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In Parashat Chukat/Pinchas we learn of the story of Pinchas killing Zimri and Cozbi after the Halacha being revealed to him

We know from various commentators that he did this act with tremendous love for Hashem and without any personal emotions or ego. There is tremendous emphasis on his dedication of the mitzvah to Hashem and not for any personal means

I am wondering, if someone in this situation would not do it for the sake of heaven and was rather doing it for personal reasons, would it be allowed? And if it was publicly obvious that he wasn’t doing it for the sake of heaven would he get punished? Or is a mitzvah that requires no kavanah?

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    yeshiva.org.il/wiki/index.php/…
    – shmosel
    Commented Jul 26 at 5:09
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    I'd say, there's no clear answer because circumstances matter. Halachicly speaking, laying with a shiktze results in corporal rather than capital punishment, but, based on the severity of the situation, a theoretical Beis Din can convict the killer of murder or exonerate.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Jul 26 at 9:00
  • Thanks @shmosel, that is fascinating! I don’t think I can mark a comment as accepted but please translate and post as answer so others can learn from it and I can mark as accepted, thanks for sharing
    – Shtika K'hodaah
    Commented Jul 26 at 20:56

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Pinchas followed the halachic principle that with respect to certain severe sins (and with various caveats), קנאים פוגעים בו, "zealots may strike him." According to the sources cited here, it's an absolute prerequisite that it be done purely for the sake of heaven. Otherwise, the attacker is not a zealot but a common murderer. That said, it wouldn't be possible to execute the attacker, nor one who killed the attacker to save the perpetrator, because there's no way to definitively prove his internal state of mind.

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My teacher and others say that under regular circumstances Pinchas would have been tried by the court and executed. But God performed miracles to confirm Pinhas was in the right.

I’ve heard there was an interesting Midrash that says the Israeli prince was with the Moab woman because they were soulmates and he should have gotten her to join the nation of Israel.

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  • The miraculous interventions inherently protected Pinchas. They weren't sent as heavenly signs (otherwise they probably would have been ignored on the grounds of "Torah is not in heaven").
    – shmosel
    Commented Jul 26 at 19:37
  • But wouldn’t him being protected be ignored on that standard as well? Also it says Moses was spoken to by God that this was His will.
    – user24193
    Commented Jul 27 at 21:48
  • I'm not sure what you mean. Why don't thieves ignore the presence of vaults? Because they're not a sign; they're a barrier.
    – shmosel
    Commented Jul 28 at 4:43
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    God issued a law that zealots can take matters into their own hands, under certain circumstances. That's why Pinchas had permission to do what he did. The point of the miracles was to ensure those circumstances were present and provable, and to remove potential obstacles. See the link in my answer for details.
    – shmosel
    Commented Jul 28 at 4:46
  • I think we agree that God justified Pinchas though
    – user24193
    Commented Jul 28 at 19:06

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