Before taking leave of King Balak of Moab, the prophet Balaam shared an open secret – really an axiom:
The Maker does not suffer sexual promiscuity. At all. Privy to this truism, and openly seeking the demise
of the Holy Nation, Balaam advised Balak to have Moabite women enter the Jewish camp. There, they
should seduce the Hebrews. “And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with
the daughters of Moab.”
“And God spoke to Moses saying. Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of
Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Children of Israel,
in that he was very jealous for My sake among them, so that I consumed
not the Children of Israel in My jealousy.”
Predictably, the consequences were immediate and disastrous – a galloping plague. “And those who
died from the plague were twenty-four thousand.” Had Phineas not stood in the breach, God may well
have decimated thousands more. Abravanel elaborates.
The Torah tells us that our protagonist, Phinehas, accomplished something totally out of his league.
Here we have a man who was the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron. Bereft of military skills (he
probably never wielded a dagger or spear in his life), yet he performed gallantly. In what way did he
shine? He “stayed My anger from the Children of Israel.”
As a result of the people whoring after Baal Peor, the Creator contemplated clobbering them en masse.
Smut had invaded and defiled the encampment in general, and the tribe of Simon in particular.
Purposefully, Phinehas entered Simon’s sex arena. Likely, he marched past a menagerie of trash talk and
trashier scenes.
Abravanel focuses on, among other things, Phinehas’ deed, and its aftermath. “And he went after the
man of Israel into the chamber, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman
through her belly. So, the plague was stayed from the Children of Israel.”
Clearly, our protagonist’s indignation had been ignited by religious fervor. In essence, he internalized the
zealousness that had caused the Almighty to burn with anger against His people. Ardency fueled his
fearlessness. With that, he emerged from the frenzied masses to kill one of the most highly regarded
chieftains in Israel. He feared neither a backlash from the commoners in their myriads nor tribal princes
in their noble stations. What happened next?
“And God spoke unto Moses, saying. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has
turned My wrath away from the Children of Israel…Wherefore say: Behold, I give unto him My covenant
of peace.”
How does it follow that Phinehas’ valor translated into God rewarding him with a covenant of peace?
For Abravanel, the covenant had a practical implication. That is, immediately after the gutsy
assassination (pun intended), reality set in for our hero. Many said that Phinehas lived under constant
threat. The tribe of Simon was liable to take revenge, not to mention the lurking danger posed by Zimri’s
immediate family.
Because of these very real concerns, some urged him to hire bodyguards to protect himself from
determined enemies. Besides those who worried about Phinehas’ personal safety, others had different
thoughts about him. They pointed out that as a consequence of killing the victims and coming into direct
physical contact with their corpses, he had contracted spiritual defilement. Such a state banned him
from working in the Tabernacle and officiating at the altar. Blood stained his hands.
Combatting both camps of detractors, let us call them, God called out to Moses. He was instructed to
publicly broadcast a divine communiqué. “God pinned upon Phinehas the covenant of peace.” This set
his mind at ease so far as his personal safety was concerned; no honor killing would be perpetrated
against him. Now that he was Heaven’s laureate, per se, who would dare lay a finger on him?
In brief, Abravanel conveys the magnitude of Phineas’ bravery, and the reward that Heaven showered
upon him.
