Rosner’s Torah Talk: Parshat Pinchas with Rabbis Rice

[additional-authors]

Shmuel Rosner

July 9, 2020

Rabbi Laurie Rice and Rabbi Philip Rice (“Flip”) lead congregation Micah in Nashville, TN.

Rabbi Laurie hails from Los Angeles, California, and was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Prior to coming to Congregation Micah in Nashville, she served congregations in Los Angeles and Visalia, California; Westchester, New York; and Woodinville, Washington.

Rabbi Flip was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Miami, Florida. He was ordained as a rabbi from HUC-JIR (2001) and recently earned a Doctor of Ministry from Lipscomb University (2018). Prior to arriving in Nashville, Flip was an Associate Rabbi at Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, Washington (2001-2005).

This week’s Torah Portion – Parashat Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1) – begins with Pinchas being rewarded for his problematic act of killing the Israelite and his Midianite paramour in the previous portion. A census is then conducted and God tells Moses how to divide the land between the tribes and people of Israel. The five daughters of Tzelafchad ask Moses to grant them the land of their father, who died with no sons, and God accepts their claim and adds it to the Torah’s laws of inheritance. Moses names Joshua as his successor, and the Parasha ends with a detailed list of daily offerings and of offerings brought on different holidays.