Stars (of David) and Stripes
A Sephardic synagogue & Zelophehad’s daughters teach us about building a more inclusive nation
Hebrew Word of the Week:
Fireworks are zikukim (זיקוקים). And I hope you get to see some tomorrow!
📅 Shabbat Drop-In
Thank you to everyone who has been attending Picking Up Stones, a one-woman play about multiple perspectives on the Israel-Palestine conflict. At the Sunday post-show hang, we discussed antizionism, the delusion of hope, Scott Weiner, and how good those margaritas were.
The play is still running tonight and tomorrow, with talkbacks to debrief and discuss. Get your tickets here!
Visiting North America’s First Congregation
Last month, my colleagues and I toured Manhattan’s Congregation Shearith Israel, also known as the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue!
This Upper West Side Orthodox shul is is the oldest continuous Jewish congregation in the U.S., as opposed to Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, whose building is the oldest standing synagogue in the country. I like to clear up that confusion!
Shearith Israel was founded in 1654 by 23 Sephardic Jews who arrived in New Amsterdam from Brazil. For more than 170 years, it was the only Jewish congregation in New York City. It has stunning architecture and preserves Sephardic traditions, like specific Torah reading order and pronunciations.
👉 Read about its famous congregants, like Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo and poet Emma Lazarus. Just be sure to come back here for a d’var Torah!
Parashat Pinchas: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Land
We're nearing the end of the Israelites' 40 years in the wilderness. Moses learns he can’t enter the Promised Land. Instead of challenging G-d, he works with G-d to appoint a successor.
There’s lots of wisdom in this Torah portion, but I want to focus on something specific that happens with Zelophehad's daughters.
Zelophehad (winner of the best biblical baby name award) was an Israelite from the tribe of Manasseh who died during the Israelites' journey.
He had five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah, which are other great names - I would call Milcah “Milky”! Zelo bore no sons.
When their father dies, the daughters challenge the existing inheritance law, which would deny them their father’s allotted land in Israel simply because they’re not men. Instead, the land would pass to his sons, and if there’s no sons, to another male relative, like his brother or nephew. Only… Zelo didn’t have another close male relative, so his land would effectively disappear from their lineage.
"Let not our father's name be lost to his clan because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father's kinsmen." -Numbers 27:4
G-d hears their plea, and the law changes.
Pretty extraordinary when you think about it: five women point out an injustice, Moses brings their case before G-d, who agrees to amend the law around land inheritance. Yes, I’ll repeat that for the people who say Judaism oppresses women, or that Judaism is just about obeying G-d blindly.
Before the Israelites even arrive to their destination, the people challenge leadership, and end up shaping the society that they want. Sure, after one’s father dies, sons still get first dibs to the land, but the daughters made progress in a patriarchal society.
Much like Americans right after the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Jewish people didn't arrive in the Promised Land and immediately have a perfect society. They had to build it together, deciding what kind of nation they wanted to become, what values would shape it, and who would be impacted by imperfect laws. In order to do this, they needed to call out injustice wherever they saw it.
This is what I’m reflecting on this Independence Day, among other things: the transition from escaping oppression to building a society. What comes next after the parting of the Red Sea and the wandering, or after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The importance of fighting for freedom and democratic values. How to continue the work long after the founding leaders are gone.
The work is never done. And it all starts with people saying, “Hey, this isn’t fair.”
This week, Zelophehad’s daughters teach us that.
Good Shabbos and enjoy your fireworks and BBQ,
💦 If you like badass Jewish women and/or history, check out these Drops:
Jewish Women Who Understood the Assignment
Throughout Jewish history, there’s women who have accomplished amazing things while fully and proudly embracing their Judaism. I learned about dozens of these women in the book: Bedtime Stories for Strong Jewish Girls: Tales of 50 Jewish Heroines Who Changed the World by Melanie Goldberg Silver, illustrated by Jess Goldsmith.
Westward Ho! How Jews Came Through Galveston, Texas
After I wrote a piece on Jews of the Wild West, I learned that most Jews aren’t familiar with the lesser-known American immigration story of Galveston, Texas. About 10,000 Jewish immigrants came through this port. Saddle up!
As usual, a fantastic read. Can you clarify the distinction. With Touro…did the synagagogue stand vacant for periods, even though the building is older?
Going to read about Galveston now!
Love this week’s issue! Funny that we both visited 2 of the oldest synagogues in the US this past week. And love the Daughters of Zelophehad story! Speak up & ask for what you want.