Kohen As Nation's Emissary

בענין פינחס בקנאו כו' קנאתי בתוכם

Regarding Pinchas, when he was zealous, as it is written, "when he was zealous with My zeal among them" (Bamidbar 25:11).

The piece opens with the pasuk that praises Pinchas for acting out of zeal for Hashem from within the midst of Bnei Yisrael.

דכ' ויקם מתוך העדה כי בודאי כל בנ"י היו חפצים בנקמה זו רק פינחס הוציאו מכח אל הפועל

For it is written, "and he rose up from amid the assembly" (Bamidbar 25:7) — because in truth all of Bnei Yisrael desired this act of vengeance, only that Pinchas brought it from potential into actuality.

The Sfas Emes explains that the desire to avenge the chillul Hashem was shared by all of Bnei Yisrael; Pinchas was the one who took that shared inner will and turned it into action.

ויצא מן הכלל ללמד על כל הכלל

And he went out from the collective in order to teach about the entire collective.

Using the principle that something singled out from a general category comes to teach about the whole category, his lone act actually expressed what was alive in the entire nation.

כדכ' והמה בוכים שכל העדה נצטערו במעשה זו

As it is written, "and they were weeping" (Bamidbar 25:6) — that the whole assembly was pained over this deed.

The pasuk that the people were weeping proves the point — the whole assembly was distressed by the sin, showing the yearning for vengeance was theirs collectively.

ובאמת כל עבודת הכהן במקדש הי' באופן זה שהי' שליח של כל בנ"י כמ"ש ישראל במעמדם כו'

And in truth, the entire avodah of the Kohen in the Beis HaMikdash was in this manner, that he was the emissary of all of Bnei Yisrael, as it is stated, "the Yisrael stand at their post" — meaning that the people stood present while the Kohen performed the avodah on their behalf.

The Sfas Emes broadens this to all the avodah of the Kohen: he never served as a private individual but always as the agent of all Bnei Yisrael, who stand present and represented through him.

כי כפי הכנת לבות בנ"י כך עשה הכהן בעובדא להוציא מן הכח אל הפועל העבודה שבלבות בנ"י ולכן ניתן לו הכהונה מדה במדה:

For according to the preparation of the hearts of Bnei Yisrael, so did the Kohen carry out in deed — to bring forth from potential into actuality the avodah that was within the hearts of Bnei Yisrael; and therefore the Kehunah was given to him measure for measure.

The Kohen's outward avodah gives concrete expression to the inner avodah in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael; because Pinchas embodied this very role, he was awarded the Kehunah as a fitting measure-for-measure reward.

Summary: The Sfas Emes teaches that Pinchas's act of zealotry was not a private initiative but the actualization of a desire shared by all of Bnei Yisrael, who were pained and weeping over the chillul Hashem. He went out from the collective precisely in order to express what was latent in the whole collective, bringing the nation's inner yearning from potential into actuality. This, says the Sfas Emes, is the very pattern of all the avodah of the Kohen in the Beis HaMikdash: the Kohen acts as the emissary of all Bnei Yisrael, his outward service giving form to the avodah residing in their hearts. Since Pinchas perfectly fulfilled this role of drawing the people's inner avodah into deed, the Kehunah was granted to him measure for measure.