Numbers, 25:10-30:1
This Week’s Torah Portion | July 6 – July 12, 2014 – Tammuz 8 – Tammuz 14, 5774

In A Nutshell

In the beginning of the portion the Creator thanks Pinhas for stopping the plague and gives him a “covenant of peace,” and a “covenant of an everlasting priesthood” to him and to his descendants. All the while, the children of Israel are preparing to fight the Midianties.

Following the instructions of the Creator, Moses divides the land into lots, following censuses held in the people by tribes and by families. At the conclusion of the censuses, the daughters of Zelophehad, from the tribe of Menashe, complain to Moses that their father died and as women, they did not receive their lot. Moses looks into the matter and the Creator rules that to do justice, the daughters of Zelophehad will be given a lot in the land, which will be named after their father.

The Creator commands Moses to climb up the Mountain of Avarim to see the land of Israel, which he will not enter, and to appoint Joshua, son of Nun, as his successor.

At the end of the portion there is a detailed description of the offerings that needed to be sacrificed each day and on different occasions during the year.

Commentary by Dr. Michael Laitman

According to The Book of Zohar, the portion, Pinhas, is profound and evokes many questions. The story tells of people such as Pinhas, who are seemingly greater than Moses. The Creator blesses and praises him that he is as great as Joshua, that he is replacing Moses, who is climbing down from center stage. There is also the issue of women’s rights, some of whom can be as the men, receiving a lot.

As we know, the Torah does not speak of corporeal events or physical bodies, but of souls. The souls are what is important, the eternal part in each of us. This is why we need to understand that the text describes the “human within us,” which must experience all the portions of the Torah along the spiritual development.

This portion speaks of a very special point that awakens in us, a special desire called Pinhas. Read the rest of this entry »

Question: How should we come to the ONE Convention and be in this whole atmosphere of togetherness when we come from a world of individualism?

Dr. Michael Laitman: Individualism and separation and these definitions… we see these things today as nothing but trouble. Precisely, out of this world’s troubles, we should explain that we are approaching an opposite, connected world. The more we resist connection, the more troubles we will suffer. We have to start explaining it. Each day, the idea of connection becomes more acceptable in the eyes of the world because the blows are becoming systematic.

Question: How we come and unite at the ONE Convention, and be together when in the outside world there is separation? The world is suffering and is separated and we at the convention are having such a great time, being united and all.

Dr. Laitman: Judging by the despair and problems that exist in the world, I don’t see the world as enjoying, compared to what it had 20, 30 or 50 years ago. Back then, the world and people thought they were progressing toward something good, and look at how quickly these things have been inverted. We just need to explain that we have no choice. We are living in a special process, which exists in Nature, and it is inescapable. If you do not do this or that act, you will suffer more and more.

Read the rest of this entry »

Question: How rare is it that one achieves spirituality?

Dr. Michael Laitman: In our world today, it is not rare. It is available for anyone. There were times, up until our time, when one out of a thousand who wanted it could attain it. Today, anyone not only can, but must, attain it. Look at the pressures and at what is now surfacing in order to push people to connect and discover the upper world, so that people will shift to a higher level and live in an altogether different place than where they currently are.

The general crisis is pushing from behind, and the light that reforms and the group, i.e. the big group that is already emerging worldwide, and is ready to absorb into itself and progress. Everything is there.

What we are now discovering is the wisdom of connection, the method of correction—the general method of correction and how everyday this explanation becomes more approachable, easier, reasonable in the eyes of the general public. Look at the kind of help we are getting from above both in terms of understanding the method and in relation to the world—how the world is becoming immersed in this whirlpool.

This Q&A is based on the Special Q&A Session with Dr. Michael Laitman in Preparation for the ONE Convention, which took place on Sunday, June 16. Watch the whole video & stay up-to-date with ONE Convention preparation materials here »