Why Pinchas Was Entitled to Reward - Understanding Divine Justice

This shiur analyzes a fundamental Midrash on Parshas Pinchas that questions why Pinchas was "b'din" (legally entitled) to reward, when normally a person has no such entitlement for performing mitzvos. Rabbi Zweig explores the philosophical underpinning of why reward is typically not owed for mitzvos - because the ultimate beneficiary of all mitzvos is the person performing them, not God. Just as one cannot demand payment for exercising (which benefits only oneself), mitzvos primarily benefit the doer, making any reward essentially a gift rather than a legal obligation. The shiur resolves this apparent contradiction by explaining that Pinchas's act of zealotry (kanaut) was fundamentally different from other mitzvos. Unlike typical mitzvos which benefit the performer, zealotry involves genuine self-sacrifice for God's honor. Rabbi Zweig demonstrates how murder - even when halachically permitted - is profoundly destructive to one's soul. The Rambam (רמב"ם) teaches that murder is worse than idolatry in terms of spiritual damage, and even a Beit Din that kills once in seventy years is considered murderous. When Pinchas killed Zimri and Kozbi, he placed his eternal soul at enormous risk purely for the sake of divine honor.