According to the biblical narrative, on the eighth day of the dedication of the Tabernacle, two of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, are consumed by a strange fire after offering sacrifices that were not a part of the prescribed ritual (see Leviticus 10). Following this incident, Aaron became an acute mourner — that is, one who has lost a close relative who has yet to be buried.
On Zevachim 98, we learned that someone in this state cannot offer sacrifices and does not receive a share of sacrificial meat. So on today’s daf, the Gemara wonders: Who made the offerings and consumed the sacrificial meat on this day? Did Aaron or his surviving sons do it, despite being acute mourners? Or did someone else do it in their stead? Given that this event occurred as the Tabernacle was being dedicated, there was no system of watches to ensure there were priests waiting in the wings to serve should those tasked with the daily rituals become ineligible to serve. But the Gemara is not left without options to explore:
Wasn’t Pinehas with them?
Pinehas is the son of Elazar and the grandson of Aaron. While he might have been mourning the death of his uncles, he is not an acute mourner, a status reserved for those who have lost a close relative: parent, child, spouse or sibling. This would leave him eligible to both offer and eat from the sacrifices. From a practical perspective, it makes sense for the Gemara to suggest that he might have been available to step in.
Aaron had many grandsons, yet the Gemara does not explore the possibility that any others stepped in. What makes Pinechas special that he is singled out? The answer is found in two biblical narratives.
The first is in Numbers 25. The Israelites have just settled in Shittin and a number of men are engaging in inappropriate sexual relations with the Moabite women they found there. Pinehas disapproves of their behavior and decides to act, taking a spear in hand and killing an Israelite and a Moabite woman. God rewards Pinehas for his zealotry and presents to him and his descendants “a covenant of an everlasting priesthood” (Numbers 25:13).
The second narrative is found in Joshua 22. After conquering the land of Israel, Joshua releases the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh from military service, allowing them to return to the lands on the east side of the Jordan where they had requested to settle. But when word gets back to the rest of the Israelites that these tribes have established an altar, a delegation is sent to confront them for their idolatry. As the confrontation heats up, Pinehas steps in and allows the accused to defend themselves. They explain that the altar is for worshiping God and not for idolatry. Pinehas is credited with defusing the tension and restoring peace among the tribes.
So was Pinehas the one who made the offerings while Aaron was in mourning? According to Rabbi Elazar (speaking in the name of Rabbi Hanina), while Pinehas was part of Aaron’s family, his investiture did not occur until after he killed the fornicators. According to Rav Ashi, it was after he made peace among the tribes. Either way, he wasn’t a priest at the time of the Tabernacle’s dedication, so the Gemara must look elsewhere to identify who offered the sacrifices on the day of the death of Aaron’s sons.
More intriguing, though, are the contrasting depictions of Pinehas raised in the discussion: the zealot and the peacemaker. Biblical and rabbinic tradition honor him for both. Echoing Ecclesiastes, one might conclude that there is a time for being zealous and a time to pursue peace. Yet while it might be Pinehas’s zealotry that first got him noticed, Rav Ashi’s position that it wasn’t until he matured into a peacemaker that he assumed the mantle of leadership sits much better with me.
Read all of Zevachim 101 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on December 24, 2025. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
