What is so important about this story? It is not necessarily or only about equal rights. With our ‘shmita’ caps on, at all points at which this narrative is told, it is a message to the men who have the power to take up their inheritance – to show them what it means to truly love the land of Israel. These “mere women” felt so connected to the land that they were prepared to breach the male halls of wisdom to find their own space in Israel.*
In our parsha, the people of Israel begin preparations towards appropriation of the Promised Land. Moshe divides the land amongst the tribes: “Among these the land shall be apportioned as shares” (Bemidbar 26:53), with the inheritance of land going to male heirs in those days. However, the daughters of Zelophechad are not happy.
They approach Moshe and “the entire congregation at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting” (27:2) – which was unheard of for women to do! Then, each of the daughters is named: “and his daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah” (27:1) – again, not a common occurrence. Finally, God gives a ringing endorsement: “Zelophehad’s daughters speak justly. You shall certainly give them a portion of inheritance along with their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer their father’s inheritance to them” (27:7). Not only does God agree but brings a new angle of the halacha, taking their situation into account.
Moreover, the same narrative is told later in Bemidbar and again in the book of Joshua when the land is being apportioned.
What is so important about this story? It is not necessarily or only about equal rights. With our ‘shmita’ caps on, at all points at which this narrative is told, it is a message to the men who have the power to take up their inheritance – to show them what it means to truly love the land of Israel. These “mere women” felt so connected to the land that they were prepared to breach the male halls of wisdom to find their own space in Israel.*
Two fascinating commentaries speak to both ideas:
The Midrash Sifri, written 1500 years ago, could have been written today: “When the daughters of Zelophehad heard that the land of Israel was to be divided according to tribes, according to the males and not the females, they gathered together to make a plan. They said, God’s mercy and compassion is not like the compassion of mankind. Mankind favours men over women. God is not like that. God’s compassion extends to men and women alike…”
Rashi on 7:1: “Of the Families of Manasseh the Son of Joseph. Why is this stated? Has it not already been said…?! But it is to suggest the following idea to you: Just as Joseph held the Promised Land dear, as it is said, (Genesis 50:25) “And ye shall bring my bones up (to Israel) …”, so, too, his daughters held the Land dear.”
* Indeed, archaeology endorses this view:
In 1910, the Samaria Ostraca were found in ancient Samaria. These are dozens of inscriptions written in ink on sherds, comprising receipts, tax or shipment records, which mention the year, names of officials, names of places and occasionally families. Seven such names appear: Shemida, Abiezer, Helek, [A]sriel, Shechem, Hoglah and Noah. Notice that two of the five daughters have districts called after them, just as there are districts with other names of households of the tribe of Menashe. It seems that these women were tribal leaders in their own right and wielded a great degree of influence.
With degrees in Nature Conservation and English, Ilana combines both in her work as a writer for conservation and ecotourism entities in southern Africa.
It is Ilana’s belief that knowledge of and connection to the environment is a Jewish value, and so, with a Master’s degree in Environmental Jewish Education, she lectures and writes about the relationship between Judaism and the environment. She loves to take people into nature – even through the
urban jungle – to share the wonders of the natural world around us from a Jewish perspective.
She strives to live by the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel:
The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living.