�u rah,� only those with a special love of G-d may hate evil and act upon their impulses in a situation of chilul HaShem, desecration of the Divine name. Generally, one is to hate the evil (the rah), not the evildoer.

Therefore, the complaint of the tribes was not that Pinchas wasn�t Jewish. Rather, they questioned the purity of his motives. His grandfather used to worship idols. Perhaps the �spiritual genes� of Yitro are what motivated him to kill!

To this, G-d himself responds. The motives of Pinchas were pure! Aharon HaKohen, his other grandfather, affected his actions. What Pinchas did was totally leshem shamayim, for the sake of heaven, because Aharon was a �lover of peace� who devoted his life to creating harmony among men, as well as between G-d and man, through the Temple service.

Pinchas saw a lack of peace on a cosmic scale, evidenced by the plague G-d had wrought. He single-handedly brought about our salvation by his selfless act. For this, he received the kehuna, a covenant of peace, in that he and his descendants would now be kohanim forever, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Aharon.

The question remains, however. Why does Jewish society cast aspersions on kana�ut, the very midah by which we were saved? An answer can be found by careful analysis of the words of the Rambam. Listing the prerequisites for kana�ut, the Rambam states, (Hilchot Isurei Biah 12:4,5) �Anyone who has relations with a non-Jewess ... publicly ... if kana�im ... [kill him], they are praiseworthy ... and this matter is Halacha L�Moshe MiSinai. And proof of the matter is the story of Pinchas with Zimri ...

�But the kana�i may not touch them except at the time [of relations], as by Zimri ... But if he separated (from her), we do not kill him, and if he (i.e., the kana�i�) killed him, he (himself) can be killed [by the court]. And if the kana�i comes to ask permission of Beit Din to kill him, they do not rule (i.e., they don�t explicitly permit it) ... Not only that, but if the kana�i comes to kill the man, and the man slips away and kills the kana�i in order to save himself, the man is not killed [by Beit Din].

To sum up, there are several difficulties in implementing this halacha. (1) Killing the sinner can only be done at one precise moment. Acting a moment too soon or too late, the perpetrator can be condemned to death. (2) Consultation with Rabbinic authority will not result in justification of the zealot�s act. (3) If the sinners defend themselves and kill the kana�i, they are not executed.
The �upshot� is as follows: It is quite difficult to fulfill this halacha of �kana�im pog�im bo�. One�s motives must be completely pure. (If I hate the sinner, or have some other non-holy agenda, I�m a murderer.) In addition, one must perform the act in an exact manner, knowing full well that an error or imprecision will result in death!

Of course, we have the right to be suspicious of zealots, to question their motives, and to dissuade others from acting accordingly. Can one truly be so pure of heart? So courageous? So selfless? It is surely quite rare, almost impossible to find such a person!

Nevertheless, the other side of the coin, so to speak, is even more compelling. After all, Pinchas saved Klal Yisrael! If kana�ut is successful, a Kiddush HaShem results. That individual has brought the Divine Presence closer to Earth, and has blessed all of mankind through his actions. The midrash (Pirkei D�Rabi Eliezer) states that G-d told Pinchas, �Having brought about peace in this world, you will merit to [live forever and] herald the ultimate bringer of peace.� Pinchas is Eliyahu, they say, who will ultimately announce the coming of Mashiach!