Shabbat Gathering: Having chutzpah.

Gud Shabbos Khaveyrim, as is our custom, we will gather tonight at 5.45p ct to welcome Shabbat. These are the coordinates:

Zoom
Meeting ID: 883 8469 4181
Password: 822665
Phone: +1 312 626 6799

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Here we go.

This week’s Torah portion is Pinchas and it has one of my favorite Torah stories: The Daughters of Zelophehad. Here it is in a nutshell:

Zelophehad has died without leaving any male heirs. He has five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. The women band together and protest to Moses. By themselves. No mother. No uncle. Just them. Their situation sounds unjust, but familiar. (It wasn't until 1974 that women could own a credit card in their own name.)

In an act of chutzpah, they ask Moses to allow them to inherit their father’s estate. Moses takes the request seriously and asks Hashem to decide what to do. Hashem tells Moses that Zelophehad’s daughters should inherit their father’s property and Moses shares the good news with the daughters.

Staying in my lane.

When I was growing up, my mother taught me never to ask for anything that wasn’t on the dinner table. And that became an important rule I applied to many other areas in my life. I stayed in my lane and ventured neither right or left.

If I had been one of Zelophehad’s daughters, I would have been penniless.

It took my a while to find out that keeping quiet was playing into the hands of the dominant power which, more often that not, needs to be toppled. George Washington didn’t worry about hurting the feelings of King George. And Steve Jobs didn’t ask IBM permission to invent the personal computer. When I was a college kid in 1977, I played a small part organizing campus protests demanding the university divest from investments in companies doing business in apartheid South Africa (no brag, just fact). In 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison. My efforts amounted to precious little, but I take some satisfaction about being on the right side of history.

Zelophehad’s daughters were on the right side of history and got what was rightfully theirs — according to Hashem and thanks to their chutzpah.

And may it be for all of us a blessing.

See you tonight!
Mit vareme grusn,
(With warm regards,)

All my love,
brian.

PS

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