Pinchas

📜 The Story

Parshat Pinchas opens right where the previous parsha left off. Pinchas, the son of Elazar and grandson of Aharon the Kohen, acted with zealous devotion for God and stopped a terrible plague that had struck the people of Israel, saving many lives.

God tells Moshe that He is giving Pinchas a 'covenant of peace', promising him and his descendants the priesthood forever. As it says, 'Behold, I give him My covenant of peace.' This was a great reward for the courage he showed in ending the harm to the people.

God then commands Moshe to take a new census of the whole nation, counting every tribe in preparation for entering the Land of Israel and dividing it fairly among the families.

The five daughters of Zelophehad, Machlah, Noa, Chaglah, Milkah, and Tirzah, bravely come before Moshe and ask to receive their father's share of the land, since he died without sons. Moshe brings the question to God, who answers, 'The daughters of Zelophehad speak justly,' establishing for the first time in the Torah that daughters may inherit land.

God tells Moshe to climb up and view the Land of Israel before his death, and Moshe appoints Yehoshua bin Nun as the next leader by laying his hands on him. The parsha ends with a detailed list of the daily Tamid offering, and the special additional offerings brought on Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and every festival.