1 . The 5 Sisters Were Descendants of Joseph

The Torah describes the lineage of the daughters of Zelophehad as follows: Joseph bore Manasseh, who bore Makhir, who bore Gilead, who bore Hepher, who bore Zelophehad. Zelophehad in turn bore five daughters: Mahlah, Noa, Haglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.1

Read: The Daughters of Zelophehad

2. They Boldly Advocated For Women to Inherit

We’re introduced to daughters of Zelophehad as the Jews approach their final destination, the Land of Canaan. In preparation for this long-awaited entry, G‑d instructed that each Jewish male would be given a tract of land.2

The daughters of Zelophehad were distressed. Their father had passed away years before, leaving behind no male descendants. They would thus be excluded from gaining an estate in the Holy Land. Unhappy with the status quo, they boldly decided to act.

Read: A Daughter of Tzelafchad Speaks

3. They Used Fine Talmudic Logic

The sisters approached Moses with a complaint:

Our father died in the desert. He was not part of Korah’s group who banded against G‑d; rather, he died due to his own sin. He left no sons. Why should our father’s name be eliminated from his family because he had no sons? Give us an inheritance among our father’s brothers!3

Filling in between the lines, rabbinic tradition relates that the sisters presented Moses with a clever Talmudic argument that prompted him to bring their case before G‑d.4

Read: The Role of Women in Judaism

4. They Stumped Moses

Scripture records only two cases where Moses had no answer, and instead brought the question before G‑d Himself.5 In this case, G‑d responded by delineating the laws of inheritance, in which women also take part (see next item).

According to the Talmud, G‑d would have imparted these laws in any case, but the daughters of Zelophehad merited to be the medium via which they were taught.6 In fact, these women saw what Moses did not, intuiting that G‑d planned to present guidelines for inheritance.7

5. Jewish Inheritance Laws Stem From Their Case

After acknowledging that the sisters were correct, G‑d gave Moses guidelines for inheritance to pass on to the nation:

If a man dies and has no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. If he has no daughter, you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers. If his father has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to his closest relative.8

Watch: The Talmud on Inheritance

6. They Were Compelled to Marry Within Their Tribe

Now that land was earmarked for them, a new concern arose. If any of the daughters of Zelophehad would marry an individual from a different tribe, the sons she would bear would become members of their father’s tribe. When the mother would pass away, they would inherit these tracts of land, thus transferring them to the new tribe. This would cause a loss to Zelophehad’s tribe, the Tribe of Manasseh.

Moses relayed this concern to G‑d, and G‑d instructed that Zelophehad’s daughters marry within their tribe, which is what they proceeded to do.

This marriage restriction was initially extended to any woman who inherited land. However, the Talmud teaches that it was only temporary. Fourteen years later, after the land had been conquered and divided, the law ceased to operate; from then on, an heiress could wed any Jewish man she pleased.9

Read: 7 Joyous Events That Happened on the 15th of Av

7. Their Father Died For a Cause

In describing their father to Moses, the five sisters described his death as being due to his own sin. The Talmud cites two opinions as to what this sin was, though both agree it was done with good intentions.10

One view is that Zelophehad was among the ma’apilim, the Jews who attempted to enter Israel before the prescribed time. After the sin of the spies, G‑d decreed that the Jews should wander in the desert for 40 years. Seeing the grievous consequences of their mistake, a group tried to invade Israel via the mountains. They were driven back and killed by the Amalekites and Canaanites, but their intentions were good.11

Read: The Little-Known Warriors Who Disregarded Moses

A second tradition teaches that Zelophehad was the unnamed man executed for violating Shabbat by gathering wood.12 Here, too, the Midrash attributes positive intentions to his act: Zelophehad overheard some Israelites saying that their sentence to wander in the wilderness meant that they were no longer required to observe the commandments. To prove them wrong, he deliberately violated Shabbat, providing them a lesson at the cost of his own life.13

Read: Would You Do Anything For Your Child?

8. They Were Righteous, Sagacious, and Lovers of Israel

Although few details are given about the sisters themselves, a careful reading of the sources provides a portrait of intelligent and pious women.14

The sisters’ sagacity is evident from their clear presentation of their case.15 Indeed, G‑d Himself endorsed their arguments, saying, “The daughters of Zelophehad have spoken correctly.”

In the various places where the five sisters are named, they appear in different orders. This, the sages say, is to demonstrate that all five were equal in wisdom and righteousness.16

Moreover, Zelophehad’s daughters represent the historical love of the Jewish women for the Land of Israel. Our sages note the contrast between the men, who were afraid to enter the land (as portrayed by the saga of the spies), and the women, who were eager to possess the land and even demanded a share in it.17

Read: The Female Estate