The gemara instructs us: Hedavek b'midosov, "cleave in His attributes".

The Baal Shem Tov points out that Chazal do not say hedavek l'midosov, "cleave to His Attributes."

The is is to teach us that we must strive to emulate the inner aspect of Hashem's Midos, rather than the external aspect.  For example, if a person is acting only externally with the attribute of chesed, kindness, he is not acting with gevurah, strength.  Externally, these two attributes are distinct and are opposites.  However, the person who truly seeks to serve Hashem, seeks to cleave to the inner Vitality of the attributes, for inwardly, there are no divisions (Hashem Echad), and within chesed is included gevurah, and within gevurah is included chesed.

According to this, we cannot define true chesed, kindness, as an act that a person does out of weakness.
Nor can we define gevurah, strength, as an act that is motivated by anger or lack of compassion.
This formula is mandatory in order for a person to truly  be emulating Hashem's Ways, in order that his deeds be of true kindness and of true strength.

After the damage caused by Bilaam Harasha, when he incited the bnos moav on Am Yisrael, there was great danger pending over Klal Yisrael.
Pinchas, through his act of zeal, by slaying Zimri and Kosbi, caused the nation to have thoughts of Teshuva, repentance.  Thus, he atoned for the nation, and saved them from destruction.

Tachas asher kinai l'Ailokov, vayechaper al Bnai Yisrael.
"because he was zealous for his G-d, and he atoned for Bnai Yisrael."

KANA'US, translates as zealousness.  When a person acts with idealism, in a situation where the odds are against him, and he stands no natural chance, he is called a Kanna'i, a zealot.
The medrash calls Avraham Avinu a kanna'i.  Avraham Avinu went to fight against the four kings, despite the fact that he was no match at all for them.  They had already conquered an alliance of five kings in their quest for power and glory; yet Avraham was ready to fight them with only a handful of men.   Avraham Avinu set out for battle, an act of gevurah, motivated by his great love for mankind, his chesed.

After Pinchas had slain Zimri and Kosbi, the tribes began mocking him.  They accused him of taking after his maternal grandfather, Putiel or Yisro, who had fattened calves for idol worship.  In effect, they were declaring that his act of kana'us was motivated by his murderous, angry nature, characteristic of the midianite nation of which he was a descendant.

In truth, Pinchas, like Avraham Avinu, was motivated by great love and compassion.   "Pinchas, the son of Elazar the son of Aharon has turned My anger..when he was zealous for My sake AMONG THEM."  He took after his grandfather Aharon HaKohain, the great ohev shalom, ohev es habriyos, in his deep love for Klal Yisrael.  When he was zealous, it was "among them," he did not act out of superiority and disdain, but out of profound concern.  Vayefallel Pinchas, Pinchas entreated G-d, saying, "Because of these two (Zimri and Kosbi), twenty-four thousand of Yisrael should fall?!"

It was no easy task that Pinchas took upon himself, contrary to the tribes' popular opinion.  According to Rav (Sanhedrin 83a), as soon as Pinchas became aware of what was going on, he ran to Moshe Rabbainu.  Did Moshe not teach, when he descended from Har Sinai, that in such a case, the sinner should be struck down by Kana'im??  "Let the one who reads the letter be the agent to carry it out,"  was Moshe's reply. (Moshe could not explicitly instruct Pinchas to kill Zimri.  This is part of the halacha.)

He did carry it out.  However, when Pinchas arrived at the scene, he became terrified at the sight of the multitudes gathered around.  His soul departed, out of extreme fright.  This certainly is not the picture of an angry, murderous character.  Pinchas then received the souls of Nadav and Avihu, the deceased sons of Aharon, who had lost their lives in an act of great LOVE for  Hashem.

Parshas Pinchas is always read in the Three Weeks, between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, when we mourn the destruction of the two Batai Mikdash.

It is interesting that at the time of the destruction, Chazal make reference to the Biryonim, the Jewish extremists, who acted against the romans and their collaborators.  Josephus refers to them as the "zealots."  To quote the Shaim Mi'Shmuel:

The Biryonim were motivated by what they thought were sincere goals.  They were fighting in order to protect the Bais Hamikdash, for the Glory of G-d and His people, in order not to be subjugated to the rule of the wicked and disgusting romans.  HOWEVER, their mistake was that they should have taken heed to the words of the Chachamim, and should have acted only in accordance with their instruction, even if if was against logical calculations.

Pinchas, the great zealot, fulfilled the directive of Hedavek b'midosov,  of emulating the inner aspect of Hashem's Attributes.  His act of righteous indignation was motivated, as we saw, by love and compassion and concern.  Furthermore, and this is a most essential point, his first reaction, according to Rav, was TO RUN TO MOSHE RABBAINU.  He carried out what he was taught as "halacha l'Moshe miSinai."

What is the surest, safest, best way to check ourselves when we find ourselves overcome with great emotion and passion for what seems to be idealistic objectives?  No one can trust themselves, or their emotions, or their judgements, for we are all human.  We must always ask and check with our Chachamim, our Gedolim, to find out if our ideas are truly appropriate.  In the time of the churban, there was great heroism on the part of the Biryonim.  Unfortunately, it was misplaced, misguided..

Pinchas received the souls of Nadav and Avihu.  They had made the mistake of not showing respect to the authority of Moshe and Aharon.

"Do not be as the hypocrites, that act like Zimri, and request reward like Pinchas," Chazal teach us.

How was Zimri a hypocrite? Was he not an outright  rasha ?

Zimri confronted Moshe Rabbainu, as he presented Kosbi, saying, "Is she forbidden or permitted?!  If you say that she is forbidden to me, then say, who allowed you, Moshe, to marry the daughter of Yisro?!?"  Zimri had all the answers, he had it all worked out.  He had nothing at all to hear from Moshe Rabbainu, he came only to speak his arrogant, defiant, self-righteous words.  Zimri= always ready to sing his own praises. (Kli Yakar)

Pinchas, the antithesis to Zimri, before anything, devoid of all chutzpah, ran to Moshe Rabbainu, in recognition of the authority of his Rebbe.

Vayechaper al Bnei Yisrael.
And Pinchas saved the Jewish People.
 

A gutten Erev Shabbos
from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh.
 
 

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