Were the Daughters of
Tzelofchad Early Jewish Feminists?
I bring here a summary of an
interesting discussion from the VBM Parsha discussion list. (you can
subscribe to this list and other lists in the VBM site ).
I arranged the discussion hierarchically:
The main lesson / Rav Elchanan
Samet:The daughters of Tzelofchad were not feminists - they are not
fighting for their rights as women but for the rights of their father.
Nonetheless, at the root of their argument there does lie a basic
principle connected to the inherent equality of the sexes.
-
response 1 / Sheila Keiter:
Ironically, the names truly perpetuated through Jewish history
ultimately are the names of the daughters!
-
response 2 / Rabbi Shlomo Wexler:
The Daughters of Zelophchad advanced the cause of women, and may
properly be designated as feminists.
-
response 2.1/ Steven Brizel: 'tzorchei
tzibbur' require 'lishma'!
-
response 3 / Kathy Sias: I would
say that God's response showed that the social arrangements were not how
God would order the world... For the same reason, Rambam explained that
sacrifices were permitted within the law, which allowed the people to
bridge their previous practices into their new relationship with God.
- response 3.1 / Steven Brizel: This
explanation works well if one accepts the Rambam's understanding of
sacrifices. It would be out of bounds according to the Ramban...
-
response 4 / Nathan Lichtenstein:
What if Tzelofchad's daughters had not asked the question? And what
is the significance of the
story?
- response 4.1 / Rav Ezra Bick:The development
of Torah by question and answer, investigation and deduction, is essential to
Torah.
- response 4.1.1 / Rich Wolpoe: Note
that the same verb "Yigara" (or nigara) appear in Bonot Zlaphchad and Pesach
Sheni.