Possibly the greatest scandal in the history of Jewish leadership occurred at the end of last week’s Sedra. Zimri, the chieftain of the tribe of Shimon, committed adultery in public with the non-Jewish Moabite Princess, Cosbi. The Medrash finds difficulty with Zimri’s act, “Poretz geder yishchenu nochash;” Shimon, the ancestor of Zimri showed zealous anger regarding the immoral act of Prince Shechem, (in the story of Dina), to the extent that he and his brother Levi made a public example of the city. His message to his descendants was clear; Immorality is the bane of Goodness and Godliness! The Medrash then concludes in wonderment, “V’zeh poretz geder shegodar aviv?!” In other words, the Medrash is blown away by how Zimri could go against everything his family had stood for. How could he tear the red tape that Shimon, his ancestor, had put up? My Rosh Yeshiva, of Blessed Memory, Rav Leibowitz noted that it is quite strange that the Medrash isn’t surprised by Zimri’s act in and of itself! If he was from ‘just another tribe,’ we wouldn’t have been incredulous by his brazen and immoral act? We’re discussing a sin of the greatest magnitude, perpetrated by one of Israel’s Greats, yet the Medrash is focusing on the fact that he did not follow Shimon’s example? Let’s put things into perspective; if the Torah isn’t staggered at the sin that Zimri committed, then of course we shouldn’t be surprised that he didn’t care about what “Grandpa” did or did not do!
We must say that in a sense, “removing the red tape” and straying from the path and customs of our forefathers is a very serious offense indeed, perhaps even more so than the sin of immorality. All it takes is a moment of lust and weakness to give in to temptation. However, the Torah is genuinely baffled as to how Zimri could have strayed from his father’s customs and his familial values. Yet, this still requires a deeper explanation; for in committing this sin, Zimri had already strayed from Jewish customs, the commandments of Hashem and the Torah itself! How is it more of a surprise or severe of an offense to ignore the customs of his elders in the light of the more serious transgression?
To explain this quandary, we must analyze sin. A sin contains two distinct parts: 1) the action committed and 2) the result. Certain sins are quite serious in the action that is perpetrated but have minimal long term effect on the individual’s commitment to his/her Torah ideals. For example, Aveiros that are done as a result of lust may be terrible in the action that was done, but internally the perpetrator will be able to move on (after Teshuva) with minimal ramifications. Zimri’s action was absolutely scandalous; had it merely been an act of lust and weakness it would have been more understandable. However, he did this act even though it was against everything that was passed down to him. Once he went against everything that was taught to him by his parents, there was nothing preventing him from discarding the Torah in its entirety.
One of the greatest proofs of the Torah’s validity is the unbroken chain of custom, passed down from father to son from Sinai. One of the functions of the Ethics of the Fathers, is to track this unbroken chain. It is for this reason that the commitment to custom is vital in the preservation of Torah Judaism. A popular song that is sung in many a Jewish home regardless of respective levels of observance, is the song Am Yisrael Chai (The Jewish People Lives On). This song has two simple lines; Od Avinu Chai, Our Father still lives- Am Yisrael Chai, The Jewish People continue to live on. It’s as simple as that; when the tradition passed down to us by our fathers is alive in our homes and lives, the Jewish people and our Torah is alive and well.
Have a great Shabbos!
Menachem Schreiber