Pinchas-- Make a Difference!

Parashat Pinchas. Last year for this parasha I marveled at the similarities between international headlines and the themes of the Parasha. I compared all the major themes to news stories of that week. Everything but Pinchas himself, as his act of killing Zimri ben Kozbi actually occurs in parashat Balak.
This year, every news article I read is about the death of young Jewish men or death at the hands of young Jewish men. The pain is overwhelming. Explaining how Pinchas was right in his actions, when killing another never seems right is challenging for me at this time. 

Two years ago we skipped most of the narrative of the parasha and made a fun game based on the mussaf offerings described at the end of the parasha. Here. 

This year we did it all. When I got to the census part I asked if they knew what the word meant. 
"No," Gabi replied, surprising me that for once she wasn't all-knowing.
"Yes, it umm, checks if you are there," Cohava explained. I was about to praise her accuracy and clarify the meaning, when she continued. "That is how the water turns on in the sink and the toilet flushes itself at some stores." 
I explained the difference between census and sensors, but there must be some similarities in the Latin origins. It made more sense than obstacle/popsicle. 

When we finished learning the parasha together, I asked the girls which part they found most interesting/meaningful. 
"I like Moshe standing on the mountain, looking into Israel. I want to make a model of it," Cohava replied. We talked about how he must have felt. Then I figured we would do the closest thing to Moshe's experience. We went on the Kotel Cam and watched the Kotel. It was early morning in Yerushalayim and felt very sureal to watch.

"I like B'not Tzelofchad, the daughters who stood up to Moshe and asked for a piece of Israel," Gabi shared. We discussed how they might have felt. I explained how truly groundbreaking their action was, perhaps the first fight for women's rights in history. We talked about how people and women specifically can make a difference in the world. For fun we looked at this: 10 Photos of Jewish Women Being Awesome. We analyzed each woman photographed and her impact on the world. They argued that prayer can have a bigger impact than biking around the world. They were shocked that soldiers can wear skirts. The conversation was enlightening (although Gush Katif and the Holocaust were too overwhelming to really explore). And then we thought about how they can make an impact on the world. 

 I decided we would make shirts with an inspirational logo. With a pack of ribbed undershirts and permanent markers, the girls got to work. As a note, ribbed undershirts are really hard to write on. Still they each wrote a version of "I Can Make a Difference" Then they drew pictures of how they make a difference in the world. 

Cohava's involved teaching people about sharing and praying. Gabi's involved loved and smiles. Ruti's was highly abstract. 

Tomorrow I will get a picture of them in their finished gear.