Eliyahu (Pinchas) will restore Mesora in Messianic Times

From Daas Torah - translation copyrighted

Brisker Rav (Malachi 2:4-7): And you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant might be with Levi, says G d. My covenant was with him for life and peace… The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips; he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many away from iniquity. For the priest’s lips should guard knowledge, and they should seek the Torah from his mouth; for he is a messenger of G-d. We need to understand G d’s promise to return the Mesora (tradition) to the Jewish people in Messianic times. How is it possible to restore the Tradition – which has been passed in an unbroken chain from one person to another going back to Moshe? This chain of the transmission of the Torah has already been broken many generations ago! It appears that Eliyahu HaNavi - who is one of the transmitters of the Tradition (Introduction to Mishna Torah) - will come and restore the Tradition. That is explicit in the verse, “My covenant was with him for life and peace.” This verse is referring to Pinchas [it is the covenant he got after he killed Zimri]. That is why these verses conclude, “For the lips of the cohen should guard knowledge”. This is according to the view that Pinchas and Eliyahu are the same person and he will guard Torah for Israel, as it says, “And they shall seek Torah from his mouth.” That means that Torah will be requested from him and he will return Torah to Israel. (When this explanation was told to Rav Chaim Brisker he responded that it had been stolen from him. He added that is why teachers explain to their students that the word “teiku” [which indicates an apparently unanswerable question] is an abbreviation meaning that Eliyahu will answer questions and difficulties. The purpose of this is to implant the belief in the heart of the child that Eliyahu will restore the Torah) … However the question remains as to why Eliyahu merited to be the one to restore the Tradition. It would appear that this is the result of the incident with Zimri in which the halacha was forgotten. Pinchas was the one who saw what was happening and remembered the halacha. He told Moshe, “We have received the halacha from you that one who has sexual relations with a non Jew is killed by zealots.” Moshe responded, “The one who read the letter should carry it out.” Immediately he took a spear … [and killed Zimri] (See Rashi at the end of Balak and Sanhedrin 82). Because Pinchas was the one who returned the halacha at that time he merited be the one who would restore it in Messianic times. That is implicit in these verses, “The Torah of truth was in his mouth…and he saved many from sin.”  That is why it concludes, “The cohen’s lips shall protect knowledge and they will ask Torah from his mouth.” Therefore also in the times of Moshiach he will be with the one that people will seek Torah from his mouth.