- How many people are we now?
- Given the battles that we know lie ahead, how strong is our military?
- Once those battles are done, how will the land be apportioned?
- How we will live once we are settled in the land?
And now we come to the various matters that begin this week's Torah portion:
It shall be for [Pinchas] and his descendants after him a Brit Kehuna / pact of priesthood for all time, because he took impassioned action for his God, thus making expiation for the B'nai Yisrael.’”
“Take a census of the whole of the community of B'nai Yisrael's [fighters] from the age of twenty years up, by their ancestral houses, all Israelite [males] able to bear arms.”
(59) The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. (60) To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
For ה' had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them survived, except Caleb ben Yefuneh and Joshua bin Nun.
(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 ה', 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!”
(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.
(12) ה' said to Moses, “Ascend these heights of Avarim and view the land that I have given to B'nai Yisrael. (13) When you have seen it, you too shall be gathered to your kin, just as your brother Aaron was gathered. (14) For, in the wilderness of Zin, when the community was contentious, you disobeyed My command to uphold My sanctity in their sight by means of the water.” Those are the Waters of Meribath-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.
Mode: Sharing from their seats
The last thing Moses will do is go up to this height, see the land, and then be gathered to his kin. This is a remarkable moment to pause and hear from Moses.
[From their seats, ask people to step into the role of Moses, and share answers to this question:]
Moses, what are the questions going through your mind now?
Here are some commentators who also noted this moment:
יפקד ה'. כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמַע מֹשֶׁה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַמָּקוֹם תֵּן נַחֲלַת צְלָפְחָד לִבְנוֹתָיו, אָמַר הִגִּיעַ שָׁעָה שֶׁאֶתְבַּע צָרְכִּי — שֶׁיִּירְשׁוּ בָּנַי אֶת גְּדֻלָּתִי.
When Moses heard that the Omnipresent said to him, “Give the inheritance of Zelophehad to his daughters”, he said to himself, “The time has come that I should ask something that I want — that my sons should inherit my high position”.
וזו היתה סיבה שהפקיד והנפקדים נמזגו לגדר ההשתוות וכל אחד היה לו כלבבו:
This was the reason that Moses was so concerned that no one but he would be able to truly understand these people and lead them.
ותכלית כוונת דברי משה לה' הוא על זה הדרך אני אעשה כאשר אדוני דובר אבל יתקן דבר זה קודם אם יוכל להכנס בגדר התיקון ואם לא תהיה עדת ה' כצאן וגו', והיוצא מזה הוא ולא ימות כרמוז בתיבת לאמר שאמרנו, ומתוך הדברים אתה למד שאם ימצא איש כזה הנה הוא מסכים גם הוא ליאסף אל עמיו כמאמרו יתברך:
Moses' words to G'd could be summarised as follows: "I am prepared to do what You have told me; however, I cannot die with my mind at ease (as You promise me) unless I know that You have appointed a new leader who possesses the qualities I have mentioned. If not, the people will, for all practical purposes, be like a flock without a shepherd." Reading between the lines of what Moses said we may conclude that subject to his request being fulfilled he was just as willing to die as was his brother Aaron seven months earlier.
(15) Moses spoke to ה', saying, (16) “Let ה', Source of the breath of all flesh, appoint someone over the community (17) who shall go out before them and come in before them, and who shall take them out and bring them in, so that ה'’s community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd.”
This statement serves to show the praise of the righteous: when they are about to depart from the world, they abandon all thought of their own affairs and occupy themselves with the affairs of the community.
וידבר משה וגו' לאמר. הנה למה שקדם לנו מדבריהם שלשון דיבור יגיד על מענה קשה כפי זה למה אמר הכתוב וידבר משה לפני ה' שאין זה מהמוסר, עוד צריך לדעת אומרו לאמר שאין לה משמעות במה שלפנינו, ואפשר כי משה בא בטענת משפט לבל ימות, ולא למה שממנו אלא בשביל ישראל...
וידבר משה אל השם, Moses spoke (sternly) to G'd, etc. In view of our always having said that the term וידבר reflects "tough" talk, it seems most unseemly for Moses to have addressed G'd in such a fashion. Moreover, how are we to explain the word לאמר [which is a gentler tone of voice; loving concern]? To whom was G'd supposed to relay Moses' words? Perhaps Moses argued that he did not see why he had to die at this time. He did not mean this egoistically, but felt that he should be allowed to go on living for the sake of the Jewish people.
(18) And ה' answered Moses, “Take Joshua bin Nun, an inspired man (lit. a man with spirit in him), and lay your hand upon him. (19) Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community, and commission him in their sight. (20) Invest him from your authority, so that the whole community of B'nai Yisrael may listen [to him]. (21) But he shall present himself to Eleazar the priest, who shall on his behalf seek the decision of the Urim before ה'. By its word they shall go out and its word they shall come in, he and all the B'nai Yisrael's [militia], and the whole community.”
Mode: Two primes seated; doubling their voices
Now we need a Moses and a Joshua to come on down. Once they are down on the floor, seat them in the two chairs facing those who are seated:
1. Moses, what does Joshua need to know from you as he takes on this role?
- Ask for another Moses to come, place their hand on Moses' shoulder, and answer the same question. See how many we can get, deepening or doubling the voice of Moses. Then go back to the beginning of the line, and ask:
Moses, what do you need to hear from Joshua as he take on this role?
2. Joshua, what do you need to know from Moses as you take on this role?
- Ask for another Joshua to come, place their hand on Joshua's shoulder, and answer the same questions. See how many we can get, deepening or doubling the voice of Joshua. People can switch sides for this if they want to. Then go back to the beginning of the line, and ask:
Joshua, what do you want tell Moses as you take on this role?
Mode: A tableau; sculptors from their seats; final words of wisdom
Thank you Moseses and Joshuas. I need one Moses and one Joshua to remain down here for the third and final piece, which is the actual commissioning of Joshua by Moses. And it needs to be two people who are ok with touching each other. [Read.]
ויסמך את ידיו AND HE LAID HIS HANDS [UPON HIM] — generously, even more than he had been commanded, for the Holy Bountiful One had said, (v. 18) “Lay your hand [upon him]”, but he did this with his two hands, and so made of him a full and overflowing vessel and filled him generously with his own wisdom.
So Moses, where will you place you hands on Joshua, and why there?
- Moses Prime will do theirs first. Then ask Joshua Prime for their suggestion and reason.
- Then take suggestions from those seated. As they do so, have Moses move their hands to those new locations. And echo people's reasons for those new locations so that all can hear.
Ask Moses and Joshua to consider all of the options shared, and to choose one together.
Moses, looking into Joshua's eyes, please share with them the piece of wisdom in one sentence that they need to hear in this moment.
- Invite two others to step in for Moses or Joshua, place hands, share wisdom.
- Or invite another person to double Moses. Maybe don't double Joshua; just have the Moses double put their hand on the first Moses shoulder.
- Derole
- Thank all who stepped into the role of Moses/Joshua this morning
- Process
- What was this process like for you?
- How do you think of Moses and Joshua differently now?
- What did you notice?
- What was surprising?
Don't share these questions, but they may be useful:
- The Pinchas question: Who is the next after you?
- The Census question: In what ways do you still count?
- The Aaron question: What do you want for your children?
- The Wilderness Question: What does this new generation need to know about your generation?
- The B'not Tzelophchad Question: What is your legacy?