A Stake in Holiness: The Daughters of Tzelafchad and the Power of Ownership

ותקרבנה בנות צלפחד בן חפר בן גלעד בן מכיר בן מנשה למשפחת מנשה בן יוסף ואלה שמות בנתיו מחלה נעה וחגלה ומלכה ותרצה 

The daughters of Zelophehad, son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh son of Yosef drew near- and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah

The Torah goes to great lengths to identify these women—not only naming them individually, but also tracing their lineage in full. As Rashi notes, the Torah highlights their righteousness and their deep love for Eretz Yisroel, which drove them to seek a share in the land as rightful heirs, invoking a technical point of halachic inheritance.

But one might ask: why was this so important? They were already destined to enter Eretz Yisroel with the rest of Klal Yisroel! Whether or not they owned a portion, they could still live there, enjoy its fruits, and perform the special mitzvos of the land. What difference would ownership make?

Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l offers a profound insight. He explains that true love for a mitzvah expresses itself in a desire not merely to participate, but to possess—to be a stakeholder, not just a bystander.

Imagine a father telling his son before his bar mitzvah: “You don’t need your own tefillin—you can borrow someone else’s.” Would this inspire a passion for the mitzvah? Of course not. Ownership kindles pride and commitment.

That’s why we’re commanded to write our own Sefer Torah, or at least acquire our own sefarim. It’s not just about access—it’s about identification, investment, and love for Torah and mitzvos.

Rav Moshe draws out a second lesson. The Torah traces the daughters' ancestry back to Yosef—why? To show that their love for Eretz Yisroel was inherited from their ancestor. Yosef, even as a ruler in Mitzrayim, made his descendants swear to bring his bones to Eretz Yisroel. That love, etched into the family legacy, inspired his great-granddaughters to yearn for their portion in the land.

But isn’t it a greater praise to say they came to this love on their own?

No, says Rav Moshe. The Torah is teaching us the opposite. The highest praise is not to invent our own way—but to build on the foundation given to us by our parents and Rebbeim. We don’t need to blaze new paths to greatness. We need to be faithful stewards of our mesorah—and elevate it through our actions.

May we merit to show love for the mitzvos, not just by doing them—but by embracing them as our own, through the legacy of our precious mesorah.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!