This Thursday, almost as an introduction to the portion of the week, we observed the fast of the Seventeenth of Tamuz, which is a preamble to the fast of the Ninth of Av, Tish'a B'av: Basically, the unity of the Jews, the city of Jerusalem and our ability to control our own national destiny is falling through our hands. The walls fell on the 17th of Tamuz - in 70 CE - and the Temple falls and is burnt along with the rest of Jerusalem on the 9th of Av. And our people entered a 2000 year exile. 

Having just returned from a one week trip to Israel, studying at the Shalom Hartman Institute, I am inspired - as almost anyone going to Israel is - and have confidence that things are happening to end the exile. There are Pinchases and Daughters of Tzlofchad in Israel whose work may yet shake us out of our voluntary exile in which we, in the Diaspora, have existed since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. 

Professor Marty Linsky, and expert on leadership at Harvard University who has lectured repeatedly for the Wexner Foundation, has said that leadership is all about taking risks. You can manage, propel, even motivate others without taking those risks, but then you are not a leader. To be a leader, you have to be willing to put things that you value on the line, be willing to suffer the consequences of your actions, and not to fear the normal forces of inertia which prevent most people from leading, most of the time. Interestingly, he says that there may be justifiable times not to be a leader: when risking your family, your reputation, your livelihood is just not worth it. But we cannot delude ourselves into thinking that we can make true change and display true leadership without taking those risks. 

The importance of taking those risks is an integral part of Parshat Pinchas. We begin the Parsha looking at how God approved of Pinchas's zealous action of last week, to break with the authorities - Moshe and the elders - and act to end the open rebellion of Zimri, which was expressed through open, public intimacy with the pagan Midianite, Kosby. Pinchas risked his rank as a priest - especially since in Leviticus, Hashem spoke so frequently of Kohanim avoiding death and dead bodies. Pinchas risked his relationship with Moshe and with his father, Elazar, the High Priest. And as the Midrash mentions, Pinchas risked bringing up the touchy subject that he and his family had married women who were formerly idolators. But Pinchas knew, through Divine inspiration, a Divine calling as it were, what he needed to do, and he risked his future acting on God's behalf. 

The daughters of Tzlofchad were in a precarious position: Their father was struck down, according to their own account, because of a sin he committed. Not the rebellion of Korach, but some other sin - perhaps he was the wood gatherer who violated the Shabbat in Parshat Emor. The daughters of Tzlofchad would have been better served, and had a better chance at a good match, if they would not have publicized their case so much. Moreover, by asking to inherit their father's land - promised to anyone who left Egypt - they were risking antagonizing the tribal elders and their male relatives who would not get their father's land. We will see at the end of Bamidbar that the tribal leaders from Menashe limit the daughters' shidduch prospects to relatives within the tribe - so they did risk not being able to get married. (The Torah does tell us they all married the husbands they wanted to.) However, the daughters of Tzlofchad felt that they needed to take these risks to demonstrate leadership: they needed to make sure the law that if there are only daughters in the family, they still inherit, would become part of the Torah. We may ask why? Is this a hint of feminism in the Torah? Women's rights? But even more important is that the Torah wants to show us models of leaders whom God praises and helps after they are willing to take risks.

 This past Shabbat in Yerushaim, I was blessed to experience two different leaders, who have taken risks in their lives, and have changed the world in their own ways through those risks. Since I stayed at the Novotel which is just ten minutes from the Damascus Gate of the Old City, I decided to check out Rabbi Nachman Kahane's shul in the Muslim Quarter - really it might be the Christian Quarter. Walking down the Arab shuk, I noticed several buildings with Israeli flags. There used to be many Jews in these parts of the Old City - arguably all "Jewish Quarters". Finally just before passing Via Dolorosa of Christian fame, I came across the shul: It is a Young Israel. But how different it is than most of the Young Israel's we are familiar with in the States! Here is a rabbi who decided years ago that he would take the risk of making his shul in Arab Jerusalem, because he felt that it was important for Jerusalem - all of Jerusalem - to be a place for Jews as well. When I went to shul this Shabbat things were wonderfully safe in the old city - I felt perfectly comfortable in my kippa and all over there were Jews walking to shul - to the Kotel. Despite the sadness that was still hanging over Israel because Gilad Shalit was still not rescued, it was a peaceful time in Jerusalem. But imagine what it was like during the terrorism of the past decades; I passed the memorials for people who were killed in the Old City. Rabbi Kahane, giving a 7:15 AM class in Pirkei Avot to six of us, and then leading his small shul - 30 at most - in davening, is a leader because he knows how to take risks. He has shown that Jews can daven in Jerusalem - and that Jews will continue to daven there, not just at the Kotel, but all over. Rav Nachman Kahane is a modern day Pinchas, not by striking anyone down, God forbid, but by taking the risks necessary to bring about a kiddush Hashem - sanctifying God' name in this world, and in the City of Jerusalem. 

After a quick breakfast back in my hotel, I walked over to new Jerusalem, to Emek Refaim, to catch Musaf at Dr. Tova Hartman's shul - Shira Chadasha. She was amongst the founders of what I call an experimental Orthodox shul. On the one hand it has a high mechitza - down the middle - and is scrupulous in its davening - nothing is taken out of the litergy. However, based on some halachik rulings by Rabbi Mendel Shapiro and Rabbi Danniel Sperber, this minyan of nearly 500 people allows women to take central roles in leading parts of the services, reading Torah and Haftara and getting aliyot. It is a serious, religious, Orthodox crowd that comes. No talking, just real davening and singing. However, when this minyan started over four years ago it took courage. What would people say? Would Tova be tarnishing her own reputation, or that of her famous father, Rabbi David Hartman? Would people think this was phony Orthodoxy, or phony egalitarian? Instead, there are over 11 services throughout America and in Australia who have followed her model and the model of Darchei Noam in New York which started about the same time. Orthodox people who daven in these services usually love it and feel comfortable. But they are also taking a risk. What will others say; what will authority figures in their lives say? But Tova Hartman, and anyone who shares in Shira Chadasha is following in the footsteps of the wise daughters of Tzlofchad who risked public humiliation and scorn in order to advance the Halacha - advance Jewish law - and allow people of all time to understand what God's eternal will was. 

So just as our Parsha provides encouragement that leadership exists - with Pinchas and the daughters of Tzlofchad - for the Israelites to enter into the Promised Land, under the authority of Joshua, I felt that same encouragement in Yerushalayim this past week. I urge you to daven with those who are taking risks in order to bring Jews back to Hashem and to bring Hashem's presence back to all parts of Hashem's holy city. May the risks that we take to bring about a Kiddush Hashem - sanctification of God's name - help rebuild our people, our State of Israel, and bring a lasting peace to the City of Peace and Wholeness, Jerusalem.

Shabbat shalom and may Hashem protect our precious State of Israel, 

Rabbi Asher Lopatin