TB Baba Batra 119 Inspirational women

 

Today’s daf TB Baba Batra 119 continues analyzing the daughters of Zelophehad demand to inherit their father’s portion in the land of Israel since he had no sons. The Gemara explains the key to their success is their full awareness of God’s laws and the people’s history and story.

Ҥ The Sages taught: The daughters of Zelophehad are wise, they are interpreters of verses, and they are righteous.

 “The Gemara proves these assertions. That they are wise can be seen from the fact that they spoke in accordance with the moment, i.e., they presented their case at an auspicious time. As Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzḥak says: Tradition teaches that Moses our teacher was sitting and interpreting in the Torah portion about men whose married brothers had died childless, as it is stated: “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies, and has no child, the wife of the dead shall not be married abroad to one not of his kin; her husband’s brother shall come to her, and take her for him as a wife” (Deuteronomy 25:5). The daughters of Zelophehad said to Moses: If we are each considered like a son, give us each an inheritance like a son; and if not, our mother should enter into levirate marriage. Immediately upon hearing their claim, the verse records: “And Moses brought their cause before the Lord” (Numbers 27:5).

"That they are interpreters of verses can be seen from the fact that they were saying: If our father had had a son, we would not have spoken; but because he had no son, we are filling the role of the heir. The Gemara asks: But isn’t it taught in a baraita: They would say, if he had had a daughter, we would not have spoken? Rabbi Yirmeya said: Delete from the baraita here the word: Daughter. As they were themselves daughters, this cannot have been their claim. Abaye said that the baraita need not be emended, and should be understood as follows: Even if there was a daughter of a son of Zelophehad, we would not have spoken, for she would have been the heir.

“That they are righteous can be seen from the fact that they did not rush to marry, but rather waited to marry those fit for them. Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov teaches: Even the youngest to be married among them was not married at less than forty years of age…

“The Gemara asks: Is that so? But doesn’t Rav Ḥisda say: If a woman marries when she is less than twenty years old, she is able to give birth until she reaches the age of sixty; if she marries when she is twenty years old or older, she is able to give birth until she reaches the age of forty; if she marries when she is forty years old or older, she is no longer able to give birth at all. If so, how could Zelophehad’s daughters have waited until the age of forty to marry? Rather, since they are righteous women, a miracle was performed for them,” (Sefaria.org translation)

Because the Israelite society was patriarchal, the Torah rarely highlights individual women. The Torah: A Woman’s Commentary underscores how special the daughters of Zelophehad were! “So important are they that their names are repeated in full in each episode (Numbers 27 and 36, Joshua 17-gg). The fact that they receive so much ‘press’ in the Bible is itself proof of their significance…

“Only three other cases in the entire Torah describe a legislative process in action: the case of (1) the blasphemer (Leviticus 24:10-22); (2) those impure for the Passover sacrifice (Numbers 9:6-14); and (3) the Shabbat violator (15:32-36). These three narratives describe procedural debates about applying already existing laws. But only the case of the five sisters show a law actually being created, not merely applied. Moreover, this law is first proposed by people and only then confirmed, approved and extended by God as Torah. What perhaps makes this story most extraordinary and crucially important is that the people greatest Torah teaching are five women: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.” (Page 971)

These women continually inspire women today to take their rightful place in the Jewish community and in the study halls where Torah is taught.