B"H

Wednesday, Tammuz 16, 5780 / July 8, 2020

 

Highlights of this week’s Parsha, Pinchas: G-d grants Pinchas, who was the grandson of Aaron, the High priest, the covenant of peace and proclaims Pinchas a Kohen (priest) to serve in the Mishkan/Temple.

 

G-d commands Moshe to take a count of the Jewish people.  The counting was for men over the age of twenty.  The total was 601,730.

 

In the Parsha we also read about the specific sacrifices which G-d commanded to bring in the Temple on each of the holidays; Rosh Chodesh, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot.  On each of the holidays we read from this Parsha the portion concerning that particular holiday.  Thus, Pinchas is the Parsha from which we read most during the year.

 

Q.   Why did G-d want Moshe to count the people at this time?

 

A.    This counting took place after Jews sinned and were punished by a plague which took the lives of 24,000 Jews.  Rashi compares this counting to a shepherd whose flock was attacked by a pack of wolves who killed many of the sheep.  After chasing away the wolves, the shepherd counts the remaining sheep to know how many were spared.  So, too, after the plague which took the lives of 24,000 Jews, Moshe, their faithful shepherd, counted his flock to know how many were spared.

 

Counting something is a sign that the object is important to the owner.  G-d wanted the Jewish people counted now to show that although they sinned, his affection and love for them was still there.

 

Another reason: This counting took place very close to Moshe’s death, when he had to pass on the mantle of leadership to Joshua.  Just like when Moshe took the people out of Egypt, G-d told him their count (600,000), so too, now, that he had to give them over to Joshua, as their new leader, he gave them over with an exact count.

 

Q.    Why are all the holidays recorded in this Parsha?

 

A.    Parshat Pinchas is usually read in the beginning of the Three Week period when we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temples.  Reading now about the holiday services in the Temple gives us hope and encouragement that one day, very soon, we will again serve G-d in the Holy Temple.

 

Q.    Is there any mitzvah we perform today that replaces sacrifices?

 

A.    Prayer.  The Talmudic sages say that, prayers were established in place of sacrifices.  The three daily prayers were established, after the destruction of the Temple, instead of the sacrifices

 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY