A woman and her husband interrupted their vacation to go to the dentist. "I want a tooth pulled, and I don't want Novacaine because I'm in a big hurry," the woman said. "Just extract the tooth as quickly as possible, and we'll be on our way." The dentist was quite impressed. "You're certainly a courageous woman," he said. "Which tooth is it?" The woman turned to her husband and said, "Show him your tooth, dear."
This morning I was lucky enough to have a dentist appointment. It was just a routine checkup and no teeth were pulled (although I was told that, after getting away with it for so many years, I may finally need to have my wisdom teeth pulled…) but a visit to the dentist is never a pleasant experience.
Of course it got me thinking; nobody enjoys going to the dentist, but those of us who are concerned for their long term well being ensure to visit a dentist regularly. In other words, we willingly do something that is not comfortable (and may even be painful) in order to avoid a potentially worse outcome in the future.
Modern society often advances the notion of doing what “feels right.” Often, as the years pass, we begin to see the world and our place in it with a much deeper and broader margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt;">Just like there are choices in life that can be less popular but still entirely necessary, so too there are occasions when it is necessary to take a stand and affirm a position that is not necessarily popularly accepted.
This week’s Torah portion is named after Pinchas, the Torah’s paragon for someone who wasn’t afraid to take an unpopular position. He wasn’t intimidated by what other people thought or what his neighbors would whisper behind his back. He was determined to stand up for what was right and just.
Let us take an example from Pinchas and make choices that are based on what the Torah teaches us is right and not allow ourselves to be intimidated by what those around us may think or say. This is true for adults, but it’s even more important for children. Parents have an obligation to raise their children in a way that empowers them to make choices based on what is right, not based on what is easiest or most enjoyable.