This week's portion, called Pinchas (named after a grandson of Aaron), touches on several topics that, seemingly, have no practical application today. Some, such as the daily and special sacrifices offered in the Temple, are not applicable today because we no longer have a Temple. In fact, during this period of the year (between the fasts of the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av), it is customary to study matters related to the Temple, as a way of rebuilding it. Our sages say that every generation that does not rebuild the Temple is as if it had destroyed it. In this spirit, the section on sacrifices in this parashah is appropriate. (In fact, the content of each parashah is related to the time of year in which it is read.).
Other parts of this section do not apply today simply because they were events that occurred while the Jewish people were in the desert and, once that stage of history was over (or at most a few years later, after the conquest and occupation of the Land of Israel), they no longer apply.
However, it is well known that everything recorded in the Torah has a practical lesson applicable to all times and places. One of the themes of this parashah is the transfer of leadership of the Jewish people from Moses to Joshua (see Numbers 27:12-23). In short, Moses accepts that he will not enter the Land of Israel and asks God to appoint a leader to guide the people to their destiny. Initially, Moses wished that one of his sons would inherit the leadership, but Divine plans were different: Joshua son of Nun, Moses' faithful servant, would be the successor. Then Moses appointed Joshua before all the people in such a way that they would respect and follow him just as they had respected and followed him.
Leadership, in general, is a very special quality. In fact, many companies hire people for managerial positions who have more leadership skills than knowledge of the specific subject matter the company deals with: knowledge is easy to acquire, leadership is not.
Today we see different expressions of leadership in society, from the political to the spiritual, but one fundamental characteristic is missing: knowing how to pass on leadership.
Moshe, even during his lifetime, supported Joshua to become a leader. Moshe understood the limits of his own authority, so to speak, and where the next one began. Today's leaders, in many cases, seek to perpetuate their power, distorting their own values and principles to achieve it.
Another quality we learn from this week's event is that a leader must always consider the benefit of the flock, so to speak. The Torah tells us (Numbers 27:18) that Joshua had the ability to understand each individual of the Jewish people so that he could guide them appropriately. We also find this type of leadership in the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and it should be a source of inspiration for everyone: the leader must guide according to the objective needs of the one being guided, and not according to their own subjective plans and interests. The same applies to parents, who should (at least try!) to understand each of their children, their problems, their particular needs, and guide them to a safe harbor.
May we soon see the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and be able to learn Torah from the ultimate leader, the Messiah, now!.