Parashah of the week: Pinchas

This year, Rabbi Miriam is one of 5 rabbis and Jewish educators writing the Jewish Chronicle’s parasha column.

“The daughters of Zelophehad, of the Manassite family… drew close”. Numbers 27:1

Parashah of the week: Pinchas

Picture the scene set in this week’s parashah. You are in hills east of the Jordan River, surrounded by the tents and banners of the Israelite camp. An intimidating crowd has assembled - in fact, the entire people. Assembled are the most senior, fronted by Moses himself.

You then see five women approach - the Hebrew is vatikravnah, literally “they drew close” . They are sisters. Perhaps their heads are held high, or perhaps they tremble. Maybe a bit of both.

They address Moses:

“Our father died and he has left no sons. Give us a holding among our father’s kinsmen!”

These five women, the daughters of Zelophehad, are struck by the unfairness of the biblical inheritance system, which allowed sons to inherit but not daughters. In a situation like theirs, their family name and land would disappear into oblivion.

Moses takes this question to none less than God, and God responds, saying the sisters’ case is correct and they should inherit their father’s land. It is a model complaint – respectfully brought, treated seriously, and the request granted without condition. What is it about the request – other than its innate reasonableness – which led to such a smooth and uneventful course?

The sisters themselves take pains to point out to Moses that their father did not die as part of Korah’s band of rebels; the comparison between these women’s claim of unfairness and that of Korah himself is a compelling one.

British born Israeli philosopher Tanya White suggests that our story is in fact a “subversive sequel” of the Korah story. The sisters “draw close (vatikravnah)… before Moses”. Meanwhile Korah “rises up (vayakumu) before Moses” – reflecting a confrontational and aggressive approach.

We live in a world of “rising up” – a world of feeling riled into aggressive action. What if instead, we “drew close” - made complaints in a clear and measured way, characterised by respect for other people, even in the face of injustice?

This is not the soft option. For the five sisters to have faced the entire people would have taken remarkable courage. In contrast, aggression is often cowardly - with a mere front of bravery. Indeed, Korah’s sidekicks Dathan and Abiram sulk in their tents, refusing to take part in a test of righteousness.

Often, it’s not just the message but the medium which matters in making change. Korah’s case for democratising holiness could potentially have been a reasonable one, but his aggressive approach belied his malicious intent and led to his sticky end. In contrast, the daughters of Zelophehad drew close – respectful, full of integrity and diplomacy. In our own world of injustice, may we learn from both their message and their medium.

Image: Daughters of Zelophehad petitioning Moses, 16th century Russian manuscript illumination (Wikimedia Commons)