Pinchas the son of Elazar 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 Kehunah, because he was zealous for his G-d and atoned for the children of Israel."
Rashi explains the verse “an eternal covenant of Kehunah”: Although the Kehunah had already been given to Aaron’s descendants, it had been given only to Aaron and his sons who were anointed with him, and to their children whom they would beget after their anointment. Pinchas, however, who was born before that and had never been anointed, had not been included in the Kehunah until now. And so, we learn in Gemara Zevachim 101b, “Pinchas was not made a Kohen until he killed Zimri.” The Rabbeinu Bachya also says this insight word for word.
According to this, Pinchas was given the reward of becoming a Kohen. The Steipler Gaon author of Kehilas Yaakov in his Sefer "Birchas Peretz" asks a question: the Torah praises Pinchas' act, and ends by saying that as a reward for his act, he will be granted the priesthood - "and there was a covenant of eternal priesthood for him and his seed after him" Yet from the language of the verses, “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 means that Pinchas's reward in the priesthood does not stem from the actual mitzvah and dedication of his soul, but only from the accompanying result, which is the salvation of the people from all over Israel.
The Steipler Gaon answers this question, as follows: For the mere fulfillment of the mitzvos, a person does not receive his reward in this world, but in the next world. Therefore, the mere act of killing Zimri does not bring reward in this world. On the other hand, the collateral result of the salvation of Klal Yisrael is already on the level between a person and his fellow, Bein Adam Lechaveiro, and on the Mitzvos between a person and his fellow the rule is that "a person eats their fruits in this world" that is, although the main reward is reserved for the next world, but a person enjoys the fruit of the deed in this world as well. As we say every morning after Birchas Hatorah
Therefore, the reward of the priesthood was promised to Pinchas not because of the actual mitzvah but because of the salvation of Klal Yisreal that resulted from it.
The Chidushei Harim of Gur, explains it in a different way why the verse specifically emphasizes the salvation of Klal Yisreal and not the actual act of the mitzvah and dedication of the soul as a reason for the reward of the priesthood: As is well known, the rule is that a priest who kills a person is disqualified from blessing the priest's blessing, Birkas Kohanim, see Berachos 32b "A priest who kills the soul shall not go to bless the Yidden"; and so it is ruled in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 128:35. Since killing a person is precisely something that deprives the priest of the virtues of his priesthood; And if so, apparently the act of Pinchas, which was an act of murder, should have deprived him of the priesthood. To this, the Torah replies, this is not the case, because Pinchas indeed killed a soul, but his action was an action of saving from death since he saved Klal Yisrael from death;
On the contrary, the whole reason we disqualify a priest who killed the soul from blessing the Birkas Kohanim, the blessing of priests, lies because killing is an act of Din, Judgement, and the laying of hands during the blessing is an act of mercy, Rachamim. Therefore, it is not proper for the one who killed, to bless with his hands, because the things do not agree; But here, the act of Pinchas atoned for the Klal Yisral and prevented a plague and saved lives, therefore his action was an act of mercy and therefore it was preferred, "and he and his seed after him had a covenant of eternal priesthood". According to this, as mentioned, it is well understood why the verse emphasizes the matter of saving Klal Yisrael, because it is this matter that turns Pinchas' act into "mercy".
With this insight we understand the Gemrara Zevachim 101b, “Pinchas was not made a kohen until he killed Zimri.” The punchline is that sometimes the killing of another person, can be deemed as mercy and warrant the Kehuna as a reward.
(Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
