Savlanut Zimri Shechem and Rabbi Akiva

 As we concluded the story of Bilaam, we saw how thisprophet of the nations was looking to curse Benai Yisrael, but was unsuccessful in three attempts. Each time instead of a curse, he gave us a blessing frustrating his hosts and employers.   And as if all that wasn’t aggravating enough to the Moabitesand Midianites, he adds to his words with a long and fourth blessing. They are obviously very upset with him as not only did he not preform the service he was hired to do, but he in fact did the opposite. The assassin had taken on the role of defender.   Feeling guilty, Bilaam exits but leaves his hosts with a giftand weapon suggesting an alternative method of success in their war with the Children of Israel. He reminds them that their God hates promiscuity and suggests that they set up a market place where the men will come to purchase textiles and fabrics. This is all a pretext to draw the shoppers into their tents. While perusing product at the roadside stands the men are beckoned in to see the supposed superior merchandise which can only be seen inside.   There they meet the young Midianite women who are sellingmuch more than garments. An indecent proposal follows and the exchange requested is to simply defecate in front of their idol. Driven by lust, it’s easy justifying this disgusting act, not as worship but as ridicule of the strange idol these women worship. But the philosophy of Baal Peor is more than a disgusting act, it is eliminating all aspects of self-control and self-respect. What appears to be the ultimate in freedom is actually the pathto the ultimate slavery to our taavot – our It’s animalistic desires and with that, many of the people fall into the trap laid out by Bilaam.   The unbelievable and unbecoming behavior extends all theway up the ladder to Zimri Ben Salu, prince and leader of the tribe of Shimon. He is a very old and distinguished man among the people. He takes Kozbi bat Sur, who our rabbis suggest is the daughter of Balak. She came with the intent to seduce Moses but Zimri submits that Moses merely leads the third of thetribes as a Levite, while he leads the second of the tribes from Shimon. Hetoo, seeks to justify his act as a necessary pre-messianic act to bring thenations under the canopy of G-d.   Confronted by Moses and the leaders, he asks if she is permittedor forbidden. Moses replies that she is obviously forbidden. The response isridiculed with a question, Moses are you permitted a Midianite woman as a wifeand I am not?   Zimri very publicly brings her into his tent surrounded byhis tribesmen and guards while Moses, Elazar the Kohen Gadol and the leadersstand astonished. It’s almost as if they have no idea what to do. Pinchas, theson of Elazar witnesses the spectacle sees what is going on and approachesMoses. He reminds his great uncle and teacher of a halacha that Moshe himselfhad taught that one of our people who publicly and callously shows disregardfor the Torah by publicly cohabitating with a goya is liable for the deathpenalty without trial. Moshe directs Pinchas to act upon the halacha  Pinchas approaches the tent as if he wishes to join in theact as part of the rebellion against Moses. Entering the tent, he takes a spearand plunges it through the two of them while they’re in the act and comes outof the tent raising the spear before they die. Twenty-four thousand die at BaalPeor.  In taking vengeance for G-d, Pinchas risks his lifecompletely. Zimri could have legally defended himself and slain his attacker.The tribe of Shimon could’ve torn Pinchas to pieces. He miraculously completeshis mission,   Pinchas’ act saves the people from complete and totalannihilation, but the people are not so convinced and express their anger anddisdain with him. They call him the grandson of Yitro the pagan priest who fattenedcalves for sacrificial worship of idols. They murmur, how dare he strike aprince of Israel? It is then that G-d speaks to Moses and says that he offershis covenant of peace to Pinchas.     TheMekubalim tell us that when Pinchas went to strike Zimri and Kozbi, the soul ofPinchas left his body in fear and the souls of his uncles Nadav and Avihuentered into him. This pairing of souls is called an “Ibur” which we havediscussed a number of times.   EliyahuHaTishbi joined the souls of Nadav and Avihu within Pinchas  Hundreds of years later Pinchas is still alive  After the incident of Yiftach’s Daughter (Pinchas wassupposed to nullify the vow), Pinchas was punished.  This is one of the explanations for the broken “vav” ו in the word Shalom in theTorah; בריתי שלום.  We havegone forward, but let’s go backwards to the time before Egypt when Yaakovreturns from laban and dwells in the city of Shechem.  We aretold that Dinah went out   Shechem raped Dinah and subsequently Levi and Shimon killedthe 24,000 inhabitants of Shechem in retribution. We had 24,000 die because ofBaal peor and 24,000 die in Shechem. They are the same. But lets got get toofar ahead.   Later on, Dinah gave birth to her child from Shechem and shenamed her Osnat. This child, was sent by Yakov to Mitzrayim and was adopted byPotifar. Eventually, Osnat married Yosef and became the mother of Mashiach benYosef. Mashiach thus has roots fromShechem himself.   