In this week’s Torah portion Pinchas, God tells Moses to divide the land among all the tribes. It is to be divided amongst all the sons in each of the tribes. Five daughters of Zelophahad protest the injustice that their land would be given to strangers because their father had no sons. God advises Moses and says the daughters are correct, it is an injustice.
Moses then makes a rule for the community. Land is to be inherited in this order: sons inherit first, if there are no sons, daughters should inherit the property. If there are no children the property goes to brothers. If there are no brothers, the nearest relative shall inherit. This was quite revolutionary. Even in 2013 daughters in England are protesting the fact that the first born sons, even if he has an older sister, inherit the title and the property of the father. The conflict of equal rights for women, even in western democracies, is still being played out. God made a huge step towards equality for women in Pinchas , the Torah portion this week. We are now thousands of years later and the fight goes on.
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