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Tootle and Tallulah's is a unique
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48 July 14 f 2011
spiritualit
>> torah portion
Equality For Females
Is Found In The Torah
Parshat Pinchas: Numbers 25:10-30:1;
I Kings 18:46-19:21.
W
e are all familiar with the
tradition. When a baby
boy is born, Jewish law
clearly states what must be done.
Ever since Abraham, we have been
commanded to circumcise every
Jewish boy on the eighth day of life.
We have a brit milah
and at that
moment, a child officially enters the
covenant established between God
and Israel. He is given a Hebrew
name and receives a blessing, all in
the midst of great fanfare.
No matter how far away family
may find themselves, those who want
to be present have just a few days to
make travel arrangements and get to
the bris. Amazingly, in most instanc-
es, family and friends are there, help-
ing honor the baby boy and welcom-
ing him into this world.
We might expect similar festivity
with the birth of a daughter. However,
only a generation ago
many Jews did absolutely
nothing to commemorate
or at least recognize the
birth of a baby girl. Family
would rush into town to
greet the new son; they
would see the baby girl
when it was convenient. No
ceremony, no entering the
covenant, no celebration of
commitment.
Obviously, this contrast
does not seem fair or
equal. Recognizing this disparity,
we have changed. Today we can be
proud that many of us welcomed
our daughters into this world, into
our communities with naming cer-
emonies. We have heightened our
community's joy by welcoming our
baby girls into the covenant of Israel.
Her name is her blessing. She is wel-
comed and loved.
Such innovations are not ran-
dom. Rather, protesting on behalf
of women and their equality can be
found in this week's Torah portion.
Five sisters establish a precedent that
we must continually strive to achieve.
When they found disparity in their
lives, they acted and set an example.
As Moses assigned portions of
land to each family according to their
tribe, he explained that inheritance
of property shall pass through the
fathers and sons, from one genera-
—
tion to the next. Upon hearing this,
the five daughters of Zelaphehad
came forward in protest. Even though
their father had died without sons,
these women had no legal right to
their family's land.
Recognizing the imperative for
action, the daughters proclaimed,
"Let not our father's name be lost
to his clan just because
he had no sons! Give us
holding among our father's
kin!"
It's a difficult ruling for
Moses. Men made the deci-
sions. Men had the prop-
erty. Men very well might
not have been pleased with
this idea. So Moses sought
additional assistance. He
asked God for direction.
And God responded that
the plea of Zelaphehad's
daughters is just.
With this, we find an amazing
ruling supporting the equality of
women. These five daughters are
genuine representatives and spokes-
women. They protested discrimina-
tion and second-class citizenship
and God affirmed their protest. God
proclaimed their equality. This is the
standard we inherited — and this is
something we must hold to tightly.
Our Torah is a mirror of what our
world is and what it should be. As
we open it up, we're reminded of this
reality every single day. Here we're
told of the equality necessary in our
world, an equality that God under-
stood as just. May we be as wise in
knowing how to share our world as
well. I I
Michael Moskowitz is a rabbi at Temple
Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield.