"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 'Pinchas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites by being zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not put an end to the Israelites in My zeal. Therefore say: Behold, I give him My covenant of peace.'"
The holy Or HaChayim, whose yahrzeit falls this week, notes that special attention should be paid to the double use of the word "saying" (leimor) in these verses. "One should ask to whom this was to be said. If it was to Pinchas, then it would not have been necessary later to say, 'Therefore say' (lachen emor), since he had already been instructed to convey the matter." Moreover, the sequence of the verses indicates otherwise. Rather, it appears that Moses was meant to speak these words to the children of Israel. The purpose was for them to recognize the great good that Pinchas had done on their behalf through his zealous act for the sake of the LORD, and not, God forbid, to hate him for killing the guilty tribal leader. This idea also appears in the Midrash Tanchuma (Parashat Pinchas, §1), which describes how the tribes mocked Pinchas by referring to his maternal lineage, saying: "Have you seen this son of Puti, whose grandfather fattened calves for idol worship? And now he has killed the leader of one of Israel's tribes!" To silence these accusations, the Holy One, blessed be He, hastened to trace his lineage to Aaron the priest: "Pinchas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest," and granted him His covenant of peace.
Yet one question remains: What is this covenant of peace? Rabbi Avraham Wosner, son of the author of Shevet HaLevi, writes in his work Even HaLevi that the matter is indeed puzzling. Why should an act of zeal be rewarded specifically with "My covenant of peace"? He explains that there are different degrees of peace. There is a counterfeit peace that merely conceals injustice and evil, as Jeremiah says: "Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit. With his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor, while in his heart he sets an ambush" (Jeremiah 9:7). Such peace is neither love nor true peace, because genuine peace can exist only when it is founded upon the pillars of Torah and morality. Therefore, "There is no peace, says the LORD, for the wicked" (Isaiah 48:22). The killing of Zimri, which on the surface appears to be the opposite of peace and harmony, was in fact an expression of true peace, for through it Pinchas separated Israel from a false unity with wickedness. Similarly, Rabbi Chaim of Brisk taught that this act of zeal turned away divine wrath, restored favor, and removed the barrier that had arisen between Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He.
"Therefore say: Behold, I give him My covenant of peace" (Numbers 25:12). The Gemara in Zevachim (101a) teaches that Pinchas was not consecrated as a priest until after he killed Zimri and made peace among the tribes. Likewise, the Gemara in Sanhedrin (82a) relates that when Pinchas saw that no one among Israel was taking action against Zimri, he immediately "took a spear in his hand"...
What is this covenant of peace, and how is it expressed? Why is the attribute of truth alone not sufficient? After all, Moses our teacher was the greatest of the prophets. Moses is true, and his Torah is true. Earlier still, Scripture says of our forefather Jacob: "You will give truth to Jacob." The Holy One, blessed be He, who gave the Torah to guide Israel in the path of truth, nevertheless granted Pinchas a unique gift: a covenant of peace. What does this covenant add to the Torah of truth? Moreover, truth and peace often seem worlds apart. Moses declared, "Let the law pierce the mountain"-justice must be carried through to its conclusion. Aaron, by contrast, loved peace and pursued peace, making peace between one person and another, as it is said: "The Torah of truth was in his mouth, no injustice was found upon his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from sin" (Malachi 2:6; Sanhedrin 6b).
The Gemara discusses the character of Aaron the priest through the question of whether it is permissible to encourage compromise between litigants. Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili, maintains that it is forbidden to compromise. Anyone who promotes compromise is a sinner, and anyone who praises it is blaspheming. Concerning such conduct, the verse states: "He who blesses the greedy blasphemes the LORD" (Psalms 10:3). Rather, justice must be carried through to its conclusion, as it is written: "For the judgment is God's" (Deuteronomy 1:17). Yet the Sages taught that a judge should always seek compromise before rendering judgment. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot reinforces Aaron's path: "Be among the disciples of Aaron: love peace and pursue peace; love people and bring them near to Torah" (Avot 1:12). Rambam explains that whenever Aaron sensed that someone harbored improper intentions, or was informed that a person had sinned, he would approach that individual warmly, greet him with peace, and speak with him at length.
