Pinchas – Feminism

Listen to Rabbi Segal’s d’var Torah on Pinchas here.  Full text is below.  Click here to access all episodes of “Segal’s Sentiments,” Rabbi Segal’s d’var Torah podcast.

Pinchas– Feminism

This week’s Torah portion, Pinchas, contains a fascinating story. Zelophchad of the tribe of Menashe had died. The law at that time stipulated that only sons could inherit their father’s land.  But this man didn’t have any sons; he only had the five daughters.  The daughters, Machlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah go before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the chieftains, and the entire community to challenge this law. They argued “Why should the name of our father be done away with all because he had no son?  Give us, a possession among the brothers of our father” (Numbers 27:4)

Moses brought their plea before God. God ruled in favor of these women and said “you shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them.  And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, if a man dies, and he has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter” (Numbers 27:7-8)

What a profound lesson. Here were five women who were potential victims of what might be perceived as an unjust law in the Bible and they decide to protest. The nature of their protest however was guided by Jewish principles. They challenged God’s law with an enormous amount of respect, mindful of our history and traditions.

The sages taught (Baba Batra 119b), that Zelophehad’s daughters were, chachmaniot wise, darshaniot able to interpret verses in the Torah, and they were zidkaniot righteous.

This narrative is relevant to all us today. Many Jews are enamored with feminism and such other movements which challenge the status quo. There is nothing inherently wrong with getting involved in a social action alliance so long as you do so with your Jewish identity intact.

We can be feminists but like the daughters of Zelophchad our mission must be guided by wisdom, knowledge of Torah and piety.  Social movements must never be used as a replacement of Torah or as a means of diminishing who we are as Jews. Sometimes we must repudiate certain elements and components of a movement which run contrary to our Jewish values.

Rubbing shoulders with so called “social justice advocates” who have nothing but contempt for Jews and Judaism is not a productive way to pursue justice.

Pursue justice in a sacred way!

The greatest accomplishment of the daughters of Zelophchad was their ability to change an unjust law while simultaneously having enough confidence in their OWN identity. Yes, they had Chutzpah but they were also profoundly committed to their faith and deeply immersed in Torah.

Their wise methods met the approval of the Holy One. It was God, who called their challenge “right.” (Numbers 27:7) These five women made a very significant contribution to Jewish life and to society at large. Their narrative ultimately indicated to all that the Torah is a manifestation of God’s Justice, justice for all people without exception.