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Six cities of refuge are set aside to house unintentional murderers, who must remain within the city limits until the death of the High Priest in order to be protected from the avengers of their victim(s). The tribe of Menasseh approaches Moses, concerned that the inheritance of Zelophehad will be lost in the tribe if his daughters marry men from other tribes. The law is then established that daughters who inherit land from their fathers must marry men from within the same tribe.
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| Thoughts to Consider and Discuss |
1. Is it wrong for the victim's family to kill the unintentional murderer? Why or why not? Is your view supported by the verses?
2. Why do you think the story of the inheritance/marriage of Zelophehad's daughters concludes the book of Numbers?
3. Compare the ending of Numbers with the endings of the other four books of the Torah. Are there any common themes?
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"Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: 'The daughters of Zelopehad were allowed to marry [a man from any of] all of the tribes, as it is written: "To those who are good in your eyes shall you be wives.'" Rather how do I understand 'Only to the families of the tribe of your father shall you be wives'? The Torah gave them good advice to only marry [men] who were fitting."
Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra 120a
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 | | Points to Ponder | |
Rashi explains that the law providing that inheriting daughters must marry within their tribe did not apply to the daughters of Zelophehad, but rather to future cases. Why do you think this is so?
Is the zeal of the tribe of Menasseh to protect their inheritance a positive or negative thing? Explain.
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