Peace Holding Divine Blessing

במדרש בדין שיטול שכרו כו' גדול השלום שניתן לפינחס שאין עולם מתנהג אלא בשלום ברכת כהנים בשלום כו'

In the Midrash: by right he should receive his reward, etc. Great is peace, which was given to Pinchas, for the world is conducted only through peace; Birkas Kohanim concludes with peace, etc.

The Midrash teaches that Pinchas earned his reward of peace, and that the entire world functions only through peace, which is why Birkas Kohanim ends with the blessing of peace.

כי רצונו ית' מקיים כל הנבראים והוא שלימות הכל והשי"ת בחר בישראל וכשמתגלה אהבתו לישראל אין שום חטא וקטרוג יכול לבטל זה כמ"ש אם יתן איש כו' בוז יבוזו לו

For the will of Hashem, may He be blessed, sustains all created beings, and it is the perfection of everything. Hashem chose Bnei Yisrael, and when His love for Bnei Yisrael is revealed, no sin or prosecuting accusation is able to nullify it, as it is written, "If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, they would utterly scorn him" (Shir HaShirim 8:7).

Hashem's will sustains all creation and is its perfection. Once Hashem's love for Bnei Yisrael shines forth, no sin or accusation can undo it, for such love cannot be bought or canceled.

וכ' על כל פשעים תכסה אהבה

And it is written, "Love covers over all transgressions" (Mishlei 10:12).

The posuk in Mishlei teaches that love covers over and overrides all wrongdoing.

וזה ניתן לאהרן הכהן במתנה שיהי' תמיד דבוק באהבה זו ויכול לעורר תמיד אהבה שבינו ית' לשראל

And this was given to Aharon the Kohen as a gift, that he should always be bound up in this love, and that he is able always to awaken the love that exists between Hashem, may He be blessed, and Bnei Yisrael.

Aharon was given the gift of being permanently attached to this love, with the power to constantly reawaken the bond of love between Hashem and Bnei Yisrael.

לכן ענני הכבוד בזכות אהרן שע"י אהבה נעשה הגנה לבנ"י מכל קטרוג כמ"ש כשנסתלק אהרן וייראו כו'

Therefore the Clouds of Glory came in the merit of Aharon, for through love a protection was made for Bnei Yisrael against every prosecuting accusation, as it is written, that when Aharon passed away "and they saw," etc. (Bamidbar 20:29).

The protective Clouds of Glory came in Aharon's merit, because his love shielded Bnei Yisrael from all accusations, which is why this protection withdrew when he died.

וזהו ג"כ בש"ק פורס סוכת שלום שג"כ מתנה לישראל כמ"ש מתנה טובה בבית גנזי כו' שמתגלה בשבת אהבתו ית' לבנ"י כמ"ש ורצה בנו ושבת קדשו באהבה וברצון הנחילנו כו' וזה הוא מתנה לבנ"י כמ"ש אוהבם נדבה שהקב"ה מתנדב אהבה לבנ"י כי א"א לבו"ד להיות בשלימות כראוי אין צדיק בארץ כו' ולא יחטא

And this too is the meaning of Shabbos Kodesh, when Hashem spreads the shelter of peace, for this also is a gift to Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "I have a good gift in My treasure house," etc., for on Shabbos the love of Hashem, may He be blessed, for Bnei Yisrael is revealed, as we say, "He desired us, and His holy Shabbos He gave us as an inheritance with love and with favor," etc. And this is a gift to Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "I will love them as a free-willed offering" (Hoshea 14:5), for the Holy One, Blessed is He, freely bestows His love upon Bnei Yisrael as a gift, since it is impossible for a human being to be in complete perfection as is fitting, "for there is no tzaddik in the land" who does good "and does not sin" (Koheles 7:20).

Shabbos is likewise a gift in which Hashem's love for Bnei Yisrael is revealed and He spreads His shelter of peace. Since no person can be flawlessly perfect on his own, Hashem freely bestows His love upon them as an unearned gift.

