In just a few months, Israel will head to the polls, and the campaign is already well underway. Worthy candidates, and others less so, are presenting themselves while attacking their rivals. Most parties are repeating the same messages, recycling familiar slogans and, all too often, presenting the same candidates. There are a few new faces, but rarely in positions where they can truly lead. It is worth asking: Are these the elections we want? Has the time not come for a profound renewal of our political system, for a genuine generational transition in leadership and a deep cleansing of our public institutions?

The Torah portion of Pinchas begins where the previous one ends, with the dramatic appearance of a bold young leader, Pinchas son of Eleazar. Most of the parashah consists of administrative matters – a census of the Israelites in........

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