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Very rarely in the Torah is Moses unclear about what to do. Regarding the request of the daughters of Zelophehad, as in three other cases (the Second Passover, the blasphemer and the Sabbath violator), Moses is confronted with a situation in which he must turn directly to G-d for guidance. G-d asserts that the daughters are correct in their request and should inherit the land in their father's tribal area. This leads to the establishment of the laws of inheritance, granting land first to children and then to the deceased's brothers, then to his uncles, and then to the closest living relative. Finally, in a most poignant scene, G-d instructs Moses, in preparation for his death, to climb mount Abarim to view the land into which he will not journey. In what can only be described as an act of unprecedented selflessness, Moses beseeches G-d to provide a leader for the people as they embark on their journey into the Promised Land. Moses is directed to publicly appoint Joshua as his successor.
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| Thoughts to Consider and Discuss |
1. Notice the different verbs used in this aliyah to describe the allocation of the land to men and women. What does the verbiage suggest?
2. What can be theorized about the legal system and Moses as its chief judge from the four cases in which Moses seeks guidance from G-d? (See Numbers 9:7-10, Leviticus 24:10-23, and Numbers 15:32-36).
3. What juxtaposition can be gained about death and heredity from the juxtaposition of the Zelophehad case and Moses' ordination of Joshua?
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"[May G-d appoint a man] who shall go out before them and come in before them; who shall take them out and bring them in; and let the assembly of G-d not be like the sheep that have no shepherd. 'Let him come and go before them' - yatza [to go out] is altogether going out in public, in contrast to ba [to come], referring to private spheres. A man who is in the forefront is required to go about as an example for public and private life, and generally by his influence to bring the people to faithfully fulfill all public and private duties."
R. Samson Raphael Hirsch on 27:17
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 | | Points to Ponder | |
What does Moses delineate as necessary traits for good leadership? How would you interpret "one who should go out" and "one who should go in before them"?
How do we see Moses himself fulfilling the guidelines he proscribes for his successor?
How can we train our own generation to realize the qualities that Moses saw as being so essential?
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