Parshat Pinchas Schedule

Shabbat Schedule

Friday, July 13

  • 06:50 am – Shacharit
  • 07:00 pm – Mincha
  • 08:02 pm – Candle lighting

Saturday, July 14

  • 07:45 am – Shacharit at Salem Towers
  • 08:45 am – Shacharit
  • 09:05 am – Latest time for Kriat Shema
  • Cancelled – Jr. Congregation
  • 11:15 am – Kiddush
  • Cancelled – Ladies’ Torah class
  • Cancelled – Men’s Derech Hashem class
  • 07:35 pm – Mincha and Se’udah Shlishit
  • 08:55 pm – Ma’ariv
  • 09:10 pm – Shabbat Ends

Weekday Schedule

July 15 – 20

Shacharit

  • 08:00 am – Sunday
  • 06:40 am – Monday, Thursday, and Friday (Rosh Chodesh Av)
  • 06:50 am – Tuesday and Wednesday

Mincha

  • 08:00 pm – Sunday – Thursday
  • 07:00 pm – Friday

Ma’ariv

  • 08:30 pm – Sunday – Thursday

To print this schedule, click here to go directly to the post, and then press ctrl-P (Windows) or cmd-P (Mac) to print it.

Weekly Words of Torah

Intellect & Middot Tovot

Insights into Parshat Pinchas of our weekday gabbai, Josh Vogel.

Before Parshat Pinchas even begins, we see a major characteristic of Jewish leadership. When Bnei Yisrael sinned with the daughters of Moab, it wasn’t each individual person who transgressed who was held responsible. Rather, the midrash indicates that when Moshe was told to “Take the leaders of the people. Hang them before Hashem”, it was the leaders themselves being held responsible for failing to stop the debauchery. A Jewish leader, whether in control of the situation or not, is always the first to be held responsible for the outcomes of their and their follower’s actions.

There is a another subtle hint toward the making of a Jewish leader contained within the parsha, and this can be gleaned from how our parsha is organized. While there are many self-contained storylines in Pinchas, two of the prominent ones are the census of the Jews and the appointing of Yehoshua, Joshua, as the next leader of Bnei Yisrael. In fact, the stories are presented in this order, first the Jews are counted, then the new leader is appointed. Unlike in many other cultures, it is not the leader who rules over his subjects, rather in Judaism, the subjects are the focus and a ruler is placed over them.

Once Moshe is told to prepare for his death by ascending Har HaAvarim, Moshe’s first concern in the future leadership of the Jewish nation. It also seems to be a perfect place for Moshe to explain what he believes are the essential traits of any Jewish leader. Who better to make these claims than the foremost Jewish leader in history? First, Moshe says, a Jewish leader must be one willing to do his own work. Rashi says the Moshe told Hashem, “just like I went out to war against Sichon and Og, so too must the next leader be willing to lead the fight”, instead of sending messengers and legions while he stays safe in his home. Additionally, a leader must possess adequate zechuyot, merits, which would help him or her in their mission.

Hashem’s response to Moshe is that the next leader will be Joshua, a person who “has the spirit in him”. Initially, this is a very vague statement, as one may think that many people have “the spirit” in them. Here, Rashi explains it comes to mean someone who is able answer questions on an individual basis. A major role of a leader is to be a mentor and guide to those being led. Sometimes a blanket answer isn’t the right approach, and sometimes neither is a response to be executed on a case-to-case basis. Therefore a leader, especially one of the Jews (who Rashi in the next pasuk says are a nation that is bothersome and frequently objectionable), must be able to discern the correct response for any given situation.

Of course, all of this is above and beyond the main example of leadership for which our parsha is named, that of Pinchas. While we shouldn’t advocate for the identical response that Pinchas took against Zimri and Kozbi, we can all strive to have the zeal which Pinchas demonstrated at that time in all of our endeavors. For it is important to note that Pinchas was not rewarded with the covenant of peace for his murderous act, rather it was because of the zealousness and righteousness with which he acted. Through embodying the traits mentioned above, we can make a positive impact on our nation, and hopefully all equally benefit from Hashem’s covenant of peace, and like Yehoshua and Pinchas did, come to inherit the land of Israel.