רק כשמתגלה רצונו ית' הוא השלימות

Rather, only when the will of Hashem, may He be blessed, is revealed is there perfection.

True perfection is not attained through human effort alone, but only when Hashem's will becomes revealed.

וזה ניתן לישראל וישם לך שלום

And this was given to Bnei Yisrael: "and may He grant you peace" (Bamidbar 6:26).

This gift of revealed will and peace is granted to Bnei Yisrael in the blessing of "and may He grant you peace."

ובאהרן אוהב שלום ורודף שלום וע"י הרצון שהי' לו לבוא לבחי' שלום נתן לו השי"ת במתנה כמ"ש עבודת מתנה אתן כו' כהונתכם ושלום הוא היפוך המחלוקת והיינו כשנתקן בכל הענינים שלא יהי' שום מתנגד ומקטרג וזה רק בעזר השי"ת שהוא מלך שהשלום שלו

And regarding Aharon, who loves peace and pursues peace: through the yearning he had to come to the level of peace, Hashem, may He be blessed, gave it to him as a gift, as it is written, "as a service of gift I give you, etc., your Kehunah" (Bamidbar 18:7). And peace is the opposite of strife, meaning when everything is set right so that there is no opponent and no accuser, and this comes only through the help of Hashem, may He be blessed, who is the King to whom peace belongs.

Because Aharon yearned to reach the level of peace, Hashem gave the Kehunah to him as a gift. Peace is the undoing of strife, when all is so set right that no opponent or accuser remains, which is possible only through Hashem, the King of peace.

וכמ"ש ז"ל שמלאכי אש ומים עושין שלום ומתבטלין לעשות רצון קונם

And as Chazal said, that the angels of fire and water make peace with one another and nullify themselves to carry out the will of their Maker.

Chazal teach that the opposing elements of fire and water in the heavens make peace and nullify themselves to fulfill the will of their Maker.

כמו כן כפי מה שמתגלה רצונו ית' בישראל ובכל א' בפרט מתבטלים כל הקטרוגים

So too, according to the measure that the will of Hashem, may He be blessed, is revealed within Bnei Yisrael and within each individual in particular, all the prosecuting accusations are nullified.

Likewise, to the degree that Hashem's will is revealed within Bnei Yisrael and within each individual, every accusation against them is nullified.

וזהו כלי מחזיק ברכה

And this is "a vessel that holds blessing."

Peace is the only vessel that can contain and hold blessing.

ופינחס זכה לכהונה בדין ע"י שנקם והוא דין שעשה ברשעים

And Pinchas merited the Kehunah by right, through the act of vengeance he took, which was an act of judgment that he carried out against the wicked.

Pinchas earned the Kehunah justly through his act of zealous vengeance, which was a judgment executed against the wicked.

וכ"ז הי' מתוך האהבה להשי"ת ולבנ"י

And all of this came out of love for Hashem, may He be blessed, and for Bnei Yisrael.

His entire act flowed from love for Hashem and love for Bnei Yisrael.

ולכך זכה לבחי' השלימות בדין כנ"ל:

And therefore he merited the level of perfection through judgment, as above:

Because his act of judgment was rooted in love, he merited the level of perfection even by way of strict judgment.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that the world is sustained and perfected only through peace, which is the revelation of Hashem's will and His love for Bnei Yisrael. Since no human being can attain perfection through his own efforts, Hashem freely bestows His love as a gift, and when that love is revealed no sin or prosecuting accusation can stand against Bnei Yisrael. This is the gift granted to Aharon, whose love drew the protective Clouds of Glory, and to Bnei Yisrael through Shabbos and through the blessing of peace in Birkas Kohanim. Just as fire and water nullify themselves to fulfill the will of their Maker, so too every accusation is nullified to the degree that Hashem's will is revealed within Bnei Yisrael. Pinchas merited the Kehunah and the level of perfection through judgment precisely because his zealous act flowed entirely from love for Hashem and for Bnei Yisrael, making peace the vessel that holds all blessing.