Why does the Torah repeat "Elef la'Mateh"?
Oznayim la'Torah (citing Midrash Tanchuma): Because Moshe conscripted a third group of a thousand men to Daven - to counter Bil'am, who having uttered the Name of Hashem, Pinchas discovered praying before the Kisei ha'Kavod to destroy Yisrael due to the sin of Ba'al Pe'or. 1
See Oznayim la'Torah, citing Midrash Yelamdeinu, who elaborates.
Why does the Torah insert the (otherwise superfluous) word "Vayishlach osam ? la'Tzava"?
Why does the Torah mention Pinchas individually?
Rashi: Because he was equal to the rest of Yisrael (in Tzidkus). 1
See Torah Temimah citing the Sifri and note 8.
Why did Pinchas go to war and not Elazar or Yehoshua?
Rashi #1: Because Pinchas began to perform the Mitzvah, by killing Kozbi bas Tzur, so Hashem said 'Let him finish it!'
Rashi #2: Because he went to avenge the sale of his mother's great-grandfather 1 - Yosef to the Midyanim.
Rashi #3 and Targum Yonasan: Because he was the Kohen Gadol for war.
Ramban: The Mitzvah really belonged to Moshe - to avenge the wrong that was done to YIsrael, only he honored Pinchas, who begun the Mitzvah, to finish it. It would have been undignified for Elazar in his position as Kohen Gadol to lead Yisrael into battle, and as for Yehoshua, his leadership was confined to Eretz Yisrael.
Rashi: Since his father, Elazar, married 'one of the daughters of Putiel' (Sh'mos 6:25) - with reference to Yisro, who fattened ('Pitem') calves for Avodah Zarah) and to Yosef, who overcame ('Pitpet') his Yetzer ha'Ra (when the wife of Potifera accosted him).
?Osam ve?es Pinchas ? ?. Who is "Osam" referring to?
Sotah, 43a: "Osam" refers to the Sanhedrin ('and Pinchas', to the Kohen Gadol for war, ?K?lei ha?Kodesh?, to the Aron and the Lucos that it contained and ?the trumpets of blowing', to the Shofros). 1
Oznayim la'Torah: It refers to the thousand who were conscripted to Daven, 2
Why does the Torah insert the (otherwise superfluous) word "Elef la?Mateh la'Tzava"?
Oznayim la'Torah: He inserted it with reference to the twelve thousand who Davened - who fought with their Tefilos. 1
Oznayim la'Torah: Refer to Bereishis, 48:22:4:1.
What were the "K'lei ha'Kodesh" that Pinchas took with him to war?
Targum Yonasan: He inserted it with reference to the Urim ve'Tumim. 3
Oznayim la'Torah, citing the Yerushalmi: This refers to the broken Luchos.
See Sifsei Chachamim.
Which he used to bring dow Bil'am, when, by means of witchcraft, he tried to escape together with the kings of Midyan by flying away. Oznayim la'Torah: And it incorporates the other Bigdei Kehunah Gedolah, since Pinchas was the Kohen Gadol for war.
Seeing as the Kohen Gadol for war wore all eight Begadim of the Kohen Gadol, why does the Torah mention specifically the Tzitz?
Rashi: Because Bil'am, who arrived at the battle-front, 1 by means of black-magic, helped the kings of Midyan to escape, by flying away ? and joined them in their escape. So Pinchas held up the Tzitz 2 on which Hashem's Name was engraved, and brought them down, 3 (after which they killed him by the sword. 4
Refer to 31:8:1.1:1.
It is not clear however, why it is necessary to include the Aron? See Torah Temimah, note 7.
Rashi: As hinted in the words "Al Chaleleihem" (in Pasuk 8), in connection with the kings of Midyan. See also, Yehoshua, 13:22.
Seeing as the trumpets were under the jurisdiction of Moshe exclusively, how could Pinchas have taken them with him to war?
Perhaps we can say that since, in reality, Moshe should have led te people into battle ? Refer to 31:6:151:1 ? Pinchas served as Shali?ach to take charge of the trumpets.
Hashem commanded Moshe to take vengeance against Midyan. Why did Moshe himself not go?
Da'as Zekenim, Hadar Zekenim and Riva (both in Pasuk 2) and Moshav Zekenim (in Pasuk 4): Because Moshe grew up in Midyan and it would not have been correct for him to have fought against it. 1
Da'as Zekenim, Hadar Zekenim and Moshav Zekenim: As the Gemara states in Bava Kama 92b 'A well from which you drank, do not throw a clump of earth into it (to sully its water). Da'as Zekenim, citing Bamidbar Rabah 22:4: Some say that this is not the same Midyan in which Moshe grew up. It is near Mo'av and is desolate to this day (whereas the Midyan in which Yisro lived is still intact)
