Torah Portion of the Week

Building Character through the Themes of the Weekly Torah Portion

  • Torah Portion Pinchas STBM Messer

Torah

Numbers 25:10–30:1

Next Reading:

July 4, 2026

19 Tammuz, 5786

Haftarah

Jeremiah 1:1–2:3

פִּינְחָס בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן הֵשִׁיב אֶת־חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקַנְאוֹ אֶת־קִנְאָתִי בְּתוֹכָם וְלֹא־כִלִּיתִי אֶת־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקִנְאָתִי׃

Pi-n’chas ben–El-a-zar ben–A-ha-ron ha-Ko-hen he-shiv et–cha-ma-ti me-al B’nei–Yis-ra-el b’kan-o et–kin-a-ti b’to-kham v’lo–khi-li-ti et–B’nei–Yis-ra-el b’kin-a-ti.

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest, has turned My wrath away from the Children of Israel, in that he was very jealous for My sake among them, so that I consumed not the Children of Israel in My jealousy.

Numbers 25:11

In the previous Torah portion we learn that the pagan prophet Balaam came up with an evil plan to get the Children of Israel to anger God by tempting the men to sin with the Moabite women who worshipped Baal of Peor; these idolatrous women would then entice the Israelite men to fall into idol worship. The plan was successful. They succumbed to the temptation and a deadly plague broke out that killed 24,000 Israelites.

…until one man stood up and stopped it all. In his zealousness for God, he took a brave action to save the Jewish people and bring the plague to an end. This week’s Torah portion is named after this courageous man: Pinchas (Phinehas), the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the High Priest.

Pinchas was the grandson of Aaron, who was known to be a great peacemaker. In order to reestablish peace between God and Israel, Pinchas had to zealously confront the mistake that the Children of Israel were making which was costing them their lives. God rewarded his actions by granting him a “covenant of peace” and a “covenant of eternal priesthood.”

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.

– Albert Einstein

A Tale of Five Sisters

In this Torah portion we see another episode of bold actions. Moses was instructed by God on how the Land of Israel was to be divided amongst the Israelites. Knowing that the inheritance only went from father to son, the five daughters of Zelophehad, whose father had died without any sons, did not want to miss out and felt that it would be unfair for them not to receive a share in the Land. So they boldly and courageously stood up for themselves by presenting their case to Moses, asking to receive their father’s portion of the Promised Land.

Moses consulted with God on this matter, and God granted their request, saying, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right…” (JPS 1917, Num. 27:7). Furthermore, He even included in the laws of inheritance that if a man died and had no sons, his inheritance should pass on to his daughter.

Beautifully Bold

We can learn from every situation and from every person. The actions of both Pinchas and the daughters of Zelophehad present an important lesson of boldness in a proper context.

The actions of Pinchas teach us that when we see improper behavior, we shouldn’t just stand by and look away. We must boldly stand up for what is right and confront it, even if it goes against our nature. Like Pinchas, we must be loyal to God and His virtues. Loyalty is a virtue that drives success.

The actions of the daughters of Zelophehad teach us that we can boldly stand up for ourselves in a respectful manner. When you feel that you are not being treated fairly, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and try to find a solution to the situation.

When you are faced with challenges that demand courage, remember that there is a right time, a right place, and a right context for boldness.

A Glance of Hebrew | Pinchas STBM Messer

Pronunciation Guide for Transliterated Hebrew Words

a

[a] as in arm

ai

[ai] as in Thailand

e

[e] as in red

ei

[ei] as in eight

i

[i] as in ski

o

[o] as in score

oi

[oi] as in oil

u

[u] as in rule

ui

[ui] as in gluing

ch/kh

[ch] as in the Scottish loch

g

[g] as in good (not as in giant)

tz

[ts] as in hats

‘

short “eh” or “uh” sound

The Hebrew Scriptures in this text have been derived from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC), and the English translation is based off of the JPS 1917 Tanakh.