Pinchas, Zimri, and the Torah's Secret to Inspiring Change

"Leah," a worried husband asks his wife over the phone in the middle of an ordinary workday, "that spaghetti you made yesterday... what did you put in it?"

"I'm not telling you," she replies cheerfully, delighted by the unexpected compliment. "It's a secret recipe."

"You have to tell me exactly what was in it," he says, his voice suddenly growing more urgent. "I'm at the hospital, and they need to know..."

Why Does the Torah Publicize the Wicked?

The joke is amusing because it reflects a familiar truth: people usually ask about the ingredients only when something has gone terribly wrong.

That same idea, in a much deeper sense, appears in this week's Torah portion. After describing the reward granted to Pinchas for his courageous act, the Torah devotes several verses to praising him. Only afterward does it identify the sinner: "The name of the Israelite who was struck down with the Midianite woman was Zimri, son of Salu." Commenting on this, the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:3) teaches: "Just as the Holy One occupies Himself with publicizing the praise of the righteous throughout the world, so too does He publicize the disgrace of the wicked. Pinchas was publicized for praise, and Zimri for disgrace."

The first part of the Midrash seems easy enough to understand. In a world so often clouded by falsehood, it is fitting that God publicizes the greatness of the righteous, allowing people to recognize true virtue. But why publicize the disgrace of the wicked? Isn't that what newspapers already do?

This question is raised by the renowned Rabbi Yaakov Kranz, better known as the Dubno Maggid. As was his custom, he answers with a parable.

The Merchant's Son

A wealthy merchant decided it was finally time for his son to learn business through experience. He gave the young man a substantial sum of money and instructed him to travel to another country, purchase merchandise according to his own judgment, and return home to sell it for a profit.

The young man's mother lovingly prepared generous provisions for the journey. Since he would be traveling with a carriage, horses, and servants, there was no reason to pack lightly. She filled his supplies with preserved foods and delicacies from her own kitchen.

Her son also suffered from a mild medical condition that occasionally flared up, so she carefully packed several medicines to use if necessary. Before he departed, she reviewed everything with him. She encouraged him to eat and drink generously during the difficult journey. "Don't be stingy with the food," she urged. "You need strength for the road. Once you arrive at the marketplace, your servants can purchase more provisions."

Then she explained the medicines. For each bottle, she briefly described the symptoms it was intended to treat, but she didn’t encourage him to take any extra medicine.

Why not?

The answer is simple. Food nourishes the body, strengthens a person, and helps prevent illness before it begins. The more appropriately he eats, the better. Medicine, however, is only for when something has already gone wrong. Ideally, one would never need it at all.

The Torah's Educational Message

The Dubno Maggid explains that this is precisely the Torah's message in Parashat Pinchas. God openly describes the reward of the righteous because He wants every person to see that serving Him never results in loss. The reward corresponds to the effort, dedication, and sacrifice invested in doing what is right. That is why the Torah elaborates upon the reward of the righteous, explaining it in detail. Every word teaches another lesson and offers another source of encouragement.

The punishment of the wicked, however, serves an entirely different purpose. Its only goal is to remind us that our actions have consequences and to awaken a healthy sense of accountability before God. Because of that, the Torah does not dwell on punishment. It does not elaborate on every frightening detail or emphasize how severe it can be. God would prefer that people never sin in the first place, and would never require punishment or suffering to cleanse themselves.

This also explains the Midrash's concluding statement: "Pinchas was publicized for praise, and Zimri for disgrace." The Midrash is addressing an obvious question. If both the righteous and the wicked are publicized, why does the Torah devote so many verses to Pinchas while mentioning Zimri only briefly? The answer is that Pinchas' story is expanded because it benefits humanity. Zimri's story is mentioned only because it must be. Had it been possible to teach the lesson without recording his disgrace, that would have been preferable.

Inspiring People the Torah's Way

The same principle applies to the way we influence others. When we want to encourage someone to make good choices or avoid harmful ones, our instinct is often to emphasize the dangers of the wrong path. We paint frightening pictures of the consequences, hoping fear will motivate change.

The Torah teaches a different educational philosophy. Human beings are naturally drawn toward goodness, beauty, hope, and benefit. While warnings certainly have their place, lasting inspiration usually comes from showing people the value and beauty of what is right rather than dwelling endlessly on what is wrong.

Trying to motivate someone solely through frightening scenarios is like asking for the ingredients of the spaghetti recipe only after arriving at the hospital.

If we truly want others to listen, we should focus on illuminating the goodness of the path we hope they will choose. When people can clearly see the beauty, meaning, and rewards of living correctly, they are far more likely to embrace that path willingly, and to feel uplifted, rather than threatened, by the choice they make.