Parashat Pinchas 5783

by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields

In our Torah reading this week, Parashat Pinchas, we read of the very zealous Pinchas who killed an Israelite man and a Moabite woman because of their very public immoral behavior. Pinchas’ zealotry was extreme. It is important to speak up, speak out, and do something when one sees something immoral, but boundaries are needed; murder is not appropriate. Moderation is desirable in all that is done. Pinchas truly showed he was a passionate person, but that passion was not handled properly, if it led to death. What are you passionate about? How do you show that passion? May we all be zealous, but not quite as zealous as Pinchas. Chazak v’Ematz – Be Strong and Courageous!