That person would become ashamed and say to himself: "Woe is me. If Aaron knew the evil hidden in my heart and the true nature of my deeds, he would never have greeted me so warmly or spoken to me with such affection. Yet in his eyes I am presumed to be righteous. I must prove him right." As a result, the person would repent and return to the proper path, becoming one of Aaron's disciples. Thus the prophet testified concerning Aaron: "He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from sin" (Malachi 2:6).
There is still room for elaboration: what is this covenant of peace? After all, Pinchas could have followed the example of his grandfather Aaron. What, then, is unique about this blessing? In general, when our Sages examine what "peace" the Holy One, blessed be He, intended in this promise, they identify three central meanings.
The first understands "peace" as referring to the covenant of the priesthood. This is the straightforward and primary interpretation found in the words of our Sages, as the following verse states: "It shall be for him and for his descendants after him a covenant of eternal priesthood." Indeed, the Gemara in Zevachim (101a) teaches that Pinchas was not installed as a priest until after he killed Zimri. Although Pinchas was Aaron's grandson, he had been born before Aaron and his sons were anointed as priests, and therefore was not included in the original consecration. Through his act of zeal, however, the Holy One, blessed be He, rewarded him by adding him to the priesthood for having turned away His wrath from Israel.
In the Sifri on Numbers (Pisqa 131), the Midrash directly links peace with the priesthood by drawing upon Malachi's prophecy concerning the tribe of Levi. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar teaches: "'Peace' is mentioned here, and 'peace' is mentioned elsewhere: 'My covenant with him was life and peace' (Malachi 2:5). Just as the peace mentioned there refers to the priesthood, so too the peace mentioned here refers to the priesthood."
The second interpretation understands the covenant of peace as a promise of protection and eternal life. Pinchas's deed aroused the anger of the tribe of Shimon after he killed their leader, Zimri. In addition, our Sages identify Pinchas with the prophet Elijah, interpreting the "covenant of peace" as protection from the Angel of Death-that is, the gift of eternal life. Accordingly, Targum Yonatan ben Uziel translates the verse as a promise that Pinchas would live forever in order to announce the future redemption: "...I hereby decree that he shall have My covenant of peace, and that he shall live forever to proclaim the redemption at the end of days."
The third interpretation sees the covenant of peace as the necessary correction for the very act of zeal itself. Pinchas committed an extraordinary and terrible act by killing a man with a spear. Even when such an act is fully justified and undertaken solely for the sake of Heaven in order to stop a plague, it can still leave traces of cruelty, anger, or violence within the person who performs it. Therefore, immediately after this act of zeal, the Holy One, blessed be He, grants him "My covenant of peace" and appoints him to the priesthood. HaNetziv of Volozhin explains in his commentary HaEmek Davar that God promised Pinchas that this violent act would not damage his soul. His transformation into a priest-a figure identified with peace, love, and kindness-was intended to restore his inner balance, cleanse him of the spiritual imprint of violence, and ensure that this act of zeal remained a unique response to an extraordinary moment rather than becoming a defining character trait. The priesthood returned him to the path of peace exemplified by his grandfather Aaron. This covenant of peace would continue to serve as his spiritual safeguard even later, when in the following parashah, Matot, Moses appointed him to lead Israel's forces in carrying out God's vengeance against Midian.
The verse does not simply say "a covenant of peace," but "My covenant of peace"-a covenant modeled after the Holy One's own covenant in the creation of the world, through which He established harmony among all the elements of creation. As Bamidbar Rabbah teaches: "The Holy One, blessed be He, created the world through four elements: earth, water, air, and fire" (14:12). This idea also finds expression in our prayers, at the conclusion of the Amidah and at the end of Kaddish: "He who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace upon us and upon all Israel." We pray that we may likewise learn to balance the conflicting forces within our own world, just as the Holy One, blessed be He, harmonizes the elements of creation, even those that naturally oppose one another, such as fire and water.
