This article was previously published in 2017.
This week’s portion is a famous one, more so perhaps within The Kabbalah Centre than anywhere else in the world. For it is the portion that correlates directly with spiritual healing. It was also Rav Berg’s favorite. “Pinchas!” he would often exclaim from the podium. “What did I find in Pinchas that I did not find anywhere else?
“Healing! Go out, and hear Pinchas! Line up around the block! Do whatever you need to do to listen to the reading of Pinchas.” Indeed, it behooves us all to make use of the healing energy that permeates the universe this week. Why is Pinchas considered the portion of healing, and how can we access this wholeness in our lives today?
Well, for starters it is written in the Zohar that Pinchas had the gift of shalom, or peace. Peace is the state of being internally satisfied, and of combining the head with the heart. Today, we know what the Zohar told us to be true thousands of years ago, that most dis-ease does not come from the head, but from the heart, from emotion, from not being fulfilled.
You know, we run to the Centre on Shabbat Pinchas for healing, but in truth, the greatest gift we receive from this portion is the ability to find within ourselves certainty. For it is through certainty that we find peace. Certainty is the state of knowing that whatever is happening in my life at this present moment – and yes, even whoever is in my life at this present moment – is perfect for my spiritual development. What could be more peaceful than the absolute knowingness of this?
Most of us work from our head where there is so much noise. This week, make it a priority to check in with your heart. That’s where certainty exists. That’s where you will find peace.
Pinchas is a powerful channel for healing because he had this certainty of spirit and peace in his heart. No matter what people thought of him, no matter how much he was criticized, this righteous soul knew what was right, and he stood for that.
As the Rav says, “Pinchas stood up against everything that was wrong, even if it meant his own life. He revealed tremendous Light in the world. The reading of this portion can benefit all humankind. We may not realize its direct benefit immediately, but in the long run, it will be there.”
