The Torah relates that Phinehas, grandson of Aaron the High Priest, halted a plague by dramatically slaying the Israelite chieftain Zimri and the Midianite princess Cozbi, who were engaging in public sin. In reward, G‑d declared:
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the kohen, has turned My anger away from the children of Israel by his zealously avenging Me among them, so that I did not destroy the children of Israel because of My zeal. Therefore, say, "I hereby give him My covenant of peace. It shall be for him and for his descendants after him [as] an eternal covenant of Priesthood, because he was zealous for his G‑d and atoned for the children of Israel."1
This briti shalom, literally “My covenant of peace,” is a unique Divine pledge bestowed upon Phinehas. What is its meaning and purpose? Let’s explore diverse interpretations offered by generations of commentators.
A Gesture of Gratitude
Rashi comments somewhat cryptically, framing this as G‑d’s gratitude. “Just as a person owes gratitude and favor to someone who did him a favor, here G‑d expressed to him [Phineas] His feelings of peace.”2 In Rashi’s understanding, there is no actual covenant of peace; instead, G‑d is expressing his gratitude, which manifests in the covenant of Priesthood described in the subsequent verse.
(Phinehas did not become a Priest when his grandfather, Aaron, became High Priest. The Priesthood passed from father to son among those born after the appointment. Phinehas, however, was born before Aaron’s appointment and therefore did not receive the Priesthood by default.)
Protection from Vengeance
According to Ibn Ezra, G‑d’s covenant guaranteed that Phinehas would live in peace, safe from those angered by his vigilante act. Phinehas had killed Zimri, a prince of the tribe of Simeon, and Cozbi, a Midianite princess, thus potentially incurring the wrath of their tribes and allies. G‑d’s promise of peace was his assurance that no vengeful relatives would harm him.3
Bechor Shor4 and Chizkuni5 echo this view, which also underscores G‑d’s public endorsement of Phinehas—legitimizing his deed so that the community would not treat him as a murderer. In fact, the Talmud relates that some Israelites initially murmured against Phinehas for killing a tribal prince, until G‑d’s reward made it clear that Phinehas “avenged G‑d” properly.6
Preserving Phinehas’s Inner Peace and Compassion
Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, known as Netziv, reads the covenant as safeguarding Phinehas’s character. He notes that an act of violence, even done zealously for a mitzvah, can alter a person’s nature toward cruelty. Phinehas might have become bloodthirsty or callous after killing two people with his own hands. Therefore, says Netziv, G‑d blessed Phinehas with “the quality of peace” as a countermeasure.7
Messianic Peace
The Midrash states:
Reish Lakish said: He is Phinehas, he is Elijah. G‑d said to him: You made peace between Me and the Children of Israel — so in the future, you will also bring peace between Me and them, as it says: “Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet.”8 9
Thus, the promise of peace is that Phinehas, who is identified as Elijah the Prophet, will one day return as the harbinger of the Messianic era.
Peace from the Angel of Death – Extraordinary Longevity
Rabbi Ovadia Sforno offers a striking interpretation: “My covenant of peace” meant peace with the Angel of Death, i.e., immunity from premature death. Indeed, Sforno notes that Phinehas “enjoyed an exceedingly long life on earth, more so than any of his generation.” He points out that Phinehas was still serving as a Priest in the time of the Battle of Gibeah,10 long after Joshua’s era, and possibly even in the days of Jephthah11—which would make him nearly 300 years old! This borders on immortality, leading Sforno to reference the Midrash “Elijah is Phinehas,”12 meaning Phinehas never died but lives on as Elijah the Prophet.13
Unity of Body and Soul
The Rebbe takes this a step further, understanding the phrase “My covenant of peace” as hinting at the unity of body and soul. This is clearly seen in Elijah the Prophet, whose soul never left his body—he ascended to heaven still in his physical body.14 This was possible because he had so completely refined his body, turning it into a vessel for holiness, that there was no need for death or burial. His physical body could receive spiritual revelations directly.15
Uniting Souls
In a similar fashion, a teaching attributed to the Baal Shem Tov, recorded by his disciple Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polnoya, views “peace” as integration and wholeness on a soul level. He notes that Aaron’s two righteous sons, Nadab and Abihu, had died prematurely, without children, described in Kabbalah as “two halves of a single soul”—incomplete due to their lack of offspring.
According to the Zohar, when Phinehas struck Zimri and Cozbi, the souls of Nadab and Abihu united within him.16 Thus, Phinehas became shalem (complete) with two souls in one body. On this basis, the Baal Shem Tov interprets G‑d’s promise, “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace,” to mean Phinehas was granted wholeness through a union of souls.
In Kabbalah, the Divine attribute of Yesod (Foundation) is nicknamed “Peace,” because it unites the spiritual realms (connecting the sefirot to the world). Phinehas is compared to the tzaddik (righteous one) who, like Yesod, “unites all the attributes” and brings together that which was divided.
By receiving Nadab and Abihu’s energies, Phinehas healed a division – “there was no peace between them, but Phinehas rectified this when he was given the covenant of peace, to unite their souls in one body.”17
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