Parshas Pinchas: Thank You at the Kosel, and the Limits of Kanaus

Rabbi Liff opens with a story from davening at the Kosel this Erev Shabbos Kodesh during the Three Weeks — a petek that fell into the hand of a Karlin-Stolin chassid with a note that simply said "thank You." From there he turns to Parshas Pinchas, exploring why Pinchas is rewarded with a bris shalom rather than praise for the act itself, and what that teaches about the real halachos of kanaus. Drawing on Rav Sternbuch's teaching about Reb Leib Stravisker, the Seret Vishnitz kollel's learning outside the assistant attorney general's office, and stories of Rav Amram Blau and Rav Yechezkel Abramsky, he lays out when zealotry is proper and when it becomes a chillul Hashem. This episode is for anyone thinking about how to respond to conflict — within the frum world or outside it — without losing sight of shalom.