| And G-d said to Moses: Pinchas, the son of El’azar, the son of Aharon the priest, prevented my anger from reaching the Children of Israel, such that I did not destroy the Children of Israel by my wrath. | Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe laimor: Pinchas ben El’azar ben Aharon ha-Kohein heishiv et khamati me’al bnei Yisrael bekan’o et kin’ati betocham, velo khiliti et bnei Yisrael bekin’ati. | וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר׃ פִּינְחָס בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן הֵשִׁיב אֶת־חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקַנְאוֹ אֶת־קִנְאָתִי בְּתוֹכָם וְלֹא־כִלִּיתִי אֶת־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקִנְאָתִי׃ |
Torah Thoughts
Parashat Pinchas is my very, very favorite of the Torah. In it, Moses is given instructions as to divide up the promised land by lottery, with an equal share per man. This is an entirely new generation: Of those who were 20 and up when leaving Egypt, only Caleb the son of Yephune, and Joshua, the son of Nun, the two spies who reported that we can and should go into the land, will cross.
Some others are no longer with us at this point, particularly those who rebelled along with Korach.
But five women approach Moses, and say: Our father, Tzlofchad, was NOT a rebel. And he had only daughters. He died only because he was over 20 when we left Egypt 40 years ago, yet because he had only daughters, by these laws his name will be lost, as his descendants will not inherit.
Does Moses blow them off? No. Does he unilaterally decide it isn’t fair and change the rules? Also no! He takes the matter straight to G-d, who declares that not only do Tzlofchad’s daughters inherit, but that the laws of inheritance will be altered such that if anyone dies without sons but with daughters, the daughters will inherit!*
Did G-d change his mind, or did G-d always intend for the lessons of inheritance to be given in this way, so that we would understand why women inherit?
I have my own opinion. Read “G-d’s Gentle Way of Moving Along Women’s Rights.”
Other matters of interest: On Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Yom Tov we say extra prayers in the morning, called Mussaf. This comes from this Parsha: on these days an extra korban was to be burned, called the korban mussaf.
* Before anyone gets too upset, daughters have a lien on a father’s estate for their dowery, and also a right to be supported until they get married, which sometimes mean there is nothing left for the boys to inherit. A fascinating topic for another time…