The SHVILEI PINCHAS: Let us begin our path to enlightenment with the fascinating words of the holy Zohar (Pinchas 237.) regarding the difficult battle Pinchas waged with the angel
of death, the Malach HaMavet, in order to save Yisrael from annihilation.  

— Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon HaKohen
saw, and he rose from the midst of the assembly.
This possuk suggests that he saw something that prompted him to act zealously to avenge Hashem. 

The Zohar explains that while Yisrael were engaged in their transgression — which came as a consequence of Bilam’s counsel and was led by Zimri ben Saloo — Pinchas saw the letter “mem,” full of blood, suspended above the heads of Yisrael.  

 He perceived, wisely, that this was the sign of the Malach HaMavet — attempting to unite the letter “mem” with the letters “vov-tov” to form the Hebrew word מו”ת (death), in order to bring widespread death to the people of Yisrael. 

 Pinchas reacted by uttering the shem HaMeforrash and capturing the letter “mem.” Upon realizing that Pinchas had snatched the letter “mem” away from him, he immediately backed away. Pinchas joined the “mem” with the numerical value of his own name 208 ) פינח”ס ) — represented by the letters ר”ח
(“reish” equals 200; “ches” equals 8) — to form the word רמ”ח .  

 Describing this event, the possuk states (Bamidbor 25, 7): “ויקח — and he took a רמח (a spear) in his hand — in other words, he used the letter “mem” which he snatched away from the Malach HaMavet to kill those involved in the transgression. As a result: “ותעצר המגפה מעל בני ישראל” — the plague was halted. 

This, then, is the interpretation of the possuk: ”פינחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן השיב את חמתי מעל בני ישראל”
-- Pinchas the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon HaKohen, turned back My wrath from upon Bnei Yisrael, when he zealously avenged Me among them — he deflected the wrath of the letter “mem,” which hung, full of blood, above the heads of Yisrael; בקנאו את קנאתי בתוכם' “ — he zealously avenged Hashem ” בתוך
ם
“, by capturing the letter “mem,” thus, sparing the lives of the people of Yisrael: