Parashat Pinchas

            Shabbat Shalom! This week’s Torah portion contains one of my favorite stories of early female empowerment. In Parashat Pinchas, the daughters of Tzelafchad advocate for themselves to inherit their father’s legacy, including the parcel of the Promised Land he would have settled when the People of Israel enter the land. Normally, this inheritance would be only for sons, but leaving none Tzelafechad’s legacy was up in the air. The daughters ask Moses, who asks God, for guidance, and are granted their rightful inheritance.  

            The Yalkut Shimoni, a book of medieval Midrash, offers the commentary, “When the daughters of Tzelafchad heard that the land was being divided among the tribes but not among the women, they convened to discuss the matter. They said: G‑d’s mercy and compassion is not like the compassion of man. Mankind favors men over women. G‑d is not like that; His compassion extends to men and women alike.”

            This teaching reminds us that God has created all of humanity in the Divine image, with inherent worth, and the right to live with dignity equal to that of all others. As humans, we often fail to see this. We forget, we miss the mark, we progress slowly and we never seem to reach our holy potential of taking care of our fellow man. But, it is our job as humans to be ever-striving to reach a Divine level of compassion, to remember to see people as God does: equal and inherently worthwhile.

            Just a few verses after the story of the daughters of Tzelafchad, Moses asks God to pick the leader that will replace him. Rashi offers his drash on this: “So said Moses to G‑d: ‘Master of the universe! You know the soul of each and every individual; You know that no two are alike. Appoint for them a leader who can relate to each and every one of them in accordance with his individual spirit.’”

            An important element to seeing the Divine spark in each person is being able to meet them where they are, to be open to dialogue and discourse, to be willing to be vulnerable and to understand the vulnerability of others. This is of course a particularly important in a person with authority, as Moses points out. But we all have the capabilities of being leaders in our own rights, and so we all need to be willing to embody this spirit of openness. We all have the power to connect with one another, to see the inherent worth of each and every person, and to lead our peers by example toward a more equal and kinder world. May we each take these opportunities each time they arise, and step into our own leadership roles with compassion and vision for a brighter future. Amen and Shabbat Shalom!