The great great granddaughters of Tzelophchad

In Parshat Pinchas, we read about the five daughters of Tzelophchad who loved the Land of Israel (even though they had not yet been there!). After hearing that only men would inherit land, they complained as they had no brothers and therefore their family would be unable to receive a share of the land.

The daughters of Tzelophchad stated their case in Bamidbar 27:4:

Why should the name of our father be omitted from his family because he did not have a son? Give us possession of land among our father’s brothers.

The Talmud, Bava Batra 119b brings a braita which discusses the virtues of the daughters of Tzelophchad:

The daughters of Tzelophchad were wise (chachamot), they were expounders of Torah (darshaniot) and they were righteous (tzidkaniot).

According to the Talmud, they were wise as they said, “If we are equal to a son, then let us inherit as a son. If we are not equal to a son then our mother should be required to undergo yibum in order to produce a son.”

They were expounders of Torah as they added, “If our father would have had a son, then we would not have spoken.” Or “Even if our father had a granddaughter, we would not have spoken.”

They were righteous as they only married men who were fitting for them.

The midrash, Sifre 133 states:

The mercies of flesh and blood are greater for males than for females. Not so the mercies of God. His mercies are for males and females equally. His mercies are for all! As it is written in Tehillim 145:9, “The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are upon all of His creations.”

In Bamidbar 27:5-7 we read:

And Moshe brought the claim before God. God said to Moshe, saying, “The daughters of Tzelophchad speak properly. You shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among the brothers of their father, and you shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass over them.”

Rashi brings the midrash, Sifre 134 which says that “this chapter is so inscribed before Me on high.”

Giving the daughters the opportunity to inherit was part of God’s plan.

In the State of Israel, we have modern day great great granddaughters of Tzelophchad- over 100 Orthodox rabbaniot, learned women, graduates of serious Halacha (Jewish Law) programs who want to be included.

Six women along with three organizations- Itim, Kolech and the Rackman Center began to petition the Israeli courts in 2019 to allow women who are studying Halacha to take the same tests as the men. In this way, there would be an opportunity for the rabbaniot to be eligible for some of the same positions that the rabbis receive as well as to have their Halachic studies recognized as an academic degree which would help them receive pay increases.

Yesterday, Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled that women would be allowed to take the proficiency tests in Halacha which are administered by the Chief Rabbinate.

The judge, Noam Solberg wrote the following:

A significant development that exists—even within the internal world of Halacha—is the expansion of Torah study to broader circles, with sensitivity to the evolving status of women in society and the centrality of Torah learning in Jewish tradition and culture. In the petition before us, we see further expression of this trend: women seeking to engage in the ‘labor of Torah,’ which, as stated, ‘whoever wishes to take it, may come and take it’ (Avot DeRabbi Natan). This is naturally consistent with Israeli law and with the obligation of the authority-in this case, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel-to act toward the public in an equal manner, in the absence of any justification to do otherwise. Barring women who are wise (chachamot), expounders of Torah (darshaniot) and righteous (tzidkaniot) from taking the Rabbanut exams is discrimination with no justification.

I am personally very appreciative that I was able to study Torah and Halacha on the highest levels at Matan, Women’s Institute of Torah Studies in Jerusalem, for the past seven years.

I am proud to have participated in all of Kolech’s conferences over the past 20 years, including last month’s conference on Women’s Halachic Leadership along with over 100 other rabbaniot who have studied Halacha in Batei Midrash throughout Israel. It is great to see such an amazing community of women who are experts in Jewish law as well as leaders who are making an impact on Israeli society.

I am honored to have been a member of Beit Hillel for over a decade, an organization where male and female spiritual leaders are treated as equals.

I am happy that we were able to uproot our lives 21 years ago and make aliya from Riverdale, New York. While I left the position as the first Madricha Ruchanit (Spiritual Mantor) in the United States, I founded the non-profit organization, Torat Reva Yerushalayim and am able to teach Torah to both men and women in Jerusalem.

May we see more opportunities for women to learn and teach Torah in Israel and follow in the footsteps of the daughters of Tzelophchad.