Pinchas: Resources For Parshat Pinchas
Audio Class: The Three Hands of Leadership
In parshat Pinchas, Moshe Rabbeinu approaches God asking Him to appoint his successor. God commands him to bestow his leadership upon his disciple, Joshua. Moshe adds an important element to God's command and ordains Joshua with both hands. Looking at the verses describing Joshua's ordination, we find that Moshe transferred three essential leadership qualities to Joshua. A seminal teaching on what it takes to be a leader.
Pinchas’ Sword of Love
Parshat Matot describes the war of retribution with the Midianites, whose women seduced Jewish men and caused the terrible calamity of the plague described at the end of parshat Balak. One of the highlights of the war was the killing of Balam, the sorcerer who had encouraged Balak, the king of Mo’ab, to send the Midianite seductresses in the first place.
How long do we have to wait for Mashiach?
In a previous article, we discussed the swiftness with which Pinchas acted and in contrast we saw that Joshua did not complete the task of conquering the land of Israel because of his excessive patience. From the fact that Pinchas was appointed to lead the war against Midian, the sages learn that, “He who begins a mitzvah is told to finish it.
The New Leader of the Generation
Following a plague that wiped out many of the Jewish people, which came as punishment for their licentious behavior, God told Moses to take a census of the entire Jewish people. He then commanded him to divide the land of Israel into tribal territories, prior to entering the Holy Land.
Judaism Begins at Home
Jewish genealogy has become something of an art. There are many internet sites that can help you chart your family history and discover long-lost relatives you never knew about. Perhaps this penchant for family history begins with the list of Jewish family names that appears in Parashat Pinchas.
Sacrifice and Self-Sacrifice
This week’s Torah portion is named after Pinchas whose zealous act retracted God’s anger and atoned for the Jewish people’s sins of promiscuity. The final passages of parashat Pinchas relate to the different types of animal sacrifices that we are commanded to bring to the Temple. It is well known that the name given to a Torah portion, in some way, reflects upon the essence of all that is included within it. How then is Pinchas and his zealotry connected with the sacrifices?
