Hashem said: The vengeance Pinchas took [against Zimri and Kozbi] has calmed my anger and prevented me from destroying the Jewish people in my vengeance. In reward for the above act, Pinchas is granted a covenant of eternal Kehuna/priesthood for him and all his offspring.
The identification of those slain by Pinchas: The name of the slain Israelite who was slain together with the Midianite woman was Zimri the son of Salu, the head of the tribe of Shimon. The name of the woman was Cozbi the daughter of Tzur, who was the head of the people of Midian.
Moshe is commanded to take vengeance against the Midianites:
Hashem commanded Moshe to antagonize the Midianites and destroy them for conspiring against Bnei Yisrael and causing them to stumble with Baal Peor and with Kozbi.
The Jewish people are counted for the census:
After the plague, Hashem asked Moshe and Elazar to take a census of the Jewish people. Every [male] person of recruitment age, above age twenty, was counted.
Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.
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