The Daughters Who Spoke Up
Words of Wisdom with Rabbi Efrat Zarren-Zohar
This Dvar Torah was written by Mark Kravitz, Chair of CAJE – The Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education, who also serves on the Executive Board of The Jewish Education Project. He is the President of Jenco Properties, a graduate of Columbia University and Cardozo School of Law, and a passionate advocate for inclusive, values-based Jewish education. He lives in South Florida with his family and believes that every child deserves a Jewish world that reflects the full beauty of who they are.
Every so often, the Jewish calendar gives us a parsha that arrives right on time — not just in the weekly rhythm of Torah, but in the deeper rhythm of our lives.
Parshat Pinchas is one of those moments.
On the surface, it’s not a parsha that immediately signals inclusion. It begins with zealotry and ends with offerings.
But tucked within its verses is a quiet, powerful revolution led by five women — daughters who asked a question, told the truth, and changed Torah forever.
Their names — Machla, Noa, Hogla, Milka, and Tirza — are not just listed once. The Torah mentions them again and again. We are meant to remember them, to speak their names, to learn from their courage.
Their father, Tzelophechad, had died without sons. And in the system of inheritance at the time, that meant his family’s name, and land, would be erased.
But his daughters refused to disappear. They approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the entire community — not in private, not with apology — and asked: “Why should our father’s name be lost just because we are daughters?”
Moses didn’t know how to answer. So he did something that models humility and leadership: he brought their question to God.
And God answered, not with hesitation, but with affirmation: “Ken benot Tzelophechad dovrot / The daughters speak rightly.”
Their plea becomes law. Their story becomes Torah.
Rashi says something beautiful here — that this legal detail should have been taught from the beginning through them. That their words were not just correct — they were part of the divine plan all along.
That revelation didn’t stop at Sinai—it continued through their voices.
And LGBTQ+ Jews have been asking the same kind of question for decades: Why should our names be left out? Why should our stories, our families, our truth, count for less?
And slowly, sometimes painfully, the community has begun to respond — not with perfection, but with progress. We’ve begun to say: You speak rightly. Your voice belongs here.
And that is what Jewish education is meant to do.
It’s not just about preserving texts — it’s about revealing values. It’s about helping students see themselves in Torah and helping Torah grow through them.
At CAJE, we believe that Jewish education is for everyone — at every age and every stage.
From toddlers taking their first steps into Jewish life, to teens exploring who they are, to adults reconnecting with their roots, our job is to make sure that every learner feels seen, valued, and embraced.
Whether because of identity, background, ability, or experience, no one should feel like Judaism isn’t for them. It is. And it’s our sacred task to make that clear in every classroom, every curriculum, and every community we help build.
The daughters of Tzelophechad weren’t given power — they claimed it. They didn’t wait for change — they demanded it.
And what makes their story holy is not just the outcome — it’s the fact that Torah made space for their question in the first place.
If we teach their story with the care it deserves, then we are also teaching our students that Judaism evolves. That challenge can be sacred. That the voices that were once kept outside the circle may be the very ones that lead us forward.
It’s about standing up, like the daughters did, and refusing to disappear.
And it’s about the obligation of all of us — educators, leaders, parents — to listen deeply and respond with justice.
So this year, as we read the story of five sisters who stepped into history and rewrote it, may we remember what they made possible.
May we carry their strength into our classrooms and our boardrooms, our summer camps and our sanctuaries.
May we teach our children that being fully yourself is not something outside of Judaism — it’s at its heart.
And may we continue the work of making our communities wide enough, deep enough, and brave enough to hold every name.
To help enable that, here are some suggested LGBTQ+ Jewish Education Resources:
Quick Guide for LGBTQ Inclusion – Keshet & JEP: https://educator.jewishedproject.org/content/quick-guide-lgbtq-inclusion
Institutional Self-Assessment Tool – Keshet: https://educator.jewishedproject.org/content/institutional-self-assessmentaudit-tool-lgbtqia-inclusion
Eshel (building LGBTQ+ inclusive Orthodox Jewish community) Resource Booklet: https://educator.jewishedproject.org/content/eshel-resource-booklet
Jewish Queer Youth (JQY) Hub: https://educator.jewishedproject.org/content/jqy-resources
