GUIDELINES FOR PETITIONERS
1
When the daughters of Tslafchad heard that the land was being divided to the tribes but not to the women they convened to discuss the matter. They said, “G‑d’s mercy and compassion is not like the compassion of mankind. Mankind favors men over women. G‑d is not that way, His compassion is on men and women alike… (Yalkut Shimoni, Pinhas, 27; Sifri 27:1).[3]
They identified the underlying spiritual principle being violated. Deep inside something did not feel right and they named it. Now they were working for truth and higher good. This gave them the strength to persist despite inner and outer resistance.
2
The daughters of Tslafchad were wise women for they presented their petition at the right time (BB 119b; BR 21:11)
They did not raise theoretical issues. Rather they waited until the moment of practical decision and spoke their piece. We learn from them that the criteria of truth are twofold: Its content must be accurate, and it must be spoken at the “right time.” When both conditions are met, the heavens and earth will open to receive it.[4]
Each moment comes with its own lights and possibilities of transformation. The whole inner structure of metaphysical reality shifts and alters through the cycles of time: spheres align, and channels of possibility open and close, appear and disappear.
The daughters of Tslafchad understood the secret of timing. It is a deeply intuitive wisdom. From their example we derive an essential principle of social action: one must wait till the moment when an injustice or wrong attitude actually impacts upon the physical plane and blocks the path of truth for someone who is ready, now, to travel that path.
The reasons for this “law” are threefold:
- It might be that the “offending principle” will dissipate on its own from other factors, alleviateing a needless waste of time and energy on a project that would happen perfectly well unaided (and in the meantime no actual harm is done).
- It might be that the individual who at an earlier point felt oppressed by her anticipation of encountering the offending concept will, as her life unfolds, arrive exactly where she needs to go, naturally and organically, via a different path. Not because she accepted limited options or avoided confrontation, but because the issue became irrelevant to the actuality of her life.
- The actual moment of contact marks the point in the structure of time when channels align to facilitate change in that particular matter.
3
The daughters of Tslafchad were learned women. They presented their petition in a logical and halakhically sophisticated manner (BB 119b; BR 21:11).
After identifying the larger spiritual frame, they supported their petition with halakhic principles and precedents. They built an argument that was true to the letter and spirit of authentic discourse.
They were not like ordinary plaintiffs who simply present a question in an orderly fashion. Their petition followed a razor sharp line of reasoning that incorporated all the laws and relevant principles and even formulated the proper decision. This is why Scripture says, “And Moshe brought their judgment before G‑d,” their judgment, not their question, for their petition included the legal argument and its ruling (Anaf Yosef, Ain Ya’acov, BB 119b).
4
They trusted in the merciful one, the master of the world…and came before Moshe…and the entire congregation at the entrance to the mishkan. The word the Targum uses for trust is from the same root as the word, “to cleanse,” רחץ (TY Num. 27:1).
They gave the matter up to G‑d and cleansed themselves of attachment to anything less than truth. Although they hoped for a favorable outcome, they didn’t want it if it was not G‑d’s highest will for them and for all concerned.
This is the most critical step in the whole process. The purity of one’s will for truth[5] determines the success of all subsequent stages. The more one renounces personal agenda and forgoes demands for specific outcomes, the higher the lights of Divine assistance one pulls down to support the cause.
To come clean (רחץ) is to surrender all control, “entrusting (ירחיצו) the entire matter to the merciful one, the master of the world.” Contamination at this stage will manifest as opposition at latter points in the process. While these obstacles may or may not be surmountable, they will definitely irritate.
In fact this practice of surrendering attachment to a particular outcome or to anything less than truth must accompany the entire project. It marks the difference between one who does G‑d’s work and one who does political work, though their actions may be the same. At periodic points in the day, one should affirm his or her commitment through prayer, “G‑d, not my will but yours be done. If my labors serve you, please prosper their path, and if they don’t, please block them and let me know as gently as possible how to adjust my course.”
