Parshat Pinchas

Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron, has an important BFF: He and G-d have a "pact of friendship" that ensures that the descendants of Pinchas--the uber zealot--will hold the "priesthood for all time". (Pinchas is rewarded for what he did at the end of last week's parsha, killing an Israelite and his non-Israelite squeeze who are having sex in a tent. Enough said.)

The parsha includes lots of important info including a detailed list of daily offerings and describes what is additionally required on Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh (the the beginning of each month) and on all the important holidays.

But here's why Pinchas remains one of Shabbat mom's all-time faves: it contains the most powerfully feminist story in the Bible, that of the "daughters of Zelophehad". And Shabbat Mom's eldest daughter Noa, above left, is named after the Biblical Noa, one of the young women who have the courage to confront Moses to demand their rights.

Following a census that includes the allotment of land-to-come in Canaan, these five young girls whose "father died in the wilderness" protest that their dad's portion should not be given away since he has no sons who would legally have been his rightful heirs. Appearing before Moses at the Tent of Meeting, they proclaim,

"'Let not our father's name be lost to his clan just because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father's kinsmen!' Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, '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.'"

Further, Gd tells Moses that if there is no son, daughters can inherit property from this point on.

Sisters are doing it for themselves!

Shabbat Shalom!