A fable is told of a poor, homeless man who knocked on the door of the large home of a certain wealthy man.
“I need a place to live,” the poor man said.
“Sorry to hear that,” the homeowner replied, “but my family and I already live in this house.”
“Can I at least have a small room that I can rent?” the poor man begged.
The wealthy man was not really happy about it, but the poor man begged and begged, until the homeowner finally agreed. He found a small room in the house where the poor man would live. The poor man would regularly come in and out, to and from his room. The homeowner wasn’t thrilled, but the poor man’s presence really did not do much harm, so he accepted the situation.
One day, though, the poor man brought an animal carcass into his room. The stench eventually filled the entire house.
The homeowner was furious, and shouted at his tenant.
“It’s my room, I’m paying rent,” the poor man said. “I can do with it whatever I wish.”
The wealthy man left his home, and told the poor man he could have the entire house.
This fable is told as an analogy for the yetzer ha’ra – our evil inclination. We all struggle with negative inclinations – sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully. But as long as it’s a struggle, it’s ok.
The problem becomes when we let the yetzer ha’ra “rent a room” in our lives, when we let it have a permanent place, when we say, “This is who I am,” and accept it. Once that happens, the yetzer ha’ra will eventually take over our lives.
Parashat Pinhas continues the story told in the previous parashah, Parashat Balak, of the time when the men of Beneh Yisrael were sinning with the women of Moab. Pinhas, the grandson of Aharon, got up and killed one violator – Zimri – who was committing a public sinful act with a non-Jewish woman. In our parashah, Hashem told Moshe that Pinhas saved the nation, because had he not killed Zimri, Hashem would have killed all of Beneh Yisrael because of this sin.
Clearly, there was something different about what Zimri did. Many men among the nation were having relationships with the women of Moab, but it was specifically by killing Zimri that Pinhas ended the plague.
The explanation might be that the rest of the people succumbed to temptation, but they weren’t happy about it. Zimri, however, was resolute. He decided that this is who he was. He brought a non-Jewish woman before the entire nation to make it clear that this is what he wanted to be. He let the yetzer ha’ra “rent a room,” become part of his being and essence. This was much, much more serious than what the rest of the sinners were doing.
What’s true about the yetzer ha’ra is true also about other things – activities which are not sinful, but which we must never allow to define who we are.
In the summer months, people want to enjoy themselves, relax, swim, and spend time with family and friends. Of course, there is nothing at all wrong with that. We all need a break, and we all need time to relax and enjoy.
But we must never let these recreational activities define us and define our lives. We must always remember that life is so much more meaningful and precious than lying by the pool, going to the beach, and having lunch at a café with friends. Once again, there is nothing at all wrong with any of these activities. But it is wrong to let this be what our entire summer is about to let this define us.
We are put here in the world for a purpose – to fill our lives with meaning through learning Torah, performing mitzvot, and doing acts of kindness. Relaxation is important, but it should never become the end goal, the core essence of our beings.
During the summer, let us make an extra special effort to remember what life is truly about, and not allow fun and recreation to define who we are.