Pinchas Excerpts

פינחס

Shabbat Shalom

We sit by and we allow our true morals to be stepped upon. People will spit in the face of our tradition and we do nothing. I had a hard time suggesting the community set up an Eruv, as that was considered anti-PETA...It is not right to enclose animals...Everybody with any true sense knows that an eruv is not a wall. 

Support tradition and you are called a fascist. Everybody was screaming at Chaim for suggesting that the shule start a program where we teach people mitzvot...'How dare you talk about the barbaric ritual of separating meat and dairy?' The board protested and had a dunk the meat in the milk breakfast...

People are separating the two now, as steak dunked in milk did not satisfy the palate of the heretics...The counter protest of dunking cookies in milk won out...

Moshe is brought up to a mountain to be told he is going to die, and he is not going into Israel...Just like Michael's mom, who won't let him go into the pool...Bernie. You are not going to Israel, because you are a self-hating Jew...

So...What do we do here? How do we handle this?

(27:16-17) Moshe starts searching for leaders...He is not concerned with himself. He jumps into the search right away- 'I am going to die. Let me make sure somebody is here to lead the Jewish people.' Worried about the next generation. Exactly unlike the principal of our day school...The kids in this community are extremely dumb...Every single one of them joined the PETA cause, because they wanted falafel and chumus for lunch.

A leader thinks about the next generation...

Bernie is going to die. We know Bernie has no concern. He is still smoking in the sanctuary on a daily basis. That is why nobody comes to shule in the middle of the week Bernie. Because you are smoking and it is disgusting...You have taken 10 years off the life expectancy of this congregation...You can't have kids around smoke Bernie...Your grand-kids have wrinkles. 

As it took a leader back in the desert, it took a leader to dunk that first cookie in milk. Pinchas was willing to kill those who were causing the sin and blaspheming the tradition. And just as Pinchas was not enough, we need more leaders now who are willing to stick up for our tradition. Who in our community is willing to slay the president of this shule?...

Leadership. And not just leadership today. The leadership of our future? Moshe jumps to make sure the tradition will continue. You all jump to make sure your children are no affected by it. Still serving chumus with milk...

But how do we make the decision of a leader?

(27:18-21) H' tells him, 'Take Yehoshua. And stand him before all of Bnei Yisrael, place some of your glory on him, so that they will hear.'

This congregation hasn't heard anything from the past president of the shule. The guy hasn't even shown up to shule for the past eight weeks. As mentioned, it will affect his business, and we here at Beis Emes Sefillah do not want to hurt the building fund...Have you heard your rabbi?

No answer...

Stand the next leader before the people. Let them know. Make sure they hear. Make sure tradition is continued. Surety about the leadership and continuity of the next generation is the focus of H's call to Moshe. Who is standing up for our tradition in the future? Bernie is trying to kill it with the secondhand smoke. The president of the shule is no going to the golf course every Shabbat, to get his meat and dairy. And the principal cancelled the children's trip to Israel, as that is harmful to animals.

Who will take the chance to keep our tradition alive? I don't think there is even tradition as to the kind of schnapps we drink at Kiddush.