It is therefore no coincidence that during the Days of Awe and the Ten Days of Repentance we recite Oseh ha-shalom with the additional letter heh, following the custom recorded in Mateh Ephraim (624), based on the teachings of the Ari in Sha'ar HaKavanot. During these days we pray for the repair of the world and for the complete revelation of God's kingship through the unity and perfection of all creation under His sovereignty. True unity embraces even opposites, bringing them into harmony. These are days devoted to refining the world and sweetening judgment. As our Sages famously taught, "The Holy One, blessed be He, found no vessel capable of containing blessing for Israel except peace." This peace embraces every dimension of life: peace between man and God, between one person and another, within the individual himself, and between Israel and its land.
This balance brings us to the deeper dimension of the gift of "My covenant of peace" that the Creator bestowed upon Pinchas-a covenant of peace as a way of life, both for the individual and for the community. In connection with the Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz, which falls this week, the prophet Zechariah declares that this fast, together with the other fast days, will one day be transformed into occasions of joy and gladness-days on which truth and peace do not merely coexist but are united in love and wholeness: "Thus says the LORD of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall become for the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful festivals. Therefore love truth and peace" (Zechariah 8:19). Just as the LORD makes peace in His heavenly realms and brings harmony between opposing forces, so too it is fitting that we make peace among ourselves and throughout all Israel. As the Midrash Tanchuma (Parashat Vayigash, §7) teaches: "'He makes peace in His heights'-Michael is the minister of water, and Gabriel is the minister of fire, yet the water does not extinguish the fire, nor does the fire consume the water."
Truth alone is not enough. Nor is it sufficient to insist that "the law must pierce the mountain." Rather, one must follow the path of Aaron the priest, while preserving the integrity of truth. This is why a judge should always seek compromise before rendering judgment. Such conduct represents acting beyond the strict letter of the law. Although compromise may depart from absolute legal truth, it embodies the covenant of peace with which the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed Pinchas. Truth and peace together constitute the will of the LORD, even when truth is tempered through its integration with peace.
This principle applies both on the personal and the public level. A state cannot be governed solely according to the opinion of a legal adviser, whose role, as the title itself indicates, is to provide legal advice and no more. Once the adviser has presented his legal assessment, the leader must weigh it carefully, determine whether and how it can be implemented, and consider how that same truth may be applied with appropriate adjustments in the interests of peace. For "the king upholds justice with righteousness"-not justice alone. Righteousness and justice descend into the world together, and it is precisely their integration that reflects the will of the LORD. As the prophet Ezekiel teaches: "If a man is righteous and does what is just and right..." (Ezekiel 18:5).
Judicial restraint requires blending different insights and approaches-bringing together truth and peace-rather than adhering inflexibly to the principle that "the law must pierce the mountain." The same applies to adapting long-standing communal practices regarding the enlistment of Torah students. It would seem that this is the deeper and more elevated dimension of the gift that the Holy One, blessed be He, bestowed upon Pinchas: "Behold, I give him My covenant of peace." It is a synthesis that enables Pinchas to be, on the one hand, a priest, and on the other, the commander of Israel's army in the war against Midian. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict. It is harmony, balance, and integration-the balance between the zeal within Phinehas's soul and the attribute of lovingkindness.
It is therefore no coincidence that the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 123:1) rules: "When one concludes the Amidah, he should take three steps backward while bowing... Before straightening, he turns to his left and says, 'He who makes peace in His heights'; then to his right and says, 'May He make peace upon us'; and then concludes, 'and upon all Israel, and say, Amen.'"
To attain peace-peace in the home, peace in the synagogue, and peace among the Jewish people-despite the claims of absolute truth, God's will is that each side soften its position and, as it were, take three steps back. Only then can peace come upon us and upon all Israel.
Amen.
The author is the CEO of Tzifha International Real Estate.