23 Jul PINCHAS, A DIFFERENT KIND OF TERRORISM…. ADDICTION: DRUGS AND ALCOHOL et al
PINCHAS
A DIFFERENT KIND OF TERRORISM – ADDICTION; DRUGS AND ALCOHOL et al
IN PARSHAS PINCHAS, Pinchas sees that the Jewish Nation has succumbed to the desire of sexual immorality at the hand of the Medianites; Moabites (and their woman). As Pinchas stands amongst the Great Men of the Torah including Moses and Aaron, he sees that these great men are in state of shock, paralyzed to do anything as they witnessed the debaucheries.
Pinchas acts. He grabs a spear and puts it through the bodies of two of the participants of the madness; Zimri an Israelite man and Cozbi a Medianite woman, thus bringing the madness to a close. The plague that was upon the Israelites came to an end and 24,000 Israelites had died.
A question may be asked as to why did so many of the great men of the time fail to act, and why did Pinchas take such dangerous action? Dangerous, because by Pinchas killing Zimri and Cozbi, Pinchas (himself) could have incurred the death penalty for committing murder, a far worse consequence than for example not being liked by the others… i.e. ostracized (as will be discussed soon). The commentaries reveal to us that the situation and the world was ‘designed’ so that it was possible for an ordinary man like Pinchas can do great things.
Even where the greatest of all generations (Moses, Aaron etc) did not act, it was Pinchas that had the clarity and zeal to do the right thing when others did not or were unable to.
By learning and living Torah, we gain greater clarity to know better the right thing to do. We ought not wait for someone else to take action in our own lives, or to wait to for others to give assistance . We must learn to be selfless and… BE LIKE PINCHAS.
A contemporary insight-
A different kind of terrorism to consider…
Terrorism may simply be defined as a person or persons who are guided or compromised by fear…terror.
The awareness and dealing with substance abuse remains a serious often unaddressed and problematic issue. If you live with or know someone with a substance abuse problem, you may fear (for a number of reasons) talking to them or others about the problem .
One of the challenges of our time is the ability to share or receive one another with clarity. There is a very real fear of saying the ‘wrong thing’ to another person about a such a sensitive situation and possibly compromising our relationship with them. There is the fear of causing them harm by telling someone something that may be difficult to say, and may be difficult for them to hear. There are such times when the risk , the fear of being ostracized must outweigh our personal comfort or pleasure of being liked and accepted….just like Pinchas. The quality of a person’s life , and the community may be at risk. We need to decide if not saying something about another’s behavior will cause them and the community more harm.
If you fear you may damage relationships, where substance is involved, you may come to a revelation that the relationship is already damaged.
This is true when it comes to dealing with substance abuse amongst our friends and community. Failure to deal with such matters in an appropriate way is to become a victim of fear… ‘a victim of terrorism‘ of the damaging presence of drugs and alcohol. We have seen the detrimental lack of taking it numerous times with celebrities such as; Elvis, Whitney Huston , Marilyn Munroe, John Bellushi, Jimi Hendix, Michael Jackson … on and on. With all kinds of ‘educated’ people around them… and yet no one said ‘stop… that’s enough’?? But of course it doesn’t just happen to celebrities. You may already know someone who could use your help. Where no one else may step up to make a difference, it may be up to you. Be like Pinchas.
What can I do if I suspect someone has a substance abuse problem?
Talk to an expert, an addictions councilor. It may not be appropriate for you to deal directly with every situation in this world, but it could be meritorious if you speak to the person who can help…. And be like Pinchas.
Silence is not a remedy.
Please note; Because of the many sensitive issues associated with substance abuse, I have purposely not dealt with the details of the ‘how to’ issues of intervention.
Lawrence (Leib Getzel) Lax
Addictions and Counseling (Honours)
http://www.lawrencelax.com
www.lawrencejlax@gmail.com