Pinchas
Can we allow all parts of us to speak?
Reflection by Ariel Dominique Hendelman
"In this week's Torah portion, Pinchas, a zealous priest, kills a Midianite woman and her Israelite lover. Pinchas is ultimately rewarded for acting so brazenly. He is given the covenant of peace and eternal Kehunah, priesthood, for his descendants. Afterwards, a second census is taken of the Israelites, and in a rare feminist aspect of the story, the daughters of Zelophechad demand from Moshe to be given the right to their father's inheritance, a right previously only granted to sons. Moshe agrees after consulting with the Divine.
Rabbi Shefa Gold writes of Pinchas, `Just as soon as the archetype of the zealot emerges in our story, God commands that we take a census. Our spiritual challenge is to locate and integrate this powerful archetypal energy in the context of the whole. For when it is split off from the whole, the zealot becomes a dangerous and destabilizing force in the personality or community.`
Our meditation practice can be the gateway to both locating and integrating the zealot within us - that powerful energetic force that can be directed either towards tearing down or building up. When we spend time within our inner space, we can befriend that zealot part of us and redirect its incredible strength so that it is in line with our soul's mission.
So too, the feminine within us is asking to be recognized, honored and acknowledged. This parsha reminds us that those feminine aspects deserve to be given their fair share, just as the zealot does. Whenever we get quiet enough inside to allow all parts of us to speak and have their voices heard, we can then move forward with clarity and integrity. May our practice this week help us."