Women of Note: Pinchas.22

 Women of Note

D’var Torah for Parashat Pinchas

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

July 19, 2022

It isn’t often that women are named in the Torah. What’s in a name, after all?  “A good name is better than precious ointment,” says the Preacher (Ecclesiastes 7:1, KJV). So why are so few women mentioned by name in the Torah? The omission reflects ancient custom and law that saw women as their husband’s property and therefore—no matter how important they may have been—not deserving of special mention.

In this week’s Torah portion, however, (Pinchas, Numbers 25:10—30:1) no fewer than eight women are individually named. This fact signifies not only their achievements in their own lifetime, but also the lasting influence they had on the later development of Jewish law and lore.

It’s understandable why Yocheved (Jochebed) is on this list. Moses may have been adopted and raised by Pharoah’s daughter, but it was his biological mother who imbued in him his Jewish identity. It was she who put her own life at risk by placing her baby in the Nile River, entrusting him to God and the great mission that would become Moses’s life’s purpose.

(Incidentally, Pharaoh’s daughter is not named in the Torah; it was the early Rabbis who saw fit to correct this omission, naming her Batya [Bithiah], or Daughter of God).

Not surprisingly, Miriam, Moses’s and Aaron’s sister, appears on the list—though only in passing. She gets plenty of credit in other passages in the Torah however, as the song leader of Israel, and probably teacher of some of the most ancient traditions and beliefs.

The Daughters of Zelophehad are also among the women who are named in Pinchas. The five sisters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah, present before Moses a legal argument. In a section of the portion that deals with division of property among the tribes, they argue that they should be counted as equals among the men, since their father had no sons. In a huge and rare victory for women’s rights, Moses agrees with them, setting a legal precedent for all future generations.

Last on the list is a mysterious woman named Serah bat Asher. Granddaughter of Jacob, she is also mentioned along with the sons of Asher in Genesis 46:17. The double listing of her name piqued the Rabbis’ curiosity, and they knew to tell quite a bit about her. According to them, among other honors and rewards Serah earned was eternal life and passage to Heaven in her own lifetime. 

The Midrash relates several legends in which Serah’s deeds are recounted. One is set at the time when Joseph’s brothers return from Egypt with the news that Joseph is alive and well.  Afraid that the news would shock Jacob and cause him to faint or even die, the brothers consult among themselves how to relate the information to their aged father. (How different from the callous and even cruel way in which, years earlier, they insinuated to Jacob that Joseph, his beloved son, was devoured by a wild animal!). As they approach Jacob’s tent, Serah comes out to greet them. A beautiful girl and talented with the harp, the brothers enlist her help, knowing that, with her gentle ways, she would know best how to deliver the news. 

Over the centuries Serah bat Asher is recognized for many other great achievements. In Persian-Jewish folklore for example she is credited for stopping anti-Semitic attacks during the reign of Shah Abbas I (“The Great”, 1588-1629). To this day, the cave where she performed her great feats is a site of pilgrimage for both Jews and Muslims.

The eight women whose names we recall in this week’s Torah portion are truly women of note. The impact of their legacy cannot be overemphasized.

© 2022 by Boaz D. Heilman