The Greatest Danger Is Thinking We Know Better - Pinchas

 This week's parashah opens with Pinchas bringing an end
to one of the darkest episodes in the wilderness, but the story really begins
at the end of the previous parashah with the tragedy of Shittim. We often
assume that the downfall of Benei Yisrael began with temptation and desire. Yet
the Torah and the Sages paint a far more subtle—and far more relevant—picture.
Before there was a sinful act, there was a dangerous idea. Before there was
immorality, there was rationalization. The greatest victories of the yetzer
hara are often won n...