Ilustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
The בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד (benot Tzelofhad, daughters of Tzelofhad) ask if they can inherit land in Eretz Yisrael from their father. Here’s how the Torah introduces these women:
וַתִּקְרַבְנָה בְּנוֹת צְלׇפְחָד בֶּן חֵפֶר בֶּן גִּלְעָד בֶּן מָכִיר בֶּן מְנַשֶּׁה לְמִשְׁפְּחֹת מְנַשֶּׁה בֶן יוֹסֵף
וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֹתָיו מַחְלָה נֹעָה וְחׇגְלָה וּמִלְכָּה וְתִרְצָה׃
Then came forward the daughters of Tzelofhad son of Hefer son of Gilad son of Makhir son of Menasheh—from the family of Menasheh son of Yosef.
Their names were Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah.
Why does the Torah go back six generations—all the way to Yosef—when telling us about the benot Tzelofhad?
כְּשֵׁם שֶׁחִבֵּב יוֹסֵף אֶת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּךְ חִבְּבוּ בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד.
Just as Yosef loved Eretz Yisrael, so too did the benot Tzelofhad.
This midrash explains that the benot Tzelofhad and Yosef had something in common: love for Eretz Yisrael.
We know that Yosef loved Eretz Yisrael because, even though he lived most of his life in Egypt, he tried extra hard to make sure he would be buried in Eretz Yisrael. (Look it up! Bereishit 50:25.)
And we know that the benot Tzelofhad loved Eretz Yisrael because they so badly wanted to inherit land there.
Their love for Eretz Yisrael was actually pretty special, when you think about the rest of Benei Yisrael in the מִדְבָּר (midbar, wilderness). The מְרַגְּלִים (meraglim, spies) convinced most people of that generation to NOT want to go to Eretz Yisrael, or to be afraid of Eretz Yisrael. In fact, the entire second half of Sefer Bemidbar only happens because Benei Yisrael had to wander in the midbar for 40 years as a punishment for not loving Eretz Yisrael enough! So the benot Tzelofhad’s love of Eretz Yisrael was important and brave, and unique in their time.
- In Sefer Bereishit, we hear over and over that God’s goal is to bring Avraham’s descendants to Eretz Yisrael. (Look it up! God tells this to Avraham in Bereishit 15:18 and 17:8, to Yitzhak in 26:3, and to Yaakov in 28:13, 35:12, and 46:4.) The meraglim nearly stopped this goal from being achieved, but the benot Tzelfhad stayed loyal to the goal. What does this tell us about them?
- Why does the Torah highlight the benot Tzelofhad? Why do you think they earned the honor of having their story made into a big deal in the Torah?
- Can you think of someone else who wanted very badly to go into Eretz Yisrael? (Look it up! Devarim 3:23-25.) What does it teach us about the benot Tzelofhad that they are connected to Moshe in this way?
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