Maybe this was the reason that Yaakov was upset at Shimon andLevi for annihilating the town of Shechem; he was concerned that they may killthe father of Moshiach. This is very similar to Hashem no letting Moshe attackthe nations of Ammon and Moav. Because, in the future Dovid HaMelech will comefrom Rus of Moav and King Rehavam would come from Naama of Ammon.  Asara Mamarot p. 93a, brought in Yalkut Reuveini ibid  writes asfollows: Shechem felt a tremendous love and passion for Dina, and this feelingcame due to an inner soul connection which he had with Dina.   Now, howdoes a gentile share a soul connection with a daughter of Jacob? This isbecause often there is Kedusha hidden within Kelipa, and this Kedusha that washidden in Shechem had an inner soul connection with Dina and desired to beelevated and purified.   [We findsimilarly regarding conversion, that a gentile who converts is said to havealready had a G-dly soul designated for him even prior to conversion, and it isprecisely because of this connection with his G-dly soul that he was driven toconversion. See Or Hachaim Hakadosh beginning of Parshas Ki Teitzei      Acting on his passion, he violated Dina andwished to take her as a wife. Dina also felt this connection after her initialviolation, and hence Chazal state that she did not want to leave hercompanionship with Shechem until Shimon promised to marry her. Shimoneventually married Dina, and they had a child who they called Shaul BenHakenanis. This person was none other than Zimri.     This childwas born with the reincarnated soul of Shechem, who Shimon had earlier killed.In revenge of the acts of Shechem, Shimon had also killed 24000 inhabitants ofthe city. Hashem planned to set up these two individuals, Dina and Shechem, aswell as the 24000 men of Shechem, a second time, and place them to a challengeof forbidden relations, and see if they would overcome their previous mistakes.     I alwaysimagined them getting to Heaven and saying, Hey – Is this the reward for BritMilah?      [Although a soul connection did exist betweenDina and Shechem, this did not warrant permission for them to be together, asthe time of purification for Shechem had not yet arrived. See Mei ShiloachPinchas     After Dina’sdeath, her soul became reincarnated into Kozbi, and Hashem then arranged forher to meet Zimri, which was in truth the soul of Shechem. The 24000 men ofShechem were reincarnated into the 24000 men of the tribe of Shimon whoencouraged Zimri to sin.      When Zimriand Kozbi met, they once again had a tremendous passion for each other and weredriven to be together by some unexplainable force. Unfortunately, they did notsurpass the test, and succumbed to their inclination, in sin, causing them andthe 24000 men of Shimon to die. Now, what led Zimri, a righteous leader, togive into such an inclination? The Mei Shiloach explains that this was because Zimri hadprophetic vision, seeing that Kozbi shared a soul connection with him,contained holiness and would eventually receive a portion in the world to come.     That in factthis was very similar to the reason for the marriage of Moshe and Tzipora.Tzipora was also a Midinite woman. Why then did Moshe agree to marry her? Thisis because he saw in prophecy that she had Holiness within her and wouldreceive a portion in the world to come. Moshe therefore decided to attach tothis holiness by marrying her, after conversion – whatever that means in pre-matanTorah world.      Zimrihowever, jumped the gun, and became intimate with Kozbi prior to herconversion, before her sublimation to holiness. The Asara Mamaort does notelaborate further on the journey of these two souls, although it is furtherdiscussed in the writings of the Arizal.      Rav ChaimVital in Sefer Hagilgulim 66; explains that the souls of Dina and Shechem,and Zimri and Kozbi, were later reincarnated into the famous sage, Rebbe Akiva,and the wife of a Roman Aristocrat by the name of Tunisrufus. The Talmud - [8] Avoda Zara 20a  writes thatthe wife of Tunisrufus, who was a most beautiful woman,      To get evenfor her husband who hated Rabbi Akiva and with the goal to bring him downthrough the sin, she decided with herhusbands permission to seduce Rebbe Akiva and make him fall into sin. Sheexplained to her husband that the G-d of the Jews hates promiscuity. No one canresist me and in this way I will destroy him for you.      Rebbe Akivain response to her gestures spat, laughed and cried. He laughed because he sawin prophetic vision that he would eventually convert her and marry her. This isprecisely what occurred. After Rebbe Akiva’s refusal to succumb to her wishes,the wife of Tunisrufus confused at the control and the respect for women, decidedto learn and eventually convert, and RebbeAkiva married her.      The journeyof the two souls finally came to a proper ending, in which the soul of Dina andShechem finally completed the test of self control and became united throughthe marriage of Rebbe Akiva and the wife of Tunisrufus, after her conversion,thus elevating the holiness Shechem back to its holy root.   A furtherconnection we find between Rebbe Akiva and Shechem, is that Rebbe Akiva had24000 students who died, which corresponds to the 24000 men of Shechem and ofthe tribe of Shimon who also died.   One waskilled by the steel of the sword, another by the steel of the spear and RabbiAkiva by the steel combs