(1) The daughters of Zelophehad, of Manassite family—son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh son of Joseph—came forward. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. (2) They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the chieftains, and the whole assembly, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and they said, (3) “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not one of the faction, Korah’s faction, which banded together against Adonai, but died for his own sin; and he has left no sons. (4) Let not our father’s name be lost to his clan just because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father’s kinsmen!” (5) Moses brought their case before Adonai. (6) And Adonai said to Moses, (7) “The plea of Zelophehad’s daughters is just: you should give them a hereditary holding among their father’s kinsmen; transfer their father’s share to them. (8) “Further, speak to the Israelite people as follows: ‘If a man dies without leaving a son, you shall transfer his property to his daughter. (9) If he has no daughter, you shall assign his property to his brothers. (10) If he has no brothers, you shall assign his property to his father’s brothers. (11) If his father had no brothers, you shall assign his property to his nearest relative in his own clan, and he shall inherit it.’ This shall be the law of procedure for the Israelites, in accordance with Adonai’s command to Moses.”
(א) ותקרבנה בנות צלפחד - כיון ששמעו בנות צלפחד שהארץ מתחלקת לשבטים ולא לנקבות, נתקבצו כולן זו על זו ליטול עצה. אמרו: לא כרחמי ב"ו רחמי המקום! ב"ו רחמיו על הזכרים יותר מן הנקבות, אבל מי שאמר והיה העולם אינו כן, אלא על הזכרים ועל הנקבות, רחמיו על הכל, שנאמר תהלים קמה טוב ה' לכל ורחמיו על כל מעשיו:
תנה לנו אחוזה בתוך אחי אבינו - ר' נתן אומר יפה כח נשים מכח אנשים: אנשים אומרים במדבר יד נתנה ראש ונשובה מצרימה, ונשים אומרות תנה לנו אחוזה בתוך אחי אבינו
"Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad," (Numbers 27:1). When the daughters of Zelophehad heard that the Land was about to be divided among the tribes–but only for males, not for females–they gathered to take counsel. They decided that the mercies of flesh and blood are not like the mercies of God who is everywhere. Flesh and blood is apt to be more merciful to males than to females. But God who spoke and the world came into being is different–God's mercies are for males as well as females, God's mercies being for all: "The Lord is good of all, and God's tender mercies are over all of God's works" (Psalms 145:9)...
"Give unto us a possession" (Num. 27:4). R. Nathan said: Women's tenacity is stronger than men's. The men of Israel [being willing to give up the Land] said, "Let us make a captain and let us return to Egypt" (Num. 14:4). But Israel's women insisted, "Give unto us a possession."
(1) THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD SPEAK RIGHT — Understand the word כן as the Targum does: יאות rightly, properly. God said: Exactly so is this chapter written before me on High (The Law has long since been fixed) (Sifrei Bamidbar 134:1). This tells us that their eye saw what Moses’ eye did not see. (They had a finer perception of what was just in the law of inheritance than Moses had.) (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Pinchas 8).