Pinchas, the Covenant of Peace, and the Broken Vav: A Message for Our Times

In this timely piece for the coming Shabbat, our member Rabbi Paul Bloom reflects on one of the most profound figures in the Torah—Pinchas—and on how his legacy continues to resonate deeply, especially in light of the challenges facing Am Yisrael in our own generation.

The Soul of a Warrior-Saint

Pinchas emerges in Sefer Bamidbar as a zealot who, in a moment of national spiritual collapse, acts decisively. His actions—stopping a public desecration of Hashem's covenant—may seem violent at first glance. Yet the Torah does not describe him as an aggressor or a vigilante. Instead, he is granted a unique divine reward:

"Therefore say: Behold, I give him My covenant of peace (בריתי שלום)."
 — Bamidbar 25:12

This brit shalom—a covenant of peace—contains remarkable depth, and reveals layers of meaning about the nature of true peace, divine protection, and moral integrity in times of conflict. Let us explore three classic interpretations of this phrase through the eyes of Chazal and later commentators.

1. Peace from One’s Enemies – Protection in the Face of Backlash

The first interpretation, brought by the Midrash and many commentators, focuses on the immediate aftermath of Pinchas’s act. He had slain Zimri, a prince of the tribe of Shimon, and Kozbi, a Midianite princess. Their families and supporters could have easily sought vengeance.

The covenant of peace here is understood as divine protection: "Peace"—from retaliation. Hashem promises that no harm will come to Pinchas from those who would otherwise be motivated by revenge.

This is a lesson for us in today's Israel as well. Surrounded by enemies who glorify death while we sanctify life, we too yearn for the peace of protection. Prime Minister Netanyahu recently remarked before Congress that the war against Hamas is not merely a clash of civilizations, but a battle of civilization versus barbarism. In such times, we ask for Hashem’s brit shalom—that our soldiers and our nation be shielded from those who seek to destroy us.

2. Peace from Death – A Gift of Endurance

The second interpretation, found in the commentary of the Sforno, sees the brit shalom as a promise of longevity. Pinchas is later identified with Eliyahu HaNavi, and he lives on for centuries, appearing again in Sefer Shofetim and even at the end of Sefer Malachi.According to the Sforno:

Hashem's covenant of peace was a promise of life itself—a miraculous protection from death.

In reward for halting a spiritual and moral collapse, Pinchas is granted enduring life. His zeal, channeled for the sake of Klal Yisrael and the sanctity of the nation, was met not with condemnation, but with a unique blessing: immortality. This is a model for how deep personal sacrifice in the name of Hashem’s honor can lead to profound spiritual elevation.

3. Peace of the Soul – Guarding Moral Integrity in Battle

The third and perhaps most psychologically profound interpretation is that of the Ha’amek Davar (Netziv of Volozhin). He explains that the brit shalom promised Pinchas inner peace and emotional protection:

When one engages in necessary violence—even in a just war—it can damage the soul. The divine covenant was a safeguard for Pinchas’s inner world.

In other words, Hashem promised him that his neshama would not be coarsened or brutalized by the violent act he had committed.

We see this struggle vividly today. Soldiers returning from battle zones in Gaza often describe the psychological toll of warfare. One soldier recently told Rabbi Kimche that he had spent weeks in “a world of darkness and death.” And yet, the Rabbi met him again at a simcha—davening, playing with his children, and engaging with Torah with clarity and joy. This, I believe, is an expression of the brit shalom granted to those who fight with purity of heart, leshem shamayim.

The Broken Vav: A Flawed Peace

But there is yet another layer, hidden in the Torah scroll itself. If you look closely at the word shalom (שלום) in the pasuk, you’ll notice that the letter vav is broken—split in the middle. This is highly unusual. Any other broken letter in a Sefer Torah invalidates the scroll. Yet here, it is halachically acceptable, even deliberate. Why? Because this teaches us a deep truth: peace that is achieved through violence is inherently incomplete. It may be necessary. It may be justified. But it is not the ultimate vision of shalom.

True shalom—the kind we pray for in Sim Shalom, in Oseh Shalom, and in the Birkat Kohanim—is wholeness. It is harmony without swords, tanks, or pain. The broken vav reminds us that the peace we achieve through war is still fractured. It is not the Messianic peace we long for, but rather a temporary reprieve born of tragic necessity.

Carrying the Legacy Forward

Pinchas became the Mashuach Milchama, the spiritual guide who inspired soldiers before battle. He represents the ideal of purity of intent in times of struggle. His covenant continues to inspire generations of Jewish soldiers and leaders—those who fight not for conquest or cruelty, but for the sanctity of life, the holiness of Eretz Yisrael, and the safety of Am Yisrael.

We stand today as inheritors of this complex but uplifting legacy. May we merit to see the day when the covenant of peace is complete, when the vav is whole, and when the sword can finally be laid to rest.

"וְחָרְבוֹתֵיהֶם יִתְּכְּתוּ לְאִתִּים" — “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares.”
 (Yeshayahu 2:4)

May that day come soon—bimhera beyameinu.

Outer peace, inner peace: Pinchas 5784

The Lord promises Pinchas that most valuable and yet constantly elusive gift—the blessings of the covenant of peace. Over the millennia, the world has known very little peace. Strife and conflict, war and violence, these have been the staples of human existence since time immemorial. Many historians and social scientists maintain that war and violence are the natural and constant state of human affairs. If so, the promise of peace to Pinchas seems to be a little extravagant, especially since it appears that Pinchas earned this reward by committing an act of violence. Shall we say that a time of peace is merely the absence of war, a negative state of being that only marks the interval between episodes of war and violence?

We are well aware how difficult it is to achieve peace and how fragile is its existence when it is somehow achieved. The Torah attests to its fragility, by breaking the vav in the word ‘shalom.’  So we may ask: what in actual fact was God’s promise to Pinchas—and and how is it ever to be fulfilled? This perplexing issue is especially pertinent regarding Pinchas himself, since he participated in the wars that Israel conducted against Midian and later against the Canaanite tribes in the Land of Israel during the era of Yehoshua and the Judges. Where is the promised peace in the life of Pinchas, or indeed in the lives of the future generations of his descendants and the Jewish people as a whole?

Many Torah commentators defined God’s promise of peace to Pinchas and his descendants as a personal and individual state of inner being, of what we colloquially call “being at peace with oneself.” Pinchas is undoubtedly disturbed by the act of violence that he committed and by the widespread criticism of his actions by many of the Jewish people at that time. Nevertheless, the Lord tells him that he did the right thing and that history will later thank him for his boldness and alacrity in stemming the tide of immorality that threatened to overwhelm the Jewish people. So Pinchas acquires, through God’s blessing, peace of mind and the necessary inner confidence and conviction that the act he committed was deemed by Heaven to be justifiable, however unpopular it might be in the eyes of society.

President Harry Truman is reported to have said that he lost little sleep over the atomic bombing of Japan which concluded World War II because he believed that he saved millions of American and Japanese lives by his awesome decision. He never again agonized over that decision since he had achieved an inner peace regarding the matter. Our conscience always disturbs us when we make wrong decisions and pursue policies that fail, but it never rises to plague us when we have behaved correctly and select a course of action in a manner that is both wise and moral. It is this blessing and reward that the Lord bestowed upon Pinchas and his descendants—the blessing of inner peace and moral contentment.