In last week's parsha, Pinchas, we read about the daughters of Tzelophchad, who petition to inherit their father's portion of the land because their father had no sons. Then they come up again in this week's double Parshah, Matot-Masei. Despite their successful petition to inherit the land, there is a stipulation that they must marry someone who is from the tribe of Menashe to keep the property in the tribe.
Rivkah Lubitz wrote a series of three midrashic stories, published in the book, Dirshuni: Contemporary Women’s Midrash, edited by Tamar Biala.
The first story teaches us that in order to gain self-determination they needed to come together as a whole.
The second story teaches us that we as a people make the Torah, given from on high, whole (tamimah) with our thoughts and opinions.
The last midrash tells us, yes, they act for power and equality, AND it is OK to want these things, that wanting equality is truly acting "for the sake of heaven."
Why these three stories? They tell the arc from independence to power, all with the blessing of God. Here at Camp Ramah in the Rockies, we talk a lot about being a Kehilah Kadosha (a holy community), but also about personal choice. Away from home our campers are able to come together and form their own independent community, to find like-minded friends, but they still need guidance from staff, counselors, and even their parents from afar, in order to make good choices, and as our campers bring their own sparks to our community, they make it whole. The last story, and the compromise written in this week’s parsha, is there to tell us not only are we allowed to forge our own path, to speak out when we see something wrong, but that it is encouraged “for the sake of heaven.” AND we still need to do so within the established system of rules, whether those are the rules of the torah or the rules of camp.
I want to sincerely thank Ramah in the Rockies and Camp Yavneh for enabling my children to grow and form their own connections that will last a lifetime. May they form friendships with others who will always stand up for what they know is right, and may they always stand together.