One of the most important linchpins of Judaism appears in this week’s Torah reading – the protest of the Daughters of Tz’lof-chad. These women, named Machlah, No-ah, Choglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah – argued that the inheritance law that God had just decreed was unfair to people who had no sons to inherit from them.
Moses agreed they had a fair point, God agreed that they had a fair point, and then changed the law on the spot.
This is the Torah of Judaism – a divine law that is responsive to situations as they happen. It may be written in stone and we still get to improve upon it over time.
One of the fundamental geniuses of Judaism is this idea of case law. Laws are meant to be used, tested for fairness, and then changed for the better over time.
Wishing all of you a wonderful week of trial and error and hopefully successful improvements, may all of us enjoy the lovely summer weather,