Moses will not continue to lead the people into the Land of Israel. He therefore asks Hashem to appoint another person to act in his place. As he raises this question, he addresses Hashem as 'God of the Spirits.' I began to think of a book I read years ago called The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. The 'spirits' in her book were never clearly defined, but to me, they were the souls of the members of the family who left the house either through death or a different departure, and also the souls of those who remained in the house. The 'house' of The House of the Spirits was, in my mind, a rambling wooden metaphor for the labyrinth that is a family living despite the demands and challenges of life.
When I read for the first time Moses addressing Hashem as 'God of the Spirits,' I imagined the one who presides over these individuals walking down quiet hallways, receiving letters from distant loved ones, growing up together with a family but also distinct. Rashi interprets this title as representing the different spirits of the people the new leader will have to lead to the Land of Israel. According to Rashi, Moses is illuminating the different minds of all the spirits whom this new ruler will be taking into account. So 'God of the Spirits' is one who is aware of the different souls. Moses is praising Hashem for having a family that may look alike but has clearly different characteristics, and he is also requesting in a leader this quality to see all of the differences.
In a sense, then, we all have the ability to see ourselves and others as members of the 'spirits,' of the family that eats together at the table in the kitchen, throws a ball on the lawn out front, slams the door of the bathroom when we just need a second of privacy. And Hashem is the 'God of the Spirits' who watches over our house, fully aware of how distinct each of our souls is from the next. Therefore, a ru ler chosen by Hashem is one who takes into account the different needs of the people. We should all have this quality, the ability to look at each person as an individual, not merely as part of a group.
At the beginning of the Parsha, Pinchas risks his life to stop someone from going against the will of Hashem. From Kedushat Levi, I learned to look at Pinchas as one who goes beyond his physical body, leaving behind the fear of harming himself . He acts only from the place of his soul. From this place, we have the ability to raise ourselves and others above the boundaries of the physical world. This is what it means to know the spirits, to dwell in the House of the Spirits: living in a way in which I am relating to my neighbors on the level of the soul, seeing them as distinct and beyond the confines of the body.
So this week be uniquely you, and be a member of the family who listens to and considers all the voices in the House.