Pinchas (Face of a Serpent)
(Sefer Bamidbar) Numbers 25:10 – 30:1

27:1- “Then came the daughters of Tzelaphechad, the son of Chepher, the son of Gilad, the son of Machir,
the son of Menashe, of the families of Menashe the son of Yoseph: and these are the names of his
daughters; Machlah, Noah, and Chaglah, and Milcah, and Tirtzah.
2- And they stood before Moshe, and before Eliezar the kohain, and before the princes and all the
congregation, by the door of the tent of meeting, saying,
3- Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves
together against YHVH in the company of Korach; but died in his own sin, and had no sons.
4- Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he has no son?
Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.
5- And Moshe brought their cause before YHVH.
6- And YHVH spoke unto Moshe, saying,
7- The daughters of Tzelaphechad speak right: thou shall surely give them a possession of an
inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shall cause the inheritance of their father to
pass unto them.
8- And thou shall speak unto the children of Yisrael, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye
shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.
9- And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren.
10- And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren.
11- And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as YHVH commanded Moshe.
12- And YHVH said unto Moshe, Get thee up into this mount Avarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Yisrael.
13- And thou shall see it, and shall also be gathered unto thy people as Aharon thy brother was gathered.
15- And Moses spoke unto YHVH, saying,
16- Let YHVH, the Elohim of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
17- Which may go out before them and which may go in before them and which may lead them out and which may bring them in; that the congregation of YHVH be not as sheep which have no shepherd.
18- And YHVH said unto Moshe, Take thee Yehoshua ben Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay
thine hand upon him;
19- And set him before Eliezar the kohain and before all the congregation; and charge him in their sight.
20- And thou shall put some of thine honor upon him, that all the congregation of the children of
Yisrael may be obedient.
21- And he shall stand before Eliezar the kohain, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of
Urim before YHVH: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all
the children of Yisrael with him, even all the congregation.”

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is
laid up for the just.”
(Proverbs 13:22)

“Thou shall not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine
inheritance, which thou shall inherit in the land that YHVH thy Elohim gives thee to possess it.”
(Deuteronomy 19:14)

“Then he remembered the days of old, Moshe and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them
up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?”
(Psalms 87:2-3)

 
“He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them
among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are
YHVH's, and he has set the world upon them.”
(1 Samuel 2:8)

“The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.”
(Psalms 69:36)

“The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.”
(Psalms 45:13

“Behold, YHVH has proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Tzion, Behold,
thy salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.”
(Isaiah 62:11)

Pinchas Summary:
1. Inheriting Our Portion by the Word of the Shepherd:
In answer to Moshe’s plea as he overlooked the land beyond his grasp, HaShem, the Elohim of Glory, promises a faithful guide to bring His people into their inheritance. Even as He had been with Moshe, so Adonai would promise to be with Yehoshua, watching over his words as well. Truly, this appointed shepherd would possess the power and authority. Foreshadowing the prowess of Messianic capabilities, at Yehoshua’s word, the nation would find rest. Today, as we anticipate our own portions, we consider the mirrored strength of Mashiyach foretold in Ezekiel 34:13 & 23 as HaShem declares:
“... I will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Yisrael by the
rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country...And I will set up one shepherd over them,
and he shall feed them, even My servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.”
 

2. Daughters of Tzion, Your Inheritance Awaits You:
Yerushalayim is a city destined for Glory, mount Tzion a haven of holiness and honor. While the Word of HaShem is forever settled in Heaven, how then can this reality be believed and made manifest when present evidence points to conflict and corruption? The answer lies in this week’s parasha. Subsequent to the response to the righteous jab of judgment, performed by Pinchas, halting the plague against an adulterous camp, is a gracious transition toward the topic of inheritance. And, within these matters is a mystery camouflaged in the tents of Menashe among the daughters of Tzelaphechad.
After hearing Moshe’s explanation of generational family endowments and perceiving the absence of a male heir, the five sisters in going before Moshe, would wonderfully reveal a prophetic picture of the people and their perseverance through the ages, aptly personifying the daughters of Tzion. For it is in their petition to perpetuate their father’s name, that the ears of Moshe and the compensation from Elohim are met. Yet, to gain insight into their identification with Yerushalayim, one must incline the ear to an equally obscure passage found in the Book of Judges. Found in the perplexing passage of chapter 11, the connection is confirmed. Upon returning from a mighty victory over the Amonites, a sonless Yephtach honors his vow, pledging his sole daughter to a life of virginity. Even more profound and numerically telling is the custom that arose, recorded in verse 40, as the daughters of Yisrael…
“… went yearly to lament the daughter of Yephtach the Giladi four days a year.”
Parallel to the timing of this Shabbat’s sedra is the imminence of the three weeks of lamentation, commemorated yearly by the nation. Like bookends of sorrow, the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha b’Av, are observed in a solemn fast. Completing the intrigue are the other annual fast days, the 10th of Tevet, Ta’anit Esther, and Yom Kippur. The first three relating to Yerushalayim’s pain along with the fourth, the fast of Esther, i.e. the Bride to the King, point us to Yephtach’s virgin daughter. However, it is the surpassing prominence of that fifth day of afflicting our souls on the 10th of Tishri, that Tzelaphechad’s five daughters are symbolically remembered. Indeed, the message is clear: To be recipients of the inheritance, teshuva (repentance) is needed, as Joel 2:12-14 enlivens our hope in return to glory:
“Therefore also now, says YHVH, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and
with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto
YHVH your Elohim: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and
repents Him of the evil. Who knows if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind
Him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto YHVH your Elohim?”
As expectant heirs, we enter these days ahead with solace. Zephaniah 3:14-15 testifies of this comfort:
“Sing, O daughter of Tzion; shout, O Yisrael; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter
of Yerushalayim. YHVH has taken away thy judgments, He has cast out thine enemy: the king
of Yisrael, even YHVH, is in the midst of thee: thou shall not see evil any more.”