In this week’s very busy torah portion (Numbers 25:10-30:1) we read about God elevating Pinchas who speared two lovers in a tent (yes- it’s in the Torah) is given an elevated position by God, Moses appoints Joshua as his successor, God tells the Israelites which land will be theirs, and the Daughters of Zelophehad establish the right for women to inherit property when there are no living male heirs.
What’s amazing is that the names of the Daughters of Zelophehad are actually mentioned in the torah. Although the torah often omits the name of women in narratives, in this instance their names are recalled: They are: Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.
They approach Moses and the leaders to present their case; their father has died and had no sons. Rather than let their father’s name and his land be lost, they argue that they should be made heirs of the land. Moses goes directly to God, who tells Moses that the women are right and they deserve the land. How wonderful we think! Feminism and women’s rights are alive in ancient Israel.
Not so fast. The ruling from God to Moses comes with a condition: They can keep their land ONLY if they marry an Israelite man. No Israelite man. No land. Of course, the Torah doesn’t deal with issues such as: what if one of the daughters doesn’t want to marry or what if she wants to marry a non-Jew?
The Daughters of Zelophehad are considered to be very wise and righteous. Rashi, the medieval French commentator, notes that they are righteous and deserving of praise because the Torah names them. The Talmud (Bava Batra 119b) also states: “The daughters of Zelophehad were wise, seeking and righteous.”
And not only were they wise and honorable and virtuous, they were brave in approaching Moses and unified in their cause. But in the end, their power is diminished by men (who wrote the laws at the time) who we can assume felt threatened by them.
In Israel, the ultra-orthodox continually attempt to eliminate the voice and image of women from the public sphere. Religious radio stations prohibited the playing of songs sung by women and religious radio talk shows often do not permit women to call in and ask questions. Women’s images are defaced on billboards and advertisements and a recent IKEA catalogue mailed to mostly Ultra-Orthodox homes removed women from the publication. And just a couple of weeks ago, the Knesset Committee on Women appointed as its leader a right-wing male member of the Knesset who had little experience dealing with women’s issues.
Throughout the ages, from Biblical times to the modern day, men try to stifle the voices of strong women. In recent days, we have seen politicians across the globe try not only to silence and repress women, but people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and indigenous people.
Why do they (and it is mostly white men) who try to silence the voices of others? Because they are threatened. Because they are scared. Because they know that their hegemony will not last forever.
We need to be like our foremothers: Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah and raise our voices -not to just sit politely at the table and be grateful for our position there. We need to demand equality, be strong, and be like the Daughters of Zelophehad.
Shabbat shalom.
Cantor Kent