At the beginning of Parashat Pinchas, God declares, “Hineni noten lo et briti shalom” — “I hereby grant My covenant of peace.” These words are spoken in response to Pinchas’ zealous act, which halted a plague among the Israelites. Despite the violence of his actions, Pinchas is rewarded not with power or glory, but with a brit shalom— a covenant of peace— sparking centuries of reflection and commentary on the nature of justice, leadership, and Divine reward.

How do we reconcile zealotry with peace? What does it mean to receive a brit shalom, a covenant of peace, especially in the midst of conflict?

As we move through the Three Weeks—the period between the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av—we are invited to reflect on brokenness: broken walls, broken relationships, broken hearts. This time on the Jewish calendar is known as Bein HaMetzarim—“between the narrow places.” It is a season of spiritual contraction and mourning, a time to sit with the painful awareness of loss and exile.

It is also a time when we are invited to journey towards wholeness, and to tap into the spark of holiness imbedded within us. I expressed this concept in a painting I did in 2007. The text says “God’s Light shines within us all, illuminating our path.”

Here’s the prayer I wrote for Parashat Pinchas:

The Path to Wholeness
A Prayer for Parasha 41, Pinchas

In these tumultuous times
when our troubled hearts
seek the comfort of believing
that everything will be all right,
we turn to You, Holy One,
Source of Love and Light.

Quiet the fears that threaten to deafen us;
grant us shleimut—
the inner peace we so desperately seek.

Encourage us to
p a u s e
and reflect
so we may reconnect
with ourselves,
with our loved ones,
and especially with You.

Source of Goodness,
Shine Your healing light on us
and those we hold in our hearts.
Enable us to look for blessings
even in the most challenging circumstances.

Allow us to grow closer to You
with every breath,
every heartbeat,
every prayer
and every tear.
Shelter us, shield us, show us
the path to wholeness.

Below is an illustrated version of The Path to Wholeness.

On a related note, I am almost ready to send my next book to press! Journey Towards the Light is filled with prayers and illustrations for each of the 54 Torah portions, and will be available in January. I decided to add a section at the end of the book showing some of my illustrated prayers. Below is a spread (in progress!) showing some of the prayers I’m considering including in this section.

Spiritual Journaling

Journaling is one of my most cherished spiritual practices, and I invite you to join me in a daily journaling practice as a form of the T’shuvah (Return) work we are asked to do in preparation for the New Year.

Below is one of the guided journaling pages that I used with my Havurah last year when we did a six session “Elul Exploration” Zoom.

We are just beginning to plan this year’s Elul Explorations– please let me know if you’d like to attend (and/or help plan!).

Elul Explorations Journaling Questions

What intentions did you set this week?
What are you willing to do to prepare for transformation?
As you look back over the past year, what have you been journeying towards?
What have you been running away from, and why?

Closing Blessing

May you tap into an inner peace that transcends the turbulent times in which we live.
May the light of hope soften your heart, and the light of love transform your soul.
May you be open to embarking on a sacred journey toward healing and wholeness—
a journey that is just one breath, one heartbeat, one prayer away.