This Week’s Torah Portion: Pinchas (Numbers 25:10−30:1)
Numbers 27:1 “The daughters of Zelophehad came forward….the names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.”
Five courageous women stand before the entire people of Israel, before Moses and Aaron and all the leadership, and all 600,000 men, and they speak. They demand justice.
They stand together demanding justice, teaching us that when you know you are right, you need to stand up for yourself; teaching us when you do the right thing, you sometimes make the world better.
God makes their demand into law. Midrash and Rashi tell us that Moses wrote the entire Torah, except for this page. This page was written by the daughters of Zelophehad.
Parsha Pinchas Summary:
Pinchas is rewarded for killing the Israelite and the Midianite woman who cursed God. (25:10–15)
Israel fights a war against the Midianites. (25:16-18)
A second census is taken. (26:1–65)
The daughters of Zelophehad force a change in the laws of property inheritance. (27:1–11)
Joshua is chosen to be Moses’ successor. (27:15–23)
The sacrificial ritual for all festival occasions is described in detail. (28:1–30:1)
Numbers 27:1 “The daughters of Zelophehad came forward….the names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.”
Five courageous women stand before the entire people of Israel, before Moses and Aaron and all the leadership, and all 600,000 men, and they speak. They demand justice.
They stand together demanding justice, teaching us that when you know you are right, you need to stand up for yourself; teaching us when you do the right thing, you sometimes make the world better.
God makes their demand into law. Midrash and Rashi tell us that Moses wrote the entire Torah, except for this page. This page was written by the daughters of Zelophehad.