1. Pinner Shul
  2. Sedra Synopsis
  3. Pinchas 5783

In this week’s sedra G-d awards Pinchas, son of Eleazar, son of Aharon, great-nephew of Moses, ‘a Covenant of Peace’. Rabbi Hirsch describes this as the achievement of ‘complete harmony of all conditions on earth among one another and with G-d’, and that ‘his valiant act saved the people and restored their peace with G-d and His Law’.

But is adherence to the word of ‘His Law’ alone, sufficient to produce ‘complete harmony’? What about its ‘Spirit’…?

Chapter 29 covers the various offerings to be brought throughout the year, beginning with a reference to ‘Shofar’. I am reminded of an episode from my late teens.

I was invited to spend Rosh Hashanah with the then Rabbi of Norrice Lea. At dinner the family ‘discussion’ was whether his teenage daughter should attend shul on Yom Tov morning, or stay in bed, she proposing the latter. Her argument was that her only mitzvah was to hear the shofar, and living next door, she could do this from under the duvet!

Her Father’s conclusion was, ‘as far as the Laws of Shofar are concerned then perhaps yes, but was it in keeping with the spirit of the Chag? – so no!’.

His conclusion was not well received, no harmony here…

Last week at a wedding meal I was sitting next to a music loving United Synagogue member. We were talking about the Glastonbury Festival weekend which he was very keen to attend. He said he had asked his Rabbi whether it was permitted for him to go. He informed the Rabbi that there was a security fence (eruv) around the whole site, one could take in kosher food and drink and once in the grounds no money need be spent.

He said the Rabbi’s conclusion was, ‘as far as the Laws of Shabbat are concerned then perhaps yes, but was it in keeping with the spirit of the day? – so no!‘.

His conclusion was not well received, no harmony here…

Finally, on the fifth day of the second test match at Lords, should Jonny Bairstow have been out, stumped? The view of some pundits was, as far as the Laws of Cricket are concerned, then perhaps yes, but was it in keeping with the spirit of the game? – so no!

One only needs to hear the crowd and MCC members to know that there was definitely no harmony here…

In conclusion, I do not claim to understand the relationship between the ‘Word of Law’ and the ‘Spirit of Law’, but if anyone has a spare ticket for Glastonbury, or the fifth test, please give me a call (hearing the shofar I’ll sort myself).

Richard Segalov

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