Dear TBZ community:
Working to change the world – fighting for what is just, standing up for our values – can be a daunting task. Some of us dedicate our lives to this work, striving for change on a big scale, and some of us, in fact most of us, work for change by simply trying our best to live a life that brings compassion, kindness, and goodness to the world. At least that is my hope.
But where does the desire for change come from? Change usually comes from a place of passion. Our passion, imagination, and our courage compel us to stand up and fight for the betterment of things, of systems, of realities, and hopefully all for the sake of good. And then there are some times, when passions and ideologies can lead us to do things that are destructive, instead of constructive, and that can bring violence instead of peace.
This week's Torah reading, parshat Pinchas, contains in it two stories – two very different stories perhaps with one theme in common: wanting to change the reality.
In this week’s parasha, we read the story of Pinchas and the story of the daughters of Zelophehad. Here is a short summary for each of these stories:
Pinchas: In last week's portion we read about Pinchas, a zealous priest who kills a Midianite woman and her Israelite lover at the entranceway to the Tent of Meeting. In this week's portion Pinchas is rewarded for his actions and is given the Covenant of Peace and eternal Priesthood for his descendants.
Daughters of Zelophehad: Five sisters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah demand from Moses the right to inherit land, as they have no brother and only men can inherit the land. Moses consults with God and God agrees with them.
Perhaps we can read these two stories as models of how to aspire for change, and how that which we are passionate about can inspire us to act in the world.
The story of Pinchas is always a hard one to read. The context of Pinchas’ action is as a response to the people of Israel profaning God by having sexual relationships with the Moabites and worshiping the Moabite God. God demands that they are punished. Pinchas takes the task to heart and kills the Midianite woman and the Israelite. Perhaps what makes the story all the more challenging is the reward that Pinchas receives from God as a response to his action. God grants him a Pact of Shalom, brit shalom and he is granted priesthood for all times:
לָכֵן אֱמֹר הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת־בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם
Say, therefore, ‘I grant him My pact of friendship.
וְהָיְתָה לּוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר קִנֵּא לֵאלֹהָיו וַיְכַפֵּר עַל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
It shall be for him and his descendants after him a pact of priesthood for all time, because he took impassioned action for his God, thus making expiation for the Israelites.’
Why would God reward a zealous person? Here is one way to read this:
The words in Hebrew say: תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר קִנֵּא לֵאלֹהָיו, translated here as “because he took impassioned action.” The word תַּחַת (tachat) - which literally means under can be read and understood in this context as the word במקום (bimkom) - Instead - thus changing the meaning of this phrase. Perhaps God is not rewarding Pinchas because of his passion, but is rather saying ‘Instead of zealotry, I am giving you a covenant of peace.’
With the word “instead” we can imagine that God is teaching Pinchas about the capacity to bring his most passionate ideas into a covenant of peace. God is saying: “Take your passion, and transform it in peace, not in violence, not in revenge.” As Pinchas is also granted priesthood for all times, this is a way to challenge leadership to learn how to transform passion to peace and not into violence. In my imagination, I think of this moment as God saying to Pinchas (and to all of us): “I am going to give you a big job, a job where you have to bring holiness to the people, you have to hold your community. I know this won't be easy because your passion for Me may often make you lose your mind, but I am giving you a container of purpose to practice that which you are passionate about, loving God and God’s people.”
The story of the daughters of Zelophehad is a very different story of how to achieve what we believe is right and just. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah come forward to appeal the regulation that only men can inherit the land. They state their case in front of the sacred tent of meeting in the presence of Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and indeed the whole community. They argue that their father’s lineage should not be cut off from his clan just because he had no son and that they should be permitted to inherit his land portion in order to avoid this potential injustice to their father’s name and property. The story presumes a culture that recognizes a connection between landholding and preservation of a male name in a family lineage. Moses consults God, and God announces the decision to Moses: the proposal of the daughters of Zelophehad is to be implemented. The text then moves beyond the particular case to report God’s further generalized regulation for order of inheritance: when there are no sons, daughters shall have first inheritance rights, followed by other male relatives in a set sequence (summary based on article about daughters of Zelophehad from the Jewish Women Archive).
This story teaches us that change is possible, that systems can be changed, not through violence but through words and leadership.
Perhaps even the placement of the story of Zelophehad after Pinchas comes as an aspiration of how the world can be changed: it is changed through peace, through purposeful work, through words and through systemic change.
May we merit the capacity to learn these lessons and bring change to this world.
May this Shabbat bring renewal and blessings to all of you and your loved ones.
May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity.
May all those who are ill find healing.
May we have a joyful, sweet, and peaceful Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom,
