Modern Day Examples of the Daughters of Tzelophchad

By Beth Chernoff, Mid-Atlantic Region Public Policy Chair

In this week’s portion, Parashat Pinchas, we meet five remarkable daughters – Mahlah, Hoglah, Noa, Milcah, and Tirzah – and learn about the case they brought to Moses. Those who research such things feel that Sholem Aleichem likely knew the story of the five “Daughters of Tzelophchad” – and perhaps Joseph Stein, Fiddler on the Roof book writer, did too. 

Tzelophchad died in the desert, leaving no sons. The daughters petition Moses to inherit the share their father would have been allotted in the Land of Israel. Their intentions were not greedy or pecuniary; they had a real and genuine love of the land. In fact, that was their livelihood; they were herbalists, and highly regarded for their medicinal healing and midwife skills. 

Moses understood this was above his paygrade, and he turned to God for help. God’s decision was that the daughters had a just cause, clear logic, and pure motives. The ruling was they could inherit. And in what we would today call Constitutional Law, they blazed a trail for others in that situation. Henceforth, any time a man died with no sons, his daughters could inherit. These precedent-setting daughters changed the laws of inheritance in the ancient world.

We’ll meet these women again next week when the issue of marriage comes up. And again, in the Book of Joshua, when they have to remind Joshua about God’s ruling. The daughters were well educated, articulate, respectable women. But were they citizens of Israel today, they would likely be expected to fulfill 24 months of military service.    

Mahlah might have worked with the tatzpitaniyot, the “eyes on the ground,” monitoring surveillance cameras along the border fence. These spotters started seeing suspicious activity long before October 7, but their findings were dismissed. “You’re just the ears and eyes,” they were told, “not the brains.” Close to the border, unarmed, the tatzpitaniyot were some of the first to encounter terror.

Hoglah might have served with the 33rd Caracal Battalion, with a very different story to tell. This mixed-gender combat battalion includes a tank unit of just chayalot (female soldiers), including the first Arab woman. On October 7, they engaged for hours in fierce firefights; in the end, the battalion eliminated nearly 100 Hamas terrorists, while sustaining not a single death!

 Noa could have been Noa Argamani, driven away from the Nova Festival on motorcycle. In captivity, Noa learned enough Arabic to serve as translator when the first release of women and children took place last November. At her own rescue, her thoughts were of her cancer-stricken mother, Liora. Noa had almost a month with her mom before Liora was laid to rest on July 2. Perhaps it was some comfort to Liora that at least her husband will have his daughter going forward.

Milcah could be serving with the search-and-rescue engineers, in a unit of frum men, Bedouins, Druze, and 50% women. Their female commander, Capain Amit Busi, points with pride at the many recent changes in the IDF. Female combat soldiers are serving on the front line for the first time since 1948. Same-sex partners of fallen soldiers are now legally recognized widows and widowers. At least one transgender soldier has fought on the front in Gaza. Care packages are starting to include female toiletries. Captain Busi, enjoys being a combat soldier, but says, “I really hope the fact that we are here means that 20 years from now, my children won’t have to be.”

Tirzah could be one of the 200 women of Kibbutz Be’eri’s WhatsApp group. In the terrified silence of their mamad (safe room), these women texted frantically, offering comfort and advice.  Some even opened their doors to neighbors whose houses were burning – knowing there were terrorists outside. Kibbutz Be’eri lost over 100 members, but they did not lose their main industry, their active print house. The kibbutz has since published a beautifully illustrated cookbook of the hostages’ favorite recipes, called Shavuot of Longing: Their Recipes on Our Table. (Link is below)

https://solidarity.bringthemhomenow.net

Several years ago, I engaged in a lively discussion with a member of my congregation. In an effort to encourage minyan attendance, he created a poster that read: Minyan ≠ 10. Minyan equals 10 + You.  I felt it should say: Minyan ≠ 10. Minyan equals 9 + You. With 10 + You, there will be a minyan – with or without you.  But with 9 + You, you’re a minyan “essential worker.” He was unconvinced, and the sign remained: Minyan = 10 + You.

In that same vein, the Daughters of Tzelophchad = 5 + You. You join their ranks whenever you speak with determination, like the tatzpitaniyot. When you rise to a challenge, like the Caracals. When you affirm your rights. Refuse to accept that destiny is fixed. Believe in your capacity to shape your own future. These are just five examples of how to bring honor to Tzelophchad’s daughters. 

Sadly, we think of those who cannot mold their future with their own hands just now – the hostages, the wounded, the grieving. Today is Day 292 (July 24, 2024), and for those who enjoy gematria, that equals refuah (healing). The daughters would have appreciated that connection. But we pray that all those in distress will soon be able to embody the new catchphrase of the Nova Tribe: “We Will Dance Again!“

Shabbat Shalom,

Beth Chernoff
Mid-Atlantic Region Public Policy Chair
beth.chernoff@comcast.net