יהושע, פרק כ״ד, פסוק ל״ג

The first era of leadership in the Land of Israel draws to a close with the passing of the generation's spiritual guide. Eleazar the High Priest, who served faithfully alongside Joshua throughout the years of national leadership, dies. He is laid to rest on a high hill in a plot adjacent to his son's home, establishing a permanent family burial estate [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון].

This burial site raises a central question: how could Phinehas possess a private tract of land when the tribe of Levi was excluded from receiving a territorial inheritance in Israel? Commentators offer several explanations, ranging from inheritance laws to public gifts and personal family circumstances.

The primary approach suggests that the land came into Phinehas's possession through inheritance. He likely married a woman from another tribe who had inherited property; upon her passing, the land transferred to him [רש״י, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Because property inherited by a husband does not revert to its original tribal owners during the Jubilee year, this ensured that Eleazar was buried in a permanent resting place rather than a temporary grave [רד״ק]. Another perspective proposes that the hill originally belonged to Eleazar himself. The moment he died, ownership transferred immediately to his son, meaning the site was already recognized as Phinehas's property by the time of the burial [אברבנאל בשם רלב״ג].

Alternatively, the land may have been a voluntary gift. The Israelites, and particularly the tribe of Ephraim, may have chosen to grant this estate to Phinehas on their own initiative, similar to the special tracts awarded to Caleb and Joshua. Because this was a public gift from the people rather than a direct command from God, it was not bound by the Jubilee laws of returning property, allowing Phinehas to keep it permanently [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. From a legal standpoint, the land might also have been acquired as a dedicated field—property voluntarily consecrated by an Israelite, which is then legally transferred to the priests [רד״ק].

Beyond legal property transfers, the burial highlights the tender circumstances at the end of Eleazar's life. It is highly probable that as Eleazar's health declined, Phinehas brought his father to his own designated Levite city to care for him. Consequently, when Eleazar passed away, he was buried in his son's city, despite possessing his own residence and estate elsewhere [אברבנאל].