This coming Shabbat's Torah portion, read in Israel on Saturday, July 08, is Pinchas. This week’s reading opens with God praising Phinehas, and rewarding his bravery by granting priesthood to him and his descendants. G‑d then commands the Jews to punish the Midianites by hounding and smiting them. The fulfillment of this command is described in next week’s reading. G‑d commands Moses and Elazar the High Priest to conduct a census of all males over the age of twenty.

This week's thoughts by our popular teacher Dr. Benny Benjamin talks about “Just because we have no brothers?”: Getting a lift from your elevator pitch. Read it below.

Last week, our popular Root Source teacher Rabbi Gedalia Meyer talked about "Balak". Watch it below.

We are delighted to share our lesson Proverbs Ch 1 Verses 8-9 with our teacher Rabbi Aryeh Leifert. Learn it here

We are delighted to share our lesson Book of Judges with our teacher David Ha’ivri. Learn it here.

Check below to hear what Dr Richard Booker and Gidon Ariel have to say. Watch it below.

We sign off with a nice comment and a beautiful photo of Safed, Israel.

Shalom,

Gidon Ariel and Bob O’Dell  

Root Source Founders

Phinehas (Pinchas) is rewarded for his bravery. A census of the Israelites is taken. The daughters of Zelophehad successfully argue for a portion in the land of Israel. Joshua is ordained Moses‘ successor. G‑d relays to Moses the details of all the holiday sacrifices.

“Just because we have no brothers?”: Getting a lift from your elevator pitch

In a rare role for women in the Five Books of Moses, five sisters came forward and stood before the nation’s leadership and the entire assembly with a plea. During the allocation of tribal lands in anticipation of entering the Promised Land, these sisters chose to assert a claim for their late father, Zelophehad of the tribe of Manasseh, who would lose potential land rights for his family because he had no sons, thus lapsing the family name.

Balak:

Rabbi Gedalia Meyer's Weekly Torah Study

We each possess the power to change our own fate and even the fate of others. But as Balak would learn, we can only change our fate, (or the fate of others), for better or for worse, if G-d gives us the green light.

Proverbs Ch 1 Verses 8-9

Rabbi Leifert explains that much of the book of Proverbs is in the form of a letter from Parent to Child. In Proverbs 1:8, the Rabbi explores the difference between instruction and teaching, and its relation to the masculine and femine forms of parenting, and the Jewish view of parents and parenting.

Then in 1:9, he explains the results of wisdom as seen in Jewish life, and begins to make his first reference to the 'fear of the Lord'.

Book of Judges

Watch here as David Ha’ivri talked about Israel and Nations – Book of Judges. 

Conversations:

Gidon Ariel and Dr Richard Booker

Here are some of the things that Gidon and Dr Richard Booker talked about:

• What do you do for the 4th of July?
• Used to be fireworks, today less noise, thank you:-)
• Jewish foundations of the USA

and much more!

We get so many comments!
Here is one from Debbie Bloom on lesson 

What is Wisdom?

"I was delighted to listen to the lesson What is Wisdom? with your teacher Rabbi Aryeh Leifert after a long 12 hour work day.
I need yet to sit and study the Hebrew
As a musician, fascinated with your conversation with Jason Caplan"

Enjoy this photo in Israel by Stanislav Vdovin