Joshua or Pinchas?

Pinchas

Num. 25:10 - 30:1

 

Précis: This parasha begins with a reward for Pinchas’ zealotry in slaying the offending adulterers at the conclusion of the previous parasha (the hereditary High Priesthood). The laws of inheritance are amended to provide, at least in certain cases, for daughters to inherit their fathers’ estates. Joshua is appointed the successor to Moses as leader of the People. The parasha then shifts to details of sacrifices.  

Num. 27:15 -16 “And Moses spoke to Adonai saying, ‘Let Adonai, God of the spirit of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who will go in front of them and who will bring them out and who will bring them in, so that Adonai’s congregation won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.…’”

 

Once Moses has accepted that a new leader for Israel is required, the question then turns to whom the succession will fall.  There were probably three potential followers. First, it could be the military leader Joshua, who displayed his virtue during the episode of the spies.  Second, it might have been Pinchas, who had just been awarded the most significant religious leadership position, that of High Priest, due to his zealotry. Finally, it could have been Moses’ own first-born son, given that primogeniture was the rule among nations at that time.  But it was Joshua who was selected. Why?

            Traditional commentary states that Moses feared Pinchas’ zealotry, since tolerance is an essential part of leadership. Moses’ sons, according to Midrash, refused to study Torah (a metaphor for not following God’s Law). Joshua alone had demonstrated the ability to lead as a shepherd tends his flock and had shown faith in God. He thus merited the leadership role.

            As we celebrate America’s 250^th anniversary this Shabbat, we should consider the kind of leadership we have now, and the kind of leadership we should work for in the coming months and years. May God grant us Joshuas and save us from Pinchases as we enter the next phase of the American Experiment.