Parashas Pinchas - Kiddush Hashem vs. Chillul Hashem

This week's Dvar Torah has been sponsored for:
Refua Shelema: Rachel Faiga bas Rivka Malka
May you have health, happiness, and success!
(If you would like to sponsor a Dvar Torah, feel free to email me: SharingTorah@gmail.com)
__________________________________________

There's something about being faithful which always makes a strong statement. By being faithful to Hashem, one's spouse, parent, or rabbi etc, you are showing them you trust them. Doing something they ask you to do shows the loyalty and respect you have for them. Being faithful to someone is a language on it's own.

There's another option: being unfaithful, which usually ends up with a chillul Hashem (desecrating Hashem's Name.) Either way you look at it:

• Unfaithfulness to Hashem goes against His commandment of, "You shall not desecrate My Holy Name.[1]"

• Unfaithfulness to a parent goes against Hashem's commandment of, "Honor your father and mother.[2]"

• Unfaithfulness to a rabbi or the elderly goes against Hashem's commandment of, "In the presence of the elderly you shall rise and you shall respect an elder.[3]" (The latter 'elder' goes for a Talmid Chacham)

This week's parasha was named after Pinchas because of the loyalty he had for Hashem. At the end of last week's parasha, Zimri (the Nasi of shevet Shimon) disrespectfully brought in Kozbi (a Midyanite princess) into his tent. Aharon's grandson Pinchas observed the incident, burning with rage. Hashem too, got angry at the Jews for Zimri's public sin.

Pinchas decided to take action, so that this Chillul Hashem no longer continued. He grabbed a spear and pierced both Zimri and Kozbi together. He then took the spear with them hanging on it and showed it to the Jews. With his courageous act, Pinchas restored Hashem's honor, and the anger Hashem had towards the Jews was extinguished.

Later on in the parasha, Hashem asked Moshe to go up the Mountain of Ha'Avarim to see the land which He will give to Bnei Yisroel. Moshe thought, 'Maybe Hashem nullified the decree of me not being able to enter Eretz Yisroel.' Hashem re-assured him, "You sinned when you failed to Sanctify My Name in the wilderness of Tzin, when I asked you to speak to the rock and bring forth water. By you hitting the rock instead, you caused a chillul Hashem. My decree doesn't change and you will not enter Eretz Yisroel."

We see how important it is to Sanctify Hashem's name. Pinchas now has a parasha named after him; and the result of not sanctifying Hashem's name led to Moshe's death before ever entering Eretz Yisroel.

May we live our lives Sanctifying Hashem's name, and see only good in our (long) years. I want to request for people to please daven for a 10 year old girl who was diagnosed with some sort of tumor in her head: Rachel Faiga bas Rivka Malka.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso

[1] Vayikra 22:32
[2] Shemos 20:12
[3] Vayikra 19:32