6 | AUGUST 18 • 2022 

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essay
Seeing Through Another’s Eyes
T

he July 20th Detroit 
Jewish News column 
by Rabbi Michael 
Moskowitz about the weekly 
parshah from Numbers 
concerned the 
daughters of 
Zelophehad. 
And it made 
me think about 
strong women 
and different 
perspectives. It 
also made me 
think about the law and our 
Constitution, but that’s the 
subject for another column.
Let’s start with the 
daughters of Zelophehad. 
These five famous daughters 
— Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, 
Milcah and Tirzah — are 
unique in the Bible for 
many reasons. One is, we 
know their names! Think 

of the many instances of 
significant women who 
remain nameless in the Bible 
— Pharaoh’s daughter, Lot’s 
wife, Noah’s wife — these 
women are described by 
their relationship to men, 
not their names. 
But Zelophehad’s 
daughters, all five, are named 
not once but twice.
In this parshah, a census 
is being taken of the second 
generation of Israelites after 
the Exodus — the generation 
that will enter the Promised 
Land. This census is being 
taken to determine how 
land in the Promised Land 
will be allocated. As with 
the previous census, only 
men over the age of 20 
are counted. Women and 
children were not considered 
significant, according to one 

commentary, because they 
could not go to war. 
Zelophehad, who died 
in the wilderness, had no 
sons, but five daughters 
— in a time when the role 
of daughters and women 
was clearly defined, and 
daughters could not inherit 
property. Despite this, feeling 
the injustice of the existing 
law, these brave women did 
not accept their fate. They 

approached Moses, the priest 
Eleazar and the chieftains 
and, in front of the whole 
assembly, clearly and with 
determination, state their 
position and their request. 
The second reason they 
are unique is their speech 
to Moses and the elders is 
recorded in precise detail, 
and this at a time when 
women and children were 
not considered significant 

Mandy 
Garver

Zelophehad’s 
five daughters

PURELY COMMENTARY

continued on page 9

