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Equal Under God

Parshat
Numbers 25:10-
30:1; Jeremiah 1:1-2:3.

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n this week's Torah portion,
side their tribe, upon their deaths, the
Pinchas, we have the counting of
land will belong to the husband's tribe.
the tribes in preparation for their
Why does the Torah split up this
conquest of the Promised Land and
episode? Perhaps, the point of the
the eventual distribution of the land.
story of the request of the women is to
One man, Tzelophchad, had
emphasize God's insistence
no sons and his five daugh-
upon justice and right, par-
ters approach the national
ticularly for the disadvan-
leadership to inquire and
taged and vulnerable, the
request that they inherit
disenfranchised and pow-
their deceased father's por-
erless. Thus, God's righting
tion of land in the Promised
the wrong is given "center
Land. God tells Moses that,
stage" and the "loose ends"
indeed, the women will
are tied up at the very end
receive their father's portion.
of the book.
In addition, the laws of
Additionally, we can
Rabbi Eliezer
inheritance are established
contrast the request of
Cohen
so that daughters may
the women with that of
Special to the
inherit (in the absence of
their uncles. The women
Jewish News
sons — and if there are
appear in the presence
sons, they must provide for
of all: Moses, Elazar the
their sisters until marriage).
high priest, the tribal leaders and the
What is particularly remarkable is a entire community (Numbers 27:2),
midrash from the Sifri on these verses
while their uncles bring their objec-
(Sifri Parshas Pinchas 8[1]):
tion before only Moses and the tribal
Since the daughters of Tzelophchad
leaders (Numbers 36:1), as if "behind
heard that the land was to be dis-
closed doors." Likewise, and even
tributed to the tribes and not to the
more to the point, the Torah empha-
females they gathered together to con- sizes that God, Himself, speaks, stating
sult and said: "The loving-kindness
that "the daughters of Tzelophchad are
of human beings is not like the loving
correct" (Numbers 27:6 7).
kindness of God. A human being's
When referring to their uncles'
loving-kindness is granted more to
claim, the Torah simply states
the males than to the females; but He
(Numbers 36:5): "And Moses com-
Who spoke and the world came into
manded the Jewish People according
being is not so. Rather, His loving-
to God: 'The tribe of the sons of Joseph
kindness is granted to all (equally), as
speaks correctly'." God, Himself, in
it says (Psalms 145:9): 'God is good to
His loving kindness to all, accedes to
all and His loving kindness is upon all the request of the women made before
that He made:"
the entire nation; God's fairness and
That a great Rabbi from the period
justice, kindness and truth should be
of the Mishnah some 1750 years ago
available to all — equally. Ej
should admit that it is human nature
in a patriarchal society to favor men,
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi at Or Chadash
but that God treats men and women
of Oak Park/Huntington Woods.
equally, is an astounding demon-
stration of unusual honesty and an
acknowledgment of wrongful bias.
Conversations
It seems to me that the very verses
How can the lesson of the Sifre
of the Torah further demonstrate
and the verses of the Torah be
this point. Whereas the women made
put into action today? Can we be
their request in our portion, Pinchas
as sensitive to our own biases
(Numbers 27:1 8), the matter is not
as the Rabbi of the midrash?
completely resolved until the very end
Imagine the courage (and faith)
of the book of Numbers (36:1 12).
demonstrated by the daughters
There, the brothers of their father
of Tzelophchad.
object that if the daughters marry out-

a