"Let HaShem, the G-d of spirits of all flesh"(Numbers 27:16) Tammuz 18, 5783/July 7, 2023 Leadership! Good leadership! Righteous leadership! Where has it gone? We are suffering today from a tragic dearth of good leadership, of good leaders, that is, leaders that truly see themselves as servants of their people, not to mention servants of HaShem. Leaders who seek not what is good for them, but what is good for the people they are leading, shepherds who tend faithfully to their flock. Leaders who stand before power and do not bow down. Leaders who seize the moment in times of chaos. Leaders with vision, who see the future. Leaders with courage who demand only what is just. Leaders who see to a righteous successor. Leaders who know when to step down and leaders who know when to take hold of the reigns. This week's Torah reading, parashat Pinchas, is a primer in righteous leadership, showcasing a panoply of true and righteous leaders. Pinchas, of course, was the hero of the day, having struck down Zimri ben Salu and his Midianite consort, Cozbi bat Zur, (themselves vested with positions of leadership), who, by example, were seeking to plunge Israel into a whirlpool of decadence. By taking bold and independent action when others were stunned, silently witnessing the debauchery before them, Pinchas rescued Israel from oblivion. It was G-d Himself, who endorsed Pinchas' unprecedented zealotry for HaShem's honor, and his swift and clear headed action. "I hereby give him My covenant of peace," says HaShem concerning Pinchas, and, of course, the "eternal covenant of kehunah." (Numbers 25:12-13) As a further sign that Pinchas' act of leadership was sincere and without self aggrandizement, he readily accepted his new role as kohen and stepped back out of the limelight just as swiftly as he had stepped into it. In the census that follows, registering the Israelites who will soon be entering into the land of Canaan, and their ancestry, we come across the atypical mention of two women: "The name of Amram's wife was Yocheved the daughter of Levi, whom her mother had borne to Levi in Egypt. She bore to Amram, Aharon, Moshe, and their sister Miriam." (ibid 26:59) Midrash teaches us that the two Hebrew midwives, Puah and Shifrah, who stood up to Pharaoh's demand to kill the newborn Hebrew males upon birth, were none other than Miriam and Yocheved. Needless to say that our story would have ended in Egypt were it not for their righteous and fantastically courageous refusal to follow the orders of the most powerful human on earth. There is no greater leadership than that of those who care nothing for their status in life, risking their own lives to save the lives of others, and by doing so, saving an entire people from oblivion. Their righteousness, too, was recognized and rewarded by G-d: "G-d benefited the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very strong." (Exodus 1:20) Miriam played yet another essential role in Israel's survival and redemption: again, according to Midrash, Miriam convinced her parents, who had separated in response to Pharaoh's edict to throw all the infant Hebrew males into the Nile, to reunite, producing the baby Moshe. Miriam recognized at once that the infant would one day be Israel's redeemer, and watched over him, even as he was placed in a basket upon the Nile, to insure his well being. Without Miriam we would not have Moshe, and Israel would not have had a future. To see the future today and to act towards making it a reality tomorrow is a selfless and oft times lonely display of true leadership. Miriam's reward was her merit, by which Israel would be blessed for forty years in the wilderness with Be'er Miriam - Miram's Well - a source of living waters that followed Israel throughout her desert wanderings. The five daughters of Tzelophehad, Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milcah, and Tirtzah, step out of anonymity and humbly but boldly come before Moshe and the entire assembly of Israel, at the entrance to the Tabernacle, with one simple demand: "Give us a portion [in the land] along with our father's brothers." (Numbers 27:4) The five sisters had lit upon an injustice that had seemingly even escaped that all-seeing gaze of HaShem! Theri father dead, and having no brothers, they were in danger of losing their father's inheritance. Certainly their case wasn't unique, and they were speaking not just for themselves, but for all their brotherless sisters till the end of time. They stood upright and spoke straightforward and to the point, without artifice or pretense. It couldn't have been easy to take center stage and place such a challenge before Moshe, who had to consult with G-d to receive an answer to their demand. Not only did HaShem accommodate the sisters' plea, He amended the law of the Torah, itself, providing a positive solution to their dilemma. To have the courage of your convictions and to seek redress before the highest authority in heaven and on earth, is nothing, if not an act of leadership. "Tzelophehad's daughters speak justly!" (ibid 27:7) HaShem told Moshe. Imagine that on your résumé! Immediately after answering the daughters of Tzelophehad, HaShem reminds Moshe that his time has come: "Go up to this mount Avarim and look at the land that I have given to the children of Israel. And when you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, just as Aharon your brother was gathered." (ibid 27:12-13) Moshe, whose hopes of entering into the land of Canaan were crushed, nevertheless did not demur, even for a second. Knowing when to step down requires a true spirit of selfless leadership. Moshe was spared this painful decision, as it was HaShem who commanded him to step down. But Moshe followed up with a request to G-d which only a true, utterly righteous leader whose only concern is for the good of his people, would voice: "Let HaShem, the G-d of spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go forth before them and come before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of HaShem will not be like sheep without a shepherd." (ibid 27:16-17) Stepping down when it is time and ensuring that a proper leader will take his place once he is gone may have been Moshe's finest, if unsung moment of selfless concern for his people, a final act of principled and virtuous leadership. The closing act of leadership showcased in parashat Pinchas is that of Yehoshua, who humbly accepted his new role as Moshe's successor, without flourish or fanfare. He would lead Israel into Canaan, and oversee their conquest and apportionment of the land, before passing on his role of leadership, just as his predecessor Moshe had done with him. Leadership, righteous leadership, comes in all flavors and from all places, often unexpected and unsought for. But the definition of true, inspired leadership remains constant: selfless dedication and service to the people, total faith and trust in HaShem, love of truth and justice, a vision and a path for the people, the ability to act boldly when boldness is called for, to be fearless in the face of calamity, and to always conduct yourself with humility. May we today merit such righteous leaders! . |
The Red Heifer! The ashes of the red heifer, essential for the renewal of the Divine service in the Holy Temple, is one of the Torah's most fascinating and mysterious commandments. In our brand new in-depth entry, learn what constitutes "a perfectly red unblemished cow," how the ashes are made and how they are applied, the history and the mystery of the red heifer, and current efforts to raise a red heifer. Beautifully illustrated and extensively footnoted! |
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk, as Yitzchak Reuven talks about Pinchas, the zealous son of Aharon, as the IDF enters Jenin, and about Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milcah, and Tirtzah love the land of Israel! As Israeli troops enter the terror den of Jenin in order to clean it out, passions run high in this week's Torah reading of Pinchas. Pinchas is passionate in his zealous desire for HaShem's honor, and the daughters of Tzelophehad are passionate in their love for the land of Israel. Passion, when attached to a righteous cause, is rewarded by HaShem! |
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The laws of inheritance are so basic and so self explanatory that they go unquestioned even today. But precisely during the final days in the wilderness, five sisters stood before Moshe and demanded their share of their father's portion in the land. Their claim was confirmed by none other than G-d, Himself, who wrote new laws into the Torah to accommodate their just claim. Pinchas (Numbers 25:10 - 30:1)
Parashat Pinchas is read on Shabbat:
Tammuz 19, 5783/July 8, 2023 |
Haftara For Shabbat Parashat Pinchas I Kings 18:46-19:21: "And a spirit of strength from HaShem was with Eliyahu, and he girded his loins and ran before Ahab until coming to Jezreel. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Eliyahu had done, and all that he had killed all of the prophets with the sword. Jezebel sent a messenger to Eliyahu saying, "So may the gods do and so may they continue unless at this time tomorrow, I will make your life like the life of one of them. And he saw, and he arose and went for his life, and he came to Beer Sheba which belonged to Judah.." |
Parashat Pinchas: The Shabbat Musaf Offering After describing the order of the daily Tamid offering, Torah describes the additional Musaf offering on Shabbat: "And on the Sabbath day, two unblemished lambs in the first year, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a meal offering, mixed with oil, and its libation. This is the burnt offering of each Sabbath on its Sabbath, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its libation." |
Today: Fast Of The 17th of Tammuz Today is the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, a dawn to dark fast, in commemoration of the breaching of Jerusalem's wall by the Romans in the year 70 CE. The fast begins an annual three week period of mourning over the destruction of both the first and second Holy Temples. Customs associated with mourning are adopted and increase in severity during the first week of Av. The three week period concludes with the 25 hour fast on the 9th of Av, the day both the first and second Holy Temples were destroyed. |
