Parshas Pinchas
8 maamarim of the tzaddikim on this week's reading, each in Hebrew and English with a takeaway.
Lehavas David
Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz ›Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzZeal for His God: Pinchas and Eliyahu's TruthDoing a mitzvah purely for Hashem's sake is hard, and hardest of all in zeal, yet Pinchas acted only “for his God” and stayed humbly “in their midst,” so even the attribute of…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzPinchas's Reward: Beyond the Bounds of the BodyA mitzvah's reward is boundless, and only the limits of the body keep us from receiving it here. Pinchas, Moshe and Yehoshua show that a person who offers himself wholly for…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzPinchas's Covenant of Peace: A Reward for Klal YisraelPinchas acted “in their midst,” for the sake of all Israel, and he was given the covenant of peace. What Hashem gives in this world is not a reward for mitzvos but the means to go…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzMoshe Spoke “to Hashem”: A Leader's Pure IntentEven Moshe Rabbeinu's request that his sons succeed him came from humility, spoken wholly “to Hashem” and for the good of the community. The Torah records it so that leaders in…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzIn the Name of All Israel: The Leader Who Gives HimselfNone of us can be sure that our mitzvos are wholly for Hashem's sake, but a mitzvah given over “in the name of all Israel” is shielded from every accusation. Moshe went straight…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzA Leader Who Draws His Strength from All IsraelWhatever greatness or clarity we are granted is not a prize for our own deeds; Moshe credited it to the merit of the forefathers or of the people. Even the Kohen Gadol in the Holy…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzA Shepherd to Bring the Prince HomeLike the prince who asked only for a coat and shoes, we can grow so used to exile that we forget we may ask to come home to our Father's table. In the days of Bein HaMetzarim the…Lehavas David · Rav Dovid Matisyohu RabinowitzRebuke and Compassion: The Two Powers of a LeaderA true leader needs two powers: the firmness to rebuke and teach the way of Torah, and the compassion to see only good in people and bring blessing down upon them. Moshe was…