Pinchas פִּינְחָס - Phinehas
Torah Portion: Numbers 25:10-30:1
Numbers 27:6–23
27:6 Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right. You shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers. You shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. 8 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his kinsman who is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it. This shall be a statute and ordinance for the children of Israel, as Hashem commanded Moses.’”
12 Hashem said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. 13 When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered; 14 because in the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, to honor me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
15 Moses spoke to Hashem, saying, 16 “Let Hashem, the Elohim of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in, that the congregation of Hashem may not be as sheep which have no shepherd.”
18 Hashem said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and commission him in their sight. 20 You shall give authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey. 21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before Hashem. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.”
22 Moses did as Hashem commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as Hashem spoke by Moses.
Today’s Meditation:
I recently discussed with an acquaintance about how we really do have the Spirit of Hashem residing in us. But, not in a way that I was thinking before or had been taught previously. He told me that the Spirit of Hashem is breathed into us at our birth. Which is what Scripture says. In Genesis 2:7, Hashem breathes “Life” into us. That is His Spirit. In verse 16 in today’s reading, we read, “Let Hashem, the Elohim of the spirits of all flesh”. We are made up of Spirit, His Spirit. That is how we breathe and live daily. When we die and go to Olam Haba, His Spirit is removed from us, where I assume we are made spiritual beings of our own spirit, until the resurrection of our physical bodies. It is incredible to think that we are alive today because the Spirit of Hashem exists in us and gives us life. It makes you view things very differently. Ponder on this today and see if you agree.
Today’s Challenge:
In verse 18, we read that Hashem chose Joshua as Israel’s next leader: “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit.” As Moses knows he is about to leave the earth, he is concerned about who will lead the people. It makes sense that Hashem will choose someone who has been taught and mentored by Moses. Remember, we have read about Joshua’s dedication and service to Hashem, so much so that he did not want to leave the door of the Tabernacle (Exodus 33:11). If you are leaving a position/job, do you contemplate if the person who is replacing you is close to Hashem? Even if you are in a secular job, isn’t it important to know that the person who will have your position is qualified and dedicated? Sometimes when we leave employment, we don’t care who follows, but I challenge you today to make sure that it does matter. And if you aren’t changing jobs, maybe this applies to another area of your life. Maybe give it some thought and prayer.
