
Pinchas
Be a fundamentalist. Fundamentally good. Fundamentally holy. Fundamentally divine.
Pinchas is a zealot for goodness, doing whatever it takes to make the world better. It is rewarding. Moses counts the people – around 600,000 souls strong – and divides up the sacred real estate of the Holy Land. The daughters of Tzlofchod receive their legacy and the laws of inheritance are documented. Joshua is Moses’ successor. The Torah recounts daily offerings, the offerings of the new month, and the festival offerings, those of Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret.
Zealots, Radicals and Peace
We need a zealot today. Not a murderous zealot but a zealot of peace. A true Pinchas that will rise and defy conventional thinking.
Read More42 Journeys Part 5
There will be consequential times – due to excessive circumstances (a death, a major change, a transition) when everything we believe in will be on the line. We then have the choice: Will we sanctify G-d’s name or not?
Read MorePinchas: The Peaceful Zealot
Lessons on fundamentalism and radicalism: Is religious extremism dangerous?
Read MoreElitism: Are We All Created Equal?
Parshat Pinchas helps unravel the yichus dilemma – illuminating the balance between elitism & the masses; individuality and responsible leadership.
Read MoreHow Much Does Your Lineage Matter?
Free will remains the unwavering foundation of life. Nothing—neither good nor bad pedigree—impedes our free choice. True, lineage can help a person, just as other personality traits may create more conducive conditions; but we all have our strengths and our challenges to overcome.
Read MoreLoneliness: Does Someone Care About You?
Discover new reservoirs of sustenance to revitalize a parched soul, and allow your inner flower to blossom freely.
Read MoreBack to the USSR: Dispatch from Moscow
How does Russian history affect our Jewish lives today?
Read MoreLead or Leash?
Explaining the Talmudic prediction that in the days before the coming of Moshiach “The face (the leadership) of the generation will have the face of a dog”
Read MoreLife in the Regular
The Torah delegates various aspects of our relationship with G-d to “appointed times” but we should also endeavor to make “every day an appointed time”.
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