If you remember, last week we had the story about how Ballam used women to seduce the Jewish men. G-d sent a plague and a fellow by the name of Pinchas took a spear to a couple who were cavorting outside the Tabernacle. It wasn't a pretty sight. That act stopped the plague and Pinchas was made a priest (Cohen) by G-d. Divine promotion...
This week we read Torah Portion Pinchas (Numbers 25:10 - 30:1) and learn that G-d now commands Moses to attack the Midianites because of the plot that cost so many lives. A new census is taken and we learn there are 601,730 men available for duty in the army.
The tribes are now given land in Israel. Meanwhile the daughters of Tzelafchad come to Moses asking that they be allowed the right of inheritance. Moses turns to G-d to ask and in one of the first reported decisions on equality the women get that inheritance.
We now learn who the successor to Moses will be as G-d directs Hoses to name Joshua.
As usual, there is a bunch of things going on in this portion. One of the interesting things to modern Jews would be the question of rights of women. Here, long before women received the right to vote in the United States, we have a decree of equality. Equal...as they say is equal.
SERVICE SCHEDULE
Services will be held on Friday the 26th at 7:15pm and we'll be talking about equality as well as some words about the Poor People's Campaign.
On Shabbat (Saturday the 27th) we'll hold our Torah Study (Midrash) and focus on this Torah Portion. We'll gather at 10:00am also at the shul.
Everyone is welcome...to either the service or our Midrash.
Shabbat Shalom!
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