Pinchas is lauded for endangering himself, demonstrating exemplary love for Hashem by working towards cleansing Klal Yisrael of those who had been defying Hashem. The Torah emphasizes that Pinchas remained “among them,” not isolating himself from the general community. Rather, he executed his act of purification as a member of the community. Pinchas’s devotion to Hashem provides us with the Torah‘s paradigm for kana’us, zealousness. Applying homiletic exegesis, Chazal develop the essential characteristics required for such singular acts of devotion.
The kanai acts out of love for Hashem, His Torah and His Nation. At no time does he hate the transgressors; rather, he abhors their reprehensible acts of insurgency against Hashem. His action is a last resort directed towards having a lasting effect upon those who sin against Hashem.
The Noam Elimelech asserts that Pinchas was the one who infused the concept of kana’us, zealousness, into Klal Yisrael. His feat demanded a remarkable amount of courage on his part. Thus, he inspired future generations to fight for Torah ideals and to express their abhorrence towards those who denigrate Torah Judaism. This is homiletically derived from the phrase “when he avenged My vengeance among them.” Pinchas ignited the spark of zealousness “among them” for future generations.
