“The plea of Zelophehad’s daughters is just: you should give them a hereditary holding among their father’s kinsmen; transfer their father’s share to them.” (Numbers 27:7)
In this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Pinchas, the daughters of Zelophehad provide an example of women who found the courage and conviction to stand before God, Moses, and the People of Israel, and petition for the right to inherit their father’s portion in the Holy Land so that their father’s name would be remembered.
I would like to highlight what this particular decree of God’s meant to Moses. We pick up the story a few verses later.
“God said to Moses, “Ascend these heights of Abarim and view the land that I have given to the Israelite people. When you have seen it, you too shall be gathered to your kin, just as your brother Aaron was. For, in the wilderness of Zin, when the community was contentious, you disobeyed My command to uphold My sanctity in their sight by means of the water…” (27:12-14)
Rashi asks why these particular verses about the end of Moses’ life follow the conclusion to the daughters of Zelophehad saga. He wrote that when Moses heard God state in v7 “…you should give them a hereditary holding among their father’s kinsmen; transfer their father’s share to them,” Moses said to himself, “It is me that the Omnipresent has commanded to apportion the inheritance. Perhaps then the decree that I must die in the wilderness is annulled and I shall enter the Promised Land!”
We feel Moses having a very human reaction to the potential of these words. He recognized that he had disobeyed God in a very public manner and had been told what the consequence was – he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Yet, the way that Moses hears God’s words gives him hope. Maybe, just maybe, God has rescinded the decree, and he would in fact be allowed to enter the land. His hopes are raised… and then immediately dashed, “Whereupon God said to him, “My decree remains exactly as it was.” (Midrash Tanchuma)
How many times have each of us had our hopes raised only to have them dashed again? How many times have we recognized that we erred and yet still tried to convince ourselves that things would turn out differently than we knew that they would? It is human nature to have hope, even when we know that the hope may not be grounded in reality. In fact, there are times when the only way one can carry on is to have hope, real or imagined.
How then do we react to this disappointment/loss of hope? Do we descend into melancholy, or do we pick ourselves up and continue on?
What do we learn from this? Instead of wallowing in emotion, Moses immediately thinks of the people he has led for so many years. He asks God to appoint a successor so that the people will have someone to lead them into the land and ensure that things will go as smoothly as possible once he dies. God heeds his request and names Joshua ben Nun as Moses’ successor. Moses lays hands on Joshua and commissions him to his new role.
Moses may have erred at Meriba when he struck the rock, but here, toward the end of his life, he shows exactly what type of man and leader that he is. May we all have lives filled with the strength of Moses.
Some food for thought:
What roles do hope and disappointment play in your life? Can this story of Moses act as an example for you? If not, is there another story in the Torah that provides you with inspiration?
