PARSHAT PINCHAS

"Then approached the daughters of Zelafchad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Menashe, of the families of Menashe the son of Yosef: and these are the names of his daughters; Machlah, Noah, Hogla, Milkah, and Tirzah...saying.. Wherefore should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he had no son? Give unto us, therefore, a possession among the brothers of our father." (Bamidbar 27:1-4)

AMONG THESE THERE WAS NO MAN

Following the Torah's account of how Caleb and Yehoshua where the only men among those who left Egypt that merited to enter the Land of Israel, the five brave daughters of Zelafchad demand their inheritance in Israel. Rashi comments on the verse, "And among these there was no man..." (Bamidbar 26:64), and explains the connection between these two sections: "But the decree resulting from the incident of the spies had not been enacted upon the women, because they held the Promised Land dear. The men had said, "Let us appoint a chief and return to Egypt," while the women said, "Give us a possession in the Land." On this account, the chapter regarding the daughters of Zelafchad follows immediately here." Likewise, Malbim asserts that the women in that generation were on a higher level than the men. Menachem Becker points out that Hashem never commanded Moshe to send male spies. Rashi stated in Parshat Shelach Lecha: SEND THEE "- i.e. according to your own judgement. I do not command you, but if you wish to do so, send them." Later sages have explained this Rashi in the following manner: I would have suggested that you send women to spy the Land, for they would not speak evil about it, but if you decide to send men, behold, that is on your own responsibility.

BETWEEN COMFORT AND DEVOTION

"...of the families of Menashe the son of Yosef:" Malbim asks: Why was it necessary to mention Yosef in connection with Zelafchad's daughters? Since Scripture states that they are from the tribe of Menashe, it follows that they are descended from Yosef as well. He explains that half of the tribe of Menashe received their heritage on the other side of the Jordan River because they did not hold the Land dear. However, the daughters of Zelafchad were associated with Yosef in their love of Israel. Yosef expressed his love of Israel by requesting that his brothers swear to bring his bones up to the Holy Land. Similarly, the daughters of Zelafchad requested a portion within the Land. For this reason they asked, "Give us a possession among the brothers of our father." The father's brothers were the sons of Chefer, whose lots were inside Israel. Although the grass was greener, and life seemed easier outside the Land, the daughters of Zelafchad were not enticed by easy comforts.
Today, we are also faced with the challenge to choose between comfort and devotion to our ideal. The heroines of our parsha were not interested in just making a living off the Land. They wanted a part in the spiritual promise of cultivating a relationship with G-d, through the Land as a physical vehicle for revealing Hashem's blessing in the world.

For the complete dvar Torah, please send email to berot@netvision.net.il.

*******~~~~~*******~~~~~*******~~~~~*******~~~~~*******~~~~~*******
Presented by Midreshet B'erot Bat Ayin Wellsprings of Jewish Learning.