Rabbi Frand on Parshas Pinchas
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 246, Hilchos
Brachos: Ikar VeTofel. Good Shabbos!
Standing Up Against the Prevailing Winds
In this week's parsha, Tzelofchad's daughters came to Moshe Rabbeinu with a
Din Torah. According to Jewish law a son inherits from his father to the
exclusion of his sisters. Tzelofchad had died without any sons. He only had
daughters. The daughters came and argued that they should not be left out.
They did not want their father's inheritance in Eretz Yisroel to be lost.
Moshe Rabbeinu took this query to G-d who in fact ruled that when there are
no sons, the daughters inherit.
The Medrash here comments: "There are times when an individual can take the
reward of an entire generation. Noach stood up against his generation and
took the reward that was destined for them; Avraham stood up to his
generation and merited taking the reward of that whole generation; Lot stood
up to the people of Sodom and took the reward that was destined for all of
them."
The Medrash concludes that the daughters of Tzelofchad too, took the reward
of their entire generation. But what did they do? We know that Noach fought
off his generation for 120 years; Avraham jumped into the fiery furnace for
his ideals; Lot withstood the decadence of the surroundings of Sodom; but
what did the daughters of Tzelofchad do? They went to probate court -- they
wanted their inheritance. What is so noble about that?
The Medrash explains -- consider the times. When everyone was yelling "Let's
go back to Egypt, this is not going to work, this is no good..." Moshe was
taken aback by the request of these women. Their interest in and desire for
the Land was totally out of step with the "issues of the day".
They were determined. They said "We don't care what everyone else is saying
now, we know that the Land of Israel is where the future of the Jewish
People lies." At a time when others are nullifying the Torah, that is the
time to stand up and be counted.
This Medrash is telling us an important thing. The activities and deeds of
human beings cannot be judged in a vacuum but must be judged in the context
of the times. Under normal times, going into court and asking for one's
father's inheritance does not constitute a brave and courageous act. There
are however times in history where the most innocuous and simple act can be
an act of utmost bravery. Tzelofchad's daughters exhibited such an act.
In the climate of widespread criticism of Eretz Yisroel and longing for the
wonderful life of Egypt, they stood up against the tide, they swam against
the prevailing current and marched to the beat of their own drummer. This
was a courageous act.
This is a tremendous lesson for us. Sometimes, even the most mundane of
activities, given the atmosphere and climate, can be a most noble act -- to
such an extent that the Medrash lists the daughters of Tzelofchad with
Avraham Avinu!
Setting The Precedent For Future Generations
The other insight that I would like to share is from the Mikdash Mordechai.
The Medrash comments on the juxtaposition of the incident of Tzelofchad's
daughters with the appointment of Yehoshua bin Nun (Joshua) to succeed
Moshe. The Medrash says that after the daughters of Tzelofchad took care of
their matter of inheritance, Moshe began to think about his own "Estate" and
reasoned that if Tzelofchad's daughters inherited from their father, it
followed that his own children should inherit his position of honor.
He came, as it were, to G-d and said "Master of the Universe, I am getting
old. We need a new leader. I want my sons to take over."
The Medrash continues that G-d responded to Moshe that his children were not
worthy. Yehoshua, on the other hand, never left Moshe's side. He was Moshe's
trusted disciple and he would become the next leader of Israel.
This Medrash always bothered me. It seems to me that the mark of true
greatness is the ability for a person to elevate himself above his own
personal interests. With the average person, we can readily imagine
interests of self, interests for children. But the true adam gadol -- we
always imagine -- does not have this kind of agenda.
If any other personality in our history had made such a request of G-d, it
would perhaps be understandable. But Moshe Rabbeinu was _the_ Rabbi of Klal
Yisroel, the Servant of G-d, the most humble of all men, the accolades are
endless... Should he not be able to perceive that his children were not
worthy of this position? Did he not realize this? Is this just, Heaven
forbid, a case of a father trying to intervene to make sure that his son
gets the job?
What does it mean "It is time for me to take care of my own family's needs?"
The Mikdash Mordechai suggests that Moshe knew full well that his sons were
not worthy for the job and that G-d would answer him with a flat no. But he
wanted to make the point -- he wanted to ask and he wanted to be refused! He
wanted the Jewish people to understand that land goes through inheritance,
the business goes through inheritance, but Torah does not go through
inheritance.
This was like a test case brought to the Supreme Court to issue a ruling,
setting a binding precedent. Moshe Rabbeinu knew he was going to hear a 'No'
and he wanted to hear a 'No'. But he wanted the precedent to be set. He
wanted it on the books, and he wanted that it should be known for all
generations: Torah is not passed down through inheritance.
There is no monopoly on Torah. The Ramba"m writes in the Laws of Teaching
Torah [3:1] that there are three crowns -- the crown of Monarchy, the crown
of Priesthood and the crown of Torah. The crowns of Monarchy and Priesthood
can only be acquired through inheritance. But the crown of Torah is
available to anyone who wants to come and take it. The son of the biggest
ignoramus can go on to the greatest heights of Torah. One need not have
yichus; only desire, patience, and perseverance.
Sources and Personalities
Mikdash Mordechai --- Rav Mordechai Ilan; contemporary, Israel.
Ramba"m --- Rav Moshe ben Maimon (1135-1204); Spain, Egypt.
Glossary
Moshe Rabbeinu -- Moses our teacher
Din Torah --- A (monetary case decided based on) Torah Law
Eretz Yisroel --- The Land of Israel
adam gadol --- great individual
Klal Yisroel --- Nation of Israel
yichus --- lineage
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissochar Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion (#246). The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is:
Hilchos Brachos: Ikar VeTofel. The other halachic portions for Parshas
Pinchas from the Commuter Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection
of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from
Genesis Judaica, http://books.torah.org/ , 1-410-358-9800.
