Shabbos Parashas Pinchas - 5780

Shabbos Parashas Pinchas - 5780

Rabbi Hal Miller

Therefore say behold, I give him My covenant of peace. [Bamidbar 25:12]

After Pinchas killed Zimri and Cozbi, God tells our verse to Moshe. It seems oddly

worded. In Hebrew it reads, l'chein hineni notein lo et briti shalom. The only word

that the commentators all seem to agree upon is 'lo', him, to refer to Pinchas. So

what about the rest? Who is Moshe supposed to say this to? What is a covenant

of peace and how is it different from what we have seen thus far?

Both Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonatan say that the verse should be read as,

"Behold, I decree for him My covenant of peace," with decree vice give. What that

does is change this covenant from a gift to something earned. This is in contrast to

what Rashi says, that it is like one who wishes goodness and graciousness to another

who has done him a favor, that this giving is an expression of friendship. Onkelos

finds it to be reward for action, which does seem to be in context.

Rav Hirsch transcribes it as, "Therefore proclaim it. See I give him My covenant,

peace." In this explanation, the purpose shifts from what is being given to publicizing

the message to the rest of the nation. Hirsch says, "Make it known generally and

let everybody take it to heart" presumably referring to the faith of Pinchas. Rav

Hirsch also defines what the covenant is: peace, not a covenant of peace, but

peace itself.

Ramban understands our verse to refer to informing Israel that Pinchas would, from

this time forward, be a full-fledged Kohen, and that people should accept him so, thus

Moshe is addressing the nation. But not everybody agrees. Talelei Oros, for example,

reads it that God wanted Moshe to tell Pinchas about the reward he had earned, and

it had nothing to do with telling anyone else. He also understands that Moshe should

have been the one to intervene with Zimri, but he stood by idly. When Pinchas stepped

forward, God wanted Moshe to be the one to carry the message to Pinchas since he,

Moshe, had failed to accomplish it.