Hatred Out Of Love

The possuk at the end of last weeks parsha traces back the lineage of Pinchas to Aharon so why does it have to be repeated in our parsha?  Rav Chayim Shmulevitz explains that the Torah is explaining when one can carry out an act of killing someone else for the sake of religion; only if there is no element of hate introduced into the act.  The Torah is teaching that when Pinchas killed Zimri, he felt like his grandfather, Aharon, אוהב את הבריות ומקרבן לתורה, he didn’t feel any prejudice against him, it was purely as for the sake of Hashem.  The yesod is that the act of din isn’t a sacrifice of chesed; it itself is an act of chesed.

Based upon this idea, he explains the Gemorah in Yoma (54a) that when the gentiles entered the Beis Hamikdash before they destroyed it, they found the keruvim hugging.  The Rishonim ask that the Gemorah in Babba Bathra (98a) that the keruvim hugged each other only when Klal Yisroel is doing the will of Hashem?  Based upon this yesod we understand that the middos hadin was able to have an effect only if there was a backdrop of ahavah.

This idea is elucidated in Tanya Ch. 32 (לב) וגם המקורבים אליו והוכיחם ולא שבו מעונותיהם שמצוה לשנאותם מצוה לאהבם ג"כ ושתיהן הן אמת שנאה מצד הרע שבהם ואהבה מצד בחי' הטוב הגנוז שבהם שהוא ניצוץ אלקות שבתוכם המחיה נפשם האלקית וגם לעורר רחמים בלבו עליה כי היא בבחי' גלות בתוך הרע מס"א הגובר עליה ברשעי' והרחמנות מבטלת השנאה ומעוררת האהבה כנודע. 

Based upon this we can understand the following idea.  " The disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch used to take turns to wait on him according to a certain schedule.  The Alter Rebbe heard of the following episode from R. Zusya, who heard it from his brother, R. Elimelech.  One night, when R. Elimelech was on duty, the Maggid called him from his room nearby and said: “Meilech, do you hear what they’re saying in the Academy on High? They’re saying that ahavas Yisrael means loving an utter rasha just as one loves an utter tzaddik!”  The Maggid continued: “A tzaddik is able to arouse the powers that are latent in every soul, and to empower that person to do teshuvah. A minyan of members of the Holy Brotherhood are able to arouse even an utter rasha to do teshuvah!” " (From the talks of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch; translated by Uri Kaploun (Shavuot day 1940.))  The   אוהבי ה' שנאו רע doesn't diminish from the love one has for the core of the neshama that remains pure.

The Ohav Yisroel asks why in this week’s parsha, in the three weeks do we read about the korbanot of Yom Tov which only apply in the Beis Hamikdash?  He explains that the 21 days of the three weeks correspond to all the Yomim Tovim (including Shabbos) which add up to 21.  He says that in the times of Mashiach the 9^th of Av will be the greatest Yom Tov. He adds that the 21 days of the three weeks will be the source of kedusha for the Yomim Tovim.  That’s why in the letter ט the top of the head turns in, to show that the good in is hidden.  Therefore, the Yomim Tovim are read in the three weeks for this is the time that will bring kedusha to the Yomim Tovim.   How can he days of the greatest sorrow be the source of days of happiness and joy?  The answer is the same yesod.  The din of the days of the three weeks really contain in them the greatest compassion.