In Parashat Pinchas, we encounter a Torah moment that is both ancient and strikingly modern—a story that pulses with relevance for every Jew who cares deeply about Eretz Yisrael, Jewish sovereignty, and our national mission.
The daughters of Tzelofchad—Machla, Noa, Hogla, Milka, and Tirza—approach Moshe Rabbeinu with a simple but powerful question: “Why should our father’s name be erased from among his family simply because he had no sons?”
Their father died in the wilderness, and according to the existing law, his portion of the land would be lost. But these five proud Jewish women refuse to accept erasure. They demand their rightful place—not in exile, not in theory—but in the land itself.
Their cry is not merely personal – it is national. They insist: We, too, are part of Am Yisrael’s destiny in Eretz Yisrael. And their plea is met with a divine seal of approval: “The daughters of Tzelofchad speak rightl! God Sayed”
With those words, God affirms a truth that echoes throughout Jewish history: When Jews rise up, with love for the land, for their people, and for their Torah—they shape the future.
In our day, we see the spirit of the daughters of Tzelofchad alive in the pioneering families of the Negev and Galil, in the brave Jews returning to build and rebuild Yehuda and Shomron – The West Bank, and in the soldiers and reservists who risk everything to defend our inheritance.
We see their spirit in the mothers of hostages who demand strength, not surrender. In the fathers rebuilding burnt homes near Gaza who refuse to abandon the land. In young families moving to remote hilltops not for comfort—but for commitment.
And we ask again: Why should we give up parts of our homeland because others claim it more loudly? Why should we surrender our inheritance—our history—for fleeting promises of peace or international approval?
The daughters of Tzelofchad teach us that justice in the Torah does not mean compromise. It means courage. It means demanding what is eternally yours—even if it defies current conventions or popular opinion.
In today’s political climate, when some call to retreat, to divide the land, to show weakness in the face of terror—Parashat Pinchas offers a clarion call: Stand up. Speak out. Claim your place.
We are not invaders. We are inheritors.
We are not occupiers. We are returning children.
And we don’t apologize for being here—we thank God for the privilege.
Hashem’s Approval is the Only One that Counts
Notice: When Moshe doesn’t know how to respond to the daughters’ bold request, he does what every true leader must do—he turns to God. And God answers not with hesitation, but with clarity:
” כן בנות צלפחד דברת- They are rightly”. Their voice is the one to follow.
In a time when international courts and foreign media seek to delegitimize our presence in our own land, this verve is a shield and a sword.
It reminds us: our legitimacy does not come from headlines or handshakes. It comes from the Torah. From our eternal covenant. From the One who promised this land to our ancestors, and who still watches over it today.
The fight for our land did not end with Yehoshua. It continues today—on every front: in the halls of the Knesset, on the battlefields of Gaza, in the vineyards of Shomron, and in the education of our children.
Each of us is a spiritual descendant of those five brave women. Whether you are a parent raising proud Jews, a soldier guarding a border, a builder settling the hills, or a rabbi teaching Torah—you are part of the same legacy: a fierce, faithful love for Eretz Yisrael that asks not for favors, but for truth.
As we read Parashat Pinchas this Shabbat, let us rise like the daughters of Tzelofchad—with faith, with strength, and with unshakable devotion to the inheritance God has entrusted to us.
Let us walk in their path, and may Hashem once again say to our generation:
“You have spoken rightly”.
Now go and take your land.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Refael Cohen