The Grass is Always Greener

Rabbi Melanie Aron

Saturday, July 23, 2005

For the six months before my Bat Mitzvah, I grew my hair very long. At night I would wash it, then pull it on top of my head and wrap it around juice cans, until I looked like a sort of TV antenna. The fashion at that time was long straight hair and so that's what I valued. My mother, whose hair was perfectly straight, couldn't understand why I didn't appreciate the curls I had.

The Torah portions from this part of the book of Numbers, rather than being one ongoing story, seem like a collection, perhaps randomly assembled, of incidents which occurred during the desert wanderings. This week's portion Pinchas includes six different episodes which seem unrelated to that which comes before or after them. What for example does the plea of Zelophechad's daughters for their father's inheritance, have to do with the story of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Menasheh wanting to receive their allotment of land in the Golan Heights, which follows in next weeks Torah portion.

Haim Chertok, an Israeli journalist and author, wrote about the relationship of these two stories, in a short article in Hadassah magazine back in 1992.

He points out that the 2-1/2 cattle owning tribes were entitled to a property holding in the Promised Land. Since it was coming to them by right, they took it for granted, valued it less and were willing to give up their inheritance in the Promised Land in order to receive land outside of Israel proper, which was better suited to their cattle.

The daughters of Zelophchad who were in danger of receiving no land, valued their inheritance more highly. In order to receive their portion, they were willing to pursue their case through the ancient Israelite judicial system, all the way to the top. Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah, are willing to risk their standing in the community, everything they have, all for a portion of land, which Reuben, Gad and 1/2 the tribe of Merasheh, have given up without a moments hesitation.

This is a human tendency that I have noticed operating not only with regard to curls in our hair but in many other areas as well. We appreciate what we don't have and give little thought to what we do posses.

Few of us view paying income tax as a great blessing, for example, but I remember my grandfather talking about what a privilege it was to pay income taxes after the depression years when he had no cash income.

Similarly, I think of my experiences with Jewish immigrants to America from the Soviet Union and Iran. Their appreciation of the rights and privileges of being in the United States, remind me of how much I take for granted.

Closer to home, here in the synagogue, I have seen adult women, who had not been allowed to celebrate a Bat Mitzvah or read from the Torah, at age 12 or 13, well up with tears as they are finally called to the Torah at age 37 or 45 or 62. Meanwhile, men of their generations, who have enjoyed that privilege their whole lives, are very casual about it, often having no inclination to come to synagogue and exercise that honor.

Many times we take for granted the talents and skills that we have, barely appreciating them. Failing to focus on them and develop them, we are like the tribesmen of Gad, Revuen, Menashen, throwing away a valuable inheritance.

Chertok makes one final observation about this section of the book of Numbers portion.

"Two groups - one female, one male - approach Moses with parallel requests: to emend the rights and obligations of inheritance. For the sake of justice, the petition of the sisters is explicitly approved, whereas that of the tribesmen is conditionally accepted on the grounds of expediency." The two and a half tribes receive the land they want, the Golan, but only on the condition that they help the other tribes in their conquest of the land. The decision in the case of the daughter of Zelophechad is unconditional and enduring. Jewish law is changed so that daughters can inherit.

When we are struggling to gain some temporary convenience or economic advantage, we need to be careful that we don't throw out something of greater value along the way. We may advance our own interests, but only to the extent that our needs fit into some larger picture of the good of the community.

But when we struggle for justice, struggle to achieve something which is rightfully ours, then the answer from God is loud and certain - ken bnot Zelphechad dovrot. The daughters of Zelophechad have a just claim.