the Redeemer

[Shimon]

parashas Pinchas (Numbers 25:10 - 30:1)

selected passage: Numbers 25:1-15

“‘Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace; and it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'”

– Exodus 25:12-13 , JPS 1917 Tanach

“The Holy One, blessed be He said to Moses, ‘Be the first to extend a greeting of peace to him,’as it is written, wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace; and this atonement [that Phinehas has made] is worthy of being an everlasting atonement.”- Sanhedrin 82b

Pinchas is given an everlasting priesthood, which means in the literal sense, one that continues throughout his generations. One commentary posits that the Kohein Gadol was from his lineage throughout the first and second Temple periods. The verse may also be rendered, as if Pinchas himself is given a priesthood that lasts for eternity; the atonement, effected by his zealous act is noted as an “everlasting atonement.”

This understanding of the verse mirrors the priesthood given to Moshiach:

“The L-RD hath sworn, and will not repent: ‘Thou art a priest for ever after the manner of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:4, JPS 1917 Tanach). “Because he lives forever, his position as cohen [priest] does not pass on to someone else; and consequently, he is totally able to deliver those who approach G-d through him; since he is alive forever and thus forever able to intercede on their behalf” (Hebrews 7:24-25, Complete Jewish Bible).

Moreover, the atonement that Messiah accomplished on HaEtz (literally, “the tree”), is an everlasting atonement. Pinchas is a type of Messiah, symbolically pointing towards the Redeemer who “bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12, KJV). “Therefore, let us confidently approach the throne from which G-d gives grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, CJB).