We know his name; it is the title of this parashah, Pinchas! But what about their names? The five daughters of Tzelophechad: Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milcah and Tirtzah who draw near to Moshe and stand before him, before Eleazar, the Cohain, before the princes and the entire congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Who are they? What is their lineage? From where do they acquire the holy chutzpah to draw near, to stand before Moshe, before Eleazar, before the princes of the tribes, before the entire congregation? They are the five daughters of Tzelophechad, son of Chefer, son of Gilad, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the families of Manasseh, son of Joseph. They can surely claim an exalted lineage, but they are not sons and they draw near with a clear message. What do their names indicate about their courage and resolution to stand before their community? Chazal, our sages, teach us that our parents become n’vi’im, prophets, when naming us as our names will become important guides as we come to understand and live out our soul’s purposes in this world. We only know their father, Tzelophechad’s name, their mother’s name is not given. Machlah, entreaty, Noa, movement, Choglah, partridge, Milcah, queen, and Tirtzah, willing; as one, they move forward, to entreat, soft-winged like a bird, with their queenly presence, as one, they willingly come forward to stand at the entrance of  the Ohel Mo’ed, the Tent of Meeting.

They say, “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not among the congregation that joined against Gd, the congregation of Korach; he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be lost among his family because he had no sons? Please give us our just inheritance.” 

These daughters, tikravna, drew near. The language of the Torah helps us understand the very nature of their plea; they drew near. The root of the word, korbanot, offerings, is the same as their drawing near, kof, reish, bet; teaching us that their drawing near is rooted in the same place of soul as the drawing near to the Holy One was for our ancients. The entire system of offerings, often translated as sacrifices, was based in the desire to draw near, to come close to Gd. These sisters drew near with wisdom and the law was changed; they inherited their father’s portion.

How do we as modern Jews interpret the ancient messages and meanings of our holy text? How do our Hebrew names give us the holy chutzpah to stand before Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses our teacher, Eleazar, the Cohein, the leaders of our tribes, and our gathered community of Jews? Let us draw near and stand at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and together live Torah!