[1] Dover Tzeddek, p.100; Tzidkat haTzeddek, s. 114, and many other places.
[2] Translation by Aryeh Kaplan, The Living Torah, (New York: Moznaiim Pulishing Corp, 1981).
[3] In our discussion the following abbreviations will be used: YS=Yalkut Shimoni, BB=Baba Batra, BR= Bamidbar Rabba, TY=Targum Yonaton, TT=Torah Temimah.
[4] Ken Dovrot (an organization of orthodox women teachers), Foundation Principles; an unpublished manuscript.
[5] Truth is here defined as the most spiritually productive outcome under the circumstances, regardless of its outward appearance.
[6] According to R. Tzadok haCohen every Jew has some piece of the oral Torah that only becomes revealed through his or her life (Likutei Ma’amarim p.80-81; Yisrael Kedoshim p.152). Sometimes this is an actual law, but more often a particular application of a law that only comes up in the singular circumstances of one’s life. Some unique facet of truth and Divine beauty is pressed forth through the configuration of forces and events that comprises that life.
[7] Yibbum describes the situation of a woman whose husband has died without fathering any children. In that case, the brother of the deceased marries the widow and their first child is considered the spiritual child of the dead brother, rather than the child of the living father.
[8] There are various opinions about whether Moshe, in fact, knew the judgment, but chose to consult G-d directly on the matter for other reasons (BR 21:14, TY 27:5, TT 27:5). But regardless of whether or not Moshe know the judgement already, G-d wanted the ruling to come down in the daughters’ merit, and so the matter was held suspended until they initiated its discussion.
[9] After Aaron’s death the men despaired and cried, “Give us a [leader] and we will go back to Egypt…” (Num. 14:4). It was in response to this crisis that the daughters of Tslafchad said, “Give us a portion in the land…” The Midrash contrasts the two requests, both stated in the imperative. The men are betraying faith with these words; the women are asserting it.
[10] This is a well-known halakhic principle called, “emergency measure. Its proof text is Ps. 119:126, which reads literally, “It is a time to do for G-d, they are voiding Your Torah.” The verse is sometimes also translated as, “It is a time to do for G-d by suspending [a mitzvah of] the Torah “ (as an emergency measure to assure the survival of the people as a whole).
[11] II Kings 5.
[12] This is Ps. 119:126 inverted.
[13] Num. 27:3.
[14] Num. 21:2-6. “And they journeyed from Mount Hor by way of the Sea of Reeds…and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spoke against G-d, and against Moshe…And the Lord sent venomous serpents among the people.”
[15] Num. 12:3.
[16] Ps. 12:7.
[17] “…R. Akiva had a distinguished disciple who knew how to interpret the Torah in forty-nine aspects of uncleanness and forty-nine aspects of cleanness, not one reason being the same as another…Whence did he learn all these? He was learned in the Scriptures, expert in the Mishnah, distinguished in Talmud and brilliant in aggadah” (BT Sofrim 16:7).
[18] Shemot Rabba 21:2.
[19] BT Sanhedrin 97b. See לשם, דרוש עץ הדעת, סימן י”ג for a lengthy and complex discussion concerning the Talmud’s translation of “6 days” into 6 millenniums.
[20] This would also explain why many rabbis today have a natural empathy for these questions.
This article was published in the following publications:
Ora Wiskind Elper and Susan Handelman, Torah of the Mothers [ISBN 965-293-055-5] (Urim Publications: Jerusalem, Israel) 2000. p. 155-169.
Torah of the Mothes is available for purchase on amazon.com or urimpublications.com
B’Or HaTorah #11, 1991 [ISBN 965-293-055-5] (Shamir: Jerusalem, Israel). p.177-182.
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