| "When he zealously avenged My vengeance" (Bamidbar 25:11)
The Zohar teaches that zealotry, if not rooted in love, is not considered true zealotry.
Pinchas possessed a boundless love for HaShem, and it was this love that drove him to risk his very life, as the Midrash explains. Love is typically expressed through mutual giving and receiving—between spouses, friends, and likewise between us and HaShem: He gives us life and all that it entails, and in turn, we love Him.
But the love that burned within Pinchas came entirely from within. It was not based on what he received, but rather on his own deep yearning for HaShem. He "avenged HaShem's vengeance" from a place of pure devotion. This kind of love is known as itaruta d'letata—an awakening that originates from below—and such love is so powerful that nothing can stand in its way. The reward for such love is immense: Pinchas was granted the priesthood in his own merit.
According to halacha, had Pinchas consulted a posek (halachic authority) beforehand to ask whether he was permitted to take the law into his own hands, he would not have received a positive ruling. Chazal teach, "The zealous strike one who cohabits with an Aramean woman," but this is a halacha that we do not instruct others to follow. It must come from the very essence of the individual. Pinchas merited to act from that place of inner truth.
Later in his life, as Eliyahu HaNavi, we again find him standing alone in holy defiance. When Achav mocked him and called him "the troubler of Israel," Eliyahu remained unwavering in his zeal until the people themselves proclaimed, "HaShem—He is G-d!"
It is written that Eliyahu will be revealed before the Final Redemption. We are already witnessing glimmers of this today—simple Jews, with no fanfare, rising up from within and demonstrating sincere self-sacrifice, driven by their love for HaShem.
May we be privileged to be truly zealous for HaShem, in a way that awakens abundant mercy from Heaven upon the Jewish people—and may we merit to see the full redemption, speedily in our days, Amen.
Shabbat Shalom | 
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