Say What You’re Gonna Say, Do What You’re Gonna Do

Talk is cheap, although it seems to come at a big price these days. But really, anyone with an opinion articulates it without fear. That is in part because today everyone feels that speaking your mind is ok no matter the context, language or opinion.

How about action? Doing? Society today has accepted pretty much any behavior as acceptable. However, those behaviors are generally behaviors of self expression. In other words, society has accepted that anything you do to express yourself is acceptable.

What about doing as it relates to doing the right thing? Or stepping up to the plate when it is uncomfortable to do so. Stepping up when no one else is stepping up. Stepping up when greater people are not stepping up. Stepping up when it is not popular to step up. Are we doing these “steppings up” today?

In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, we read of of the gift of Priesthood that Pinchas receives as a gift for his stepping up to the plate to stop the behaviors that were despised by G-d and were causing a plague that was resulting in the loss of many Jewish lives.

This, despite the fact that Moses, the leader of the Jewish people was not acting, was not doing!

It would have been easy enough for Pinchas to step back and say, this is not my job, this is Moses’ job. And yet, he understood that sometimes those greater than us are not acting because G-d is giving us the chance to rise to the occasion.

In our self-expressive-anything-goes world, this carries a powerful message for us. When we see that action is needed, even if it is uncomfortable (or precisely because it is uncomfortable), even if those “greater” than us seem to be standing by, it’s our calling to act and do what is needed.

When we do so, we receive G-d’s greatest blessing, the blessing of priesthood and the blessing of peace.

Have a peaceful Shabbos!