Tag: Pinchas

Parshas Pinchas

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Parshas Pinchas (5772)
by Mordechai Dolinsky

The act of kanous is to be willing to take the life of a person who is doing something very much against the Will of Hashem, yet isn’t isn’t crysalized in the form of a definite issur. Pinchas is being crowned with the kehuna for his heroic act, yet not understood and appreciated by Klal Yisroel. Truly Pinchas is a secret hero, sensitive to the true Will of Hashem.
25:11 Rashi.

Let’s be zocheh to be megaleh the kavod Shomayim.

Have a wonderful Shabbos.

Parshas Pinchas (5771)

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Parshas Pinchas (5771)

by Mordechai Dolinsky

[(26:5) Rashi] How is the placing by Hashem of the ‘hei’ before the name and ‘yud’ after the tribal names resolve the issue of the nations of the world casting dispersion on the holiness and reliability of our lineage, insinuating that is was defiled by the Egyptians.

The names we are called actually have a true definite effect on our essence, and our essence is clearly manifested on our physical appearance.  The countenance of our appearance truly calls out our holiness.  The cute gentile child can’t compare with the holiness reflected on our sweet children.  Nothing can compare withe aura of light emanating from the faces of our talmidei chachamim and our tzadikim.

We should be zochech to see the geulah b’karov.

Parshas Pinchas (5770)

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Parshas Pinchas (5770)
by Mordechai Dolinsky

As the golus progresses the kovod Shamayim decreases and the responsibility of those of us who are loyal to Hashem and committed to His Torah is awesome to reveal his glory and honor. What an opportunity to achieve greatness. The parsha of Pinchas should inspire us.

Have a wonderful Shabbos.

Parshas Pinchas (5769)

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Parshas Pinchas (5769)
by Mordechai Dolinsky

Pinchas was worthy of Divine inspiration of an act of honoring Hashem in a way that Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest source of the Will of Hashem, was deprived to conceive.

What an awesome inspiration for us all. No limits; no boundaries; the absolute commitment, inspiration, ambition and yearning to bring to an absolute revelation of the honor of Hashem is blessed with an availability and the tools to spell out the glory of Hashem.

Have a wonderful Shabbos.

Parshas Pinchas (5768)

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Parshas Pinchas (5768)
By Mordechai Dolinsky

Rashi in our sedra quotes a Chazal(26:5) that when Klal Yisroel were engaged in establishing the various lineages of the Shvatim the gentiles attempted to lower the esteem and degrade Klal Yisroel by attempting to create a false image that when we were subjected to slavery in Egypt just as the men were tortured likewise the women were abused by the Egyptian men. Thus, they tried to make our establishing of lineage a farce. Therefore Hashem testified to their pureness by placing a “hai” and a “yud” respectively before and after their names.

How can this effectively combat their false accusation? Chazal teach that a name has a definite imprint on the makeup of a person. An individual who carries “yud-kay” on his name will definitely be affected by this imprint.

The famous quote – if Darwin had seen a certain tzaddik he would never have theorized his stupidity as to man’s origin and ancestry.

By placing His name on us Hashem has placed in us awesome greatness. Let’s bring it out. Have a wonderful Shabbos.

Parshas Pinchas (5767)

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Parshas Pinchas (5767)
By Mordechai Dolinsky

We are presently entering ‘bain hametzorim’, the annual period designated by Chazal to focus and mourn for the dual catastrophe that befell our Bais Hamikdash and sent us to the great galus which presently prevails. Before embarking on the mourning, it might be wise to invest energy in the appreciation of the Bais Hamikdash which we are missing. This can be accomplished by the evaluation of the mikdash me’at which we presently possess in the form of our ‘botai knessios’ and ‘botai medrashos’.

Before entering a Shul or place of learning one should pause a moment to consider that he is about to enter a location embedded with the shchinah, kedusha, and bombarded with “ruchnius radiation”.

In light of this we can see the obvious ‘hachgacha pratius’ that our parsha focuses on the Bais Hamikdash and the awesome service throughout the special occasions of the year with which we connect with Hashem, our Creator. We should see the geula sh’layma, speedily in our days.

Have a wonderful Shabbos.

