GOOD MORNING… [and ]
SHABBAT SHALOM!
THIS Shabbat we explore the meaning and ramifications of
Parshat Pinchas: our weekly Torah
portion. As i began to prepare. my
thoughts relating to the Parshat…. to share with you this morning, I naturally turned to two of my favorite
Rabbinic Sources: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
of the UK and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel of blessed memory….as well, as our Nancy,
of course, to see what i could
learn. I am most grateful to all three!
1. THe Triennial
Reading, the Second of Three, which we chanted today, contains a
particularly poignant story wherein Moses prays that G-d appoint a
successor to him to be leader of the Jewish people, after Moses has died. Like
many parents, perhaps Fathers, in
particular, Moses prays that one of his two sons, Gershom or Eliezer, will be chosen by
G-d, to follow in their Father’s
footsteps as the Leader of the people.
[I think that many of us can empathize with
such yearnings!].
But it seems that this
was not to be their inheritance. G-d
replies to Moses that this is not what G-d has decided. Instead,
G-d tells [explains?] to Moses that
it is JOSHUA who deserves such a
reward for faithfully serving Moses and for NEVER leaving his TENT. His loyalty
had been unwavering. It seems that Moses’s Prayer for Familial
Succession was NOT granted: it was to be
Joshua instead!
2. So, we
can ask: What Deeper Message does this
text impart to us? What is its Relevance
in Our Time? Did G-d provide Moses with any sort of
Consolation upon this decision? All good
points …. Let’s Explore:
It was decreed by G-d
that Elazar, the Son of Aaron was to be
appointed as High Priest, in his Father’s lifetime. To THIS
day, Cohanim are considered to be Direct Descendants of Aaron. Indeed,
Moses had hoped to receive what his brother, AARON, had received: namely,
the privilege of KNOWING that his Children would follow in their
Father’s Footsteps. It seems that this
was not to be.
3. Rabbi Sacks explains that Moses and Aaron
epitomize the Two great roles in Jewish Continuity: HORIM and MORIM… Parents and Teachers. [I think that many of us can understand
Both!]. A parent passes the Jewish
Heritage to his or her children. A
teacher does likewise-- transmitting knowledge and skills to his or her
disciples… or as we are likely to say today,
STUDENTS.
Aaron was the
Archetypal Parent, while Moses
became one of our great examples of a
Teacher or Leader. We still refer to him
as MOSHE RABBENU….
‘Moses, the Teacher’! Aaron was succeeded by his son, Elazar, as G-d had decreed; Moses, in turn, was succeeded by his disciple, JOSHUA.
4. And so we return to G-d’s provision of
CONSOLATION to Moses and our discussion
of Current Relevance. It seems that
we, TODAY are the Fortunate Recipients
of Moses’ Legacy. As we have often
heard, our Sages continue to emphasize that TORAH Leadership
does not pass automatically across generations,
as in a Patriarchal
Dynasty….. rather it is the ‘Shared
Legacy’ [2] of EVERY. Jew. It is Freely AVAILABLE to us ALL. It is considered one of the Three Crowns of
Israel, the only One that is
fully accessible to whomever seek it!
In Judaism we have a society of Equal Dignity…. one in which
knowledge, namely TORAH, has been given to us ALL.
And so we learn that Moses was denied the chance to see
his children inherit his role, so that
his own personal disappointment would become instead a SOURCE of HOPE
for future generations…. ours included!
Torah leadership is NOT. the
prerogative of an elitist group. It does
not pass thru Dynastic Succession. IT is
OPEN to EACH of us…. if we Choose to pursue it.
And That Fact , according to the Rabbis, was Moses’ Great Consolation. Just as
today, Cohanim are called the Sons of Aaron, so,
too, are all of us who study
Torah…. You and I, our children and
our fellow Congregants who lead us here
each week….we are ALL the Disciples of Moses.
Both HORIM and MORIM, parents and
teachers, represent ways in which
something of us LIVES on …into the Future… One immortalized in Aaron… and the
Other made eternal thru Moses.
SHABBAt SHALOM!
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