Parashat Pinchas

 In this busy portion, the daughters of Zelophehad succeed in staking claim their father’s land — sort of.

Zelophehad's daughters call to us to take hold of life with our own hands.

Zealous acts are not always heroic.

As Jews, we must express our religious imperative to ensure equal access to land.

The audacity of the request of Zelophehad's daughters.

City living can cause social fragmentation and environmental degradation.

Not everyone is happy with Pinchas' action and its reward.

Pinchas' violent act raises questions about the extent of any leader's authority.

The transition in leadership from Moses to Joshua provides us with a model for contemporary changes in leadership.

Only a passionate zealous act can respond adequately to sins and crimes of passion.

How can we reconcile Pinchas' act of zealous violence and the covenant of peace he receives?

In identifying Moses' successor, God emphasizes that inspiration, not passion or popularity, makes a successful leader.

The Torah portion deals with intermarriage, a phenomenon with contemporary resonance.

Just as God advocated for the property rights of Zelophehad's daughters, we should work to create economic opportunities for those who have lacked them.

People who translate zeal for God into violence must normally possess the qualities and ethics worthy of a covenant of peace.

The census that occurs immediately after the plague for the sin with Midian reassures the Children of Israel that they are still God's partners in the covenant.

This Torah portion focuses on teachings and transmissions through generations.

The laws of inheritance.

Pinchas: A resource for families.

Learn more about the weekly Torah portion.

God gives Pinchas a covenant of peace; God explains the apportionment of the Land of Israel; the daughters of Tzelophechad petition to inherit their father's portion; Moses appoints Joshua his successor.