Parashat Pinchas: The Tamid Daily Offering In parashat Pinchas we are presented with detailed descriptions of the public offerings performed in the Holy Temple, on weekdays, on Shabbat, on New Moons and on holidays. The first description is of the daily offering known as the Tamid, which is best translated as "perpetual." It is an obligation to perform this offering two times every day. Three times in the Torah's description of the Tamid offering it employs the phrase re'ach nicho'ach, "a spirit of satisfaction," (alternatively translated as "sweet savor"), ... "to HaShem." This reminds us how dear the offerings were to HaShem. |
Tomorrow, The 17th Day Of Tammuz, A Fast Day Tomorrow, Thursday, is the 17th day of Tammuz (sheva esrei leTammuz) a dawn to dark fast day, which begins a three week mourning period over the destruction of both the first and second Holy Temples. The three week period concludes on the 9th of Av (Tish'a bAv), the day that both the first and second Temple were destroyed. The Talmud (Tractate Taanit 28b) record five tragic events which took place on the 17th of Tammuz. |
Parshat Pinchas: The Appointment Of Joshua After being told that "you too will be gathered to your people, just as Aharon your brother was gathered," (Numbers 27:13) Moshe asks HaShem to appoint a leader to stand before Israel: "Moshe spoke to HaShem, saying: "Let HaShem, the God of spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go forth before them and come before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of HaShem will not be like sheep without a shepherd." |
Parashat Pinchas: Serah Bat Asher A census is taken in parashat Pinchas and among the many names being recorded are "The name of Amram's wife, Yocheved the daughter of Levi, whom her mother had borne to Levi in Egypt. She bore to Amram, Aharon, Moshe, and their sister Miriam." (Numbers 46:59) The names being recorded in the census are by and large the names of the men, and not the women. But in this one verse both Yocheved and Miriam are mentioned. But this should not surprise us. They both played major roles in Israel's redemption. |
A Prayer For The Soldiers Of The IDF Early this morning the Israeli army entered into the northern Samarian Arab city of Jenin to eliminate terrorists and clean out the terror infrastructure in Jenin. Jenin, fed with money and weapons from Iran and its proxy, Hamas, has in recent years become the center of terrorist activity that has plagued Israel and taken the lives of tens of innocent Israeli citizens. This video records a prayer being said by a commander for his troops before entering into Jenin. May G-d protect our soldiers and may He grant them success in eliminating the terrorists and restoring peace in the land. |
Parashat Pinchas: The Daughters Of Tzelophehad The Israelite women played an outsized role both during Israel's enslavement in Egypt and during Israel's forty years in the wilderness. Their righteousness and their courage are why we are here today. A sampling of their merits: 1 Puah and Shifrah, (Midrash says these were none other than Miriam and Yocheved), refuse Pharaoh's orders to kill all the newborn Hebrew males... |
Mikdash Monday - Holy of Holies (Part 6)
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” (Shemot 25:8) “…and carry the Ark of the Pact there, behind the curtain, so that the curtain shall serve you as a partition between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. Place the cover upon the Ark of the Pact in the Holy of Holies.” (Shemot 26:33-34) |
This Week: Parashat Pinchas This week's Torah reading, Pinchas, is named after the hero of the hour, who, at the conclusion of last week's reading, killed both the sinning Israelite Zimri ben Salu, the head of the tribe of Shimon and his Midianite consort, Cozbi bat Tzur, a Midianite chieftain, putting a swift end to Israel's slide into idolatry and turning back G-d's anger. This week we read of his reward: |
Shavua Tov from the Temple Mount! After a two day closure due to a Muslim holiday, the Temple Mount is open again to non-Muslims, and Jewish pilgrims are flocking once again (in purity) to the holiest spot on earth! Wishing all a shavua tov - a very good week! |
Red Heifers Arrive In Israel! On Thursday, September 15, 2022, 5 PM, 5 perfect, unblemished red heifers arrived in Israel from the USA. A modest ceremony was held at the unloading bay of the cargo terminal at Ben Gurion airport, where the new arrivals were greeted and speeches were made by the incredible people who have put their hearts and souls and means into making this historic/prophetic day become a reality. |
Red Heifer Update The five red heifers that were flown into Israel last summer are currently enjoying a quiet, pastoral life in an undisclosed location in Israel. They are being periodically checked to determine whether they still meet the very strict standards required to be eligible candidates for the red heifer ceremony. These requirements include no blemishes and no non-red hairs. While red heifers are fairly common throughout the world, a red heifer that meets these halachic requirements would be a tremendous breakthrough. |
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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