My son was hoping that on his break after Tisha B'Av, he can go to the Sinai desert for a few days with some friends (don't ask, they're Israeli). Unfortunately, he learned that because he's 17, he is no longer allowed to leave the country, and in a couple more months, when he turns 18, he officially becomes "Arik." Which means he has not shown up for the army draft, is considered to be a draft dodger, and can be arrested at any time.
It's difficult for him. On the one hand, he and his friends are now beginning to feel the sanctions and laws that the non-elected, non-legislative officials (Supreme Court/Attorney General) have created, that they never applied on secular draft dodgers (even when they were the majority of draft dodgers and, yes, even after October 7). And yet, on the other hand, they have been told so many times by soldiers they meet in their travels, "It's all political. The army doesn't want you. You aren't really needed. Keep learning."
If you read any articles on this issue, it seems so black and white. But that's the furthest thing from the truth. It's very complicated, and ideas have been floated that had the support of the Ultra-Orthodox community and the IDF, which would have helped the strain on the reservists, but those same power brokers have bigger interests to attain and refuse to allow them, because they would not include taking boys out of yeshiva (that you did not hear about in the news).
I hope for the sake of those learning and for the sake of this country, something happens soon to bring this nonsense to an end.
"Pinchas son of Elazar son of Aharon the priest has turned back My wrath from upon the Children of Israel when he acted for My zeal in their midst…" (Bamidbar 25: 11).
Rebbe Levi M'Berdchif explained that when Zimri brazenly took this Midiani woman into his tent, everybody who saw became infuriated. However, nobody did anything. They stood there, frozen. One person, Pinchas, stood up from within "their midst" (as the pasuk writes), and killed them both.
While everybody was upset with what they were seeing, Pinchas took their fury, and turned it into action.
Many times, things need to be done in life. And I'm not speaking about things regarding zealousness. It could be everyday things in our everyday lives. Many times it's a communal thing. Many times it's a family thing. It could be starting a group to do a certain chesed needed in the community. It could be simply doing the dishes that are lying in the sink. It's something that everybody agrees needs to be done … but nobody gets it done.
This is where we use our "Inner Pinchas" to stand up and get it done. If not for the sake of others, at least for our own sake. I have a couple of children who have a bit of an "Inner Pinchas," and I see that the more they use it. The more they use it. they get things done. Not only around the house, but also within their lives. They are movers. And those who move, are usually the ones who grow.
So, a fun activity to do this week is trying to find small ways that we can use our "Inner Pinchas" around the house or around the community.
Have a wonderful Shabbos!