Pinchas, Aaron’s grandson, did a valorous and zealous act of bravery when he skewered the prince of the tribe of Shimon and stopped the plague from wiping out the entire nation. What motivated Pinchas’ behavior? What attributes were at play during his act of zealotry? This question is answered in a comment in Rashi in our Parsha. We learn how qualities and attributes that are present in antecedents are manifested in their descendants. Character is heritable. That same theme is featured elsewhere in our Parsha, when the daughter is of Tzalafchad seek a portion in the land of Israel, in a manner similar to that of their antecedent Joseph. When we zoom out, we discover that the heritability of character, both good and bad, is featured in many many places in the literature. The lessons and the takeaways are profound.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Email me with questions, comments, and feedback: [email protected]

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101