Parshas Pinchas (5766)

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Parshas Pinchas (5766)
By Mordechai Dolinsky

Pinchas was rewarded by Hashem with kahuna for his heroic act. Rashi explains that it was a sign of love that Hashem exhibited to him for the love he demonstrated to Hashem.

This awakens us to strengthen this most vital basic area of avodas Hashem, to demonstrate our love to Him, and to reinstate the practice to devote time daily to have an intimate heart-to-heart “talk” with Hashem in privacy. This was practiced by all groups in KLAL Yisroel all through our history. The Chofetz Chayim devoted two and a half hours daily for his expression of intimacy with Hashem.

Through our expression and demonstration of closeness to Hashem, He will surely reciprocate by bringing a great salvation for all our needs, especially in these troubled times.

Have a wonderful Shabbos.

Parshas Pinchas (5764)

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Parshas Pinchas (5764)
By Mordechai Dolinsky

The essence of putting into practice the attribute of sholom is the ability to deal with and relate to the complete range of personality and character types and categories. This is despite the seeming limitations and obstacles due to our own traits. All the demands that are made on us in our human relationships likewise apply to our relationship with Hashem. Hillel crystallized the whole Torah and avodas Hashem—Don’t do your friend that which is objectionable and abominable to yourself; and Rashi explains that this “friend” is Hashem. It would be greatly commendable if we were able to relate to Hashem at least as a good friend. Just as it is an act of greatness to relate to each human and tune in to his specific mentality likewise one must practice this towards Hashem. It was because of the unique greatness of Pinchas in this area that he, and he alone, comprehended that Hashem’s “inner” Will was that an open act of vengeance was in place to demonstrate the extreme, Divine disapproval. Understandably he was then blessed with sholom. This is a supreme and inspiring living example for us to constantly yearn to have a revelation to what Hashem wants from us.

Have a wonderful week!

Parshas Pinchas (5763)

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Parshas Pinchas (5763)
by Mordechai Dolinsky

The first Medrash in our parsha points out the greatness of sholom that Pinchas received as a reward for his outstanding taking up for the honor of Shamayim. Chazal point out the large range that we are involved in relating to sholom.

Sholom is a state that we have to create despite the many obstacles of many personality conflicts. It is very apropo that the medrashs that follows points out the many different personality types that we have to deal with.

Have a wonderful Shabbos.

Parshas Pinchas (5762)

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Parshas Pinchas (5762)
by Mordechai Dolinsky

We have in our parsha the commandment for the most important day on our calendar—Rosh Hashanah, when we proclaim Hashem’s sovereignty over the world. The climax and the most important act we do on this significant day is the blowing of the shofar which is alluded to by the words “Yom Teruah”. There is no hint or meaning in these words that relate to the shofar and the gemara sends us to the Targum Unkelus—”yom yevava” that likewise sheds no light. The road then leads to the exclamation of the mother of Sisra, which is also unclear. The lesson is that the greatest truths are hidden; also that the mitzvah of shofar itself contains hidden lessons.

Regarding the commandment of Succos in the parsha (12:12) Rashi brings that the sacrifices of the bulls were symbolic and represented the seventy nations of the world. In the fact that the number of sacrifices diminished daily we symbolically declare that the nations of the world will eventually disappear from the face of the universe. This seemingly contradicts and is diametrically opposed to what Rashi brings immediately after the above that the sacrifice of these bulls offered a protection to the nations from the affliction of possible harm.

Perhaps we can reconcile and explain with the understanding that the nations surely serve a purpose in the universe and so does the whole materialistic mechanism. It acts as an auxiliary for the true service of Hashem. However, the nations don’t have intrinsic value and therefore they will eventually disappear. Only Klal Yisroel and the Torah have intrinsic significance. The recognition and declaration of this by us is a great zchus for them and serves as a protection from harm for them. Likewise the understanding and recognition that all materialism is for the service of Hashem brings to it all a zchus and true blessing.

We hope and pray, especially at this time that we commemorate the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash that we should speedily see its redemption and rebuilding, and we shall once again offer sacrifices to Hashem for Klal Yisroel and for the whole creation.

Have a wonderful Shabbos.