Moses empowers Joshua to succeed him
and lead the people into the Land of Israel. The
Parshah concludes with a detailed list of the daily
offerings, and the additional offerings brought on
Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh (first of the month), and the
festivals of Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom
Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret.
FROM THE WORDS OF OUR SAGES ON
THE PARSHAH:
-- Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the
Kohen (Numbers 25:10)
When Pinchas entered Zimri's tent, thousands from
the tribe of Shimon converged upon him to slay him,
and his soul flew from his body in fright. At that
moment, G-d sent the souls of Nadav and Avihu
[Aaron's eldest two sons, who died on the day that
the Sanctuary was dedicated -- see Leviticus 10] and
they entered into his body; at that moment, Pinchas
became worthy to become the High Priest.... Thus the
verse says of him, "Pinchas the son of Elazar the
son of Aaron" -- he was now both the son of Elazar
as well as the son of Aaron... (Zohar; Me'am Loez)
-- To the more numerous [tribe] you shall increase
their inheritance, and to the fewer you shall lessen
their inheritance... Nevertheless the land shall be
divided by lot... (Numbers 26:54-55)
Thus we have three aspects to the people's
relationship with the land: 1) a rational
relationship, in which logistic considerations such
as population size and vocation determine one's
"portion"; 2) a supra-rational, and seemingly
arbitrary, "casting of lots"; 3) "inheritance",
which is neither rational nor arbitrary, but rather
indicates the existence of an intrinsic connection
between the heir and the heritage.
The same applies to every person's "portion in
life". There are the events and opportunities which
arise from our rational abilities, choices and
actions. There are the circumstances and experiences
that "befall" us in a seemingly random and arbitrary
manner. And finally, we each have those moments in
life that reveal the very essence of who and what we
are -- that deepest self that is one with its
Source.
Life is the sum of these three elements. To live is
to develop and optimize one’s consciously understood
faculties. To live is to be receptive to the
mysteries of life, to learn to recognize and respond
to the opportunities implicit in the most esoteric
turns of fate. And to live is to be attuned to the
core of truth in the core of one’s soul -- to one’s
heritage as a child of G-d. (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
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