[Of all the divinely-handpicked personages in the lineup of Israel’s hall of fame, Joshua—together with Caleb—stand out as models of faithful service to nation and God with spotless track records; no mention of momentary lapse resulting in unwise decisions with repercussions upon others (unlike Noah, or Abraham, or Jacob).
Joseph might similarly be cited except that rabbis considered as ‘negatives’ his failure to inform his father he was still alive, and a passive accommodation into Egypt’s way of life that has been taken for weakness, even if such passivity landed Joseph right in Pharaoh’s trusted aides. But not Joshua, the warrior who acted as Moshe’s constant companion and bodyguard, quite a privileged position of apprenticeship. A warrior who has fought battles during Israel’s wilderness wandering made him perfect for the final conquest of the Land that still needed to be cleared of idolatrous Canaanites.
In the Divine plan, how fitting and timely indeed that such an apprentice-warrior-leader from the first generation would be readily available when the second generation has been prepared for the aggressive stage in their arrival: the Land has been promised, but they have to fight for it.
Please remember once again that the commentary featured here includes a lot of rabbinical interpretation which sometimes go beyond what the text specifically says. Source is Pentateuch and Haftorahs, ed. Dr. J.H. Hertz; translation is EF/Everett Fox The Five Books of Moses..–Admin1.]
Numbers/Bamidbar 27
LAWS OF INHERITANCE, JOSHUA THE SUCCESSOR OF MOSES
1-11. THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD
Landed property was not to be alienated from the family or tribe to which it belonged. However, in the absence of a male heir to an estate, its legal possession by a female heir might on the latter’s marriage cause such alienation. Hence the necessity for definite regulation of this question.
our father died in the wilderness. Prior to the arrival of the Israelites in the Plains of Moab.
he died in his own sin. Like the rest of his generation, upon whom the general sentence was pronounced that they would die in the wilderness; XIV,29.
be done away. Why should our father’s rights be done away with because, instead of sons, eh left daughters behind him?
among the brethren of our father. Accord unto us the same right of territorial possession as that which applies tot he male members of our tribe.
5 Moshe brought-near their case, before the presence of YHVH.before the LORD. He submitted their contention to the judgment of god, presumably by going into the ‘tent of meeting’ and awaiting the revelation of the Divine Will; Exod.XVIII,19. This is what the daughters of Zelophehad desired. They said: ‘God’s love is not like the love of a mortal father; the latter prefers his sons to his daughters, but He that created the world extends His love to all His children. His tender mercies are over all His works’ (Midrash).
6 And YHVH said to Moshe, saying: 7 Rightfully speak the daughters of Tzelofhad! You are to give, yes, give them a hereditary holding in the midst of their father’s brothers, you are to transfer the inheritance of their father to them.the daughters of Zelophehad speak right. ‘Happy is that mortal, whose words are acknowledged to be true by God’ (Rashi).
8 And to the Children of Israel you are to speak, saying: Any-man, when he dies and a son he does not have, you are to transfer his inheritance to his daughter.if a man die, and have no son. A general statement of the law of inheritance is now promulgated. Land was in every case so to pass that the name and fame of the deceased might be, as far as possible, perpetuated.
statute of judgment. A fixed and authoritative custome; see further XXXVI.
‘The Order of Inheritance as developed by later Jewish Law is as follows:
(1) sons and their descendants;
(2) daughters and their descendants;
(3) the father;
(4) brothers and their descendants;
(5) sisters and their descendants;
(6) the father’s father;
(7) the father’s brothers and their descendants;
(8) the father’s sisters and their descendants;
(9) the great-grandfather and his collateral descendants; and so on.
To this list, the Rabbis added another legal heir, the husband. Each of the sons of the deceased receives an equal share of the estate of his father or of his mother, except the first-born of the father, who receives a double share. In the case of the death of a son during his father’s life, his children inherit his portion of the estate. The Rabbis, while denying the daughters a share in the inheritance where there are sons, still make ample provision for their maintenance and support, as long as they remain unmarried. The cost and provision of such maintenance constitute the first charge upon the estate of the deceased. In case the estate was small, the principle was laid down: ‘The daughters must be supported, even if the sons are reduced to beggary.’]
12-23. JOSHUA APPOINTED SUCCESSOR OF MOSES
Moses is commanded to view the Land of Promise, which he may not enter, and is given an intimation of his approaching death. This command is repeated in Deut. XXXII, and its fulfilment related in XXXIV, the last chapter of the Torah. In the interval, Moses delivered the laws contained in the remaining chapters of Numbers and the addresses that constitute the Book of Deuteronomy—besides the sacred war against Midian. the Midrash accounts for the insertion here of his summons to die int he following way: Moses had jsut received the Divine instructions concerning the ways in which the Promised Land was to be distributed amongst the tribes, and he said to himself: “Peradventure I too may be allotted a share. Peradventure the Divine decree forbidding me to enter the Promsied Land has now been revoked.’ But God said unto him, ‘My decree stands unchanged.’
12 YHVH said to Moshe: Go up these Mountains of Avarim/The-region-across and see the land that I am giving to the Children of Israel.mountain of Abarim. The top of Pisgah, one of the peaks of Mt. Nebo.
and behold the land. Moses had already been told that he should not enter the Promised Land (XX,12), yet he is allowed the consolation of seeing it with his eyes before his death. Furthermore, Moses was to see how near Israel was now to the Promised Land, and hence his labours had not been in vain.
13 When you have seen it, you will be gathered to your kinspeople, even you, as Aharon your brother was gathered;As Aaron thy brother. The Rabbis explain this to mean that like aaron he was to die ‘by the mouth of the LORD’, i.e. his also would be ‘death by a Divine kiss’.
because ye rebelled. See on , 12,13.
15 Then Moshe spoke to YHVH, saying:Moses spoke unto the LORD. Rashi remarks, ‘This verse tells us the praise of righteous men, who at the hour of their departure from the world abandon all thought of their own wants and think only of the wants of the community.’ The solicitude of Moses for the appointment of his successor is singularly and touchingly disinterested.
the God of the spirits of all flesh. ‘God, Who knows the varying spirits of men, and Who therefore knows what type of spirit is required in the man who is to fill the place of Moses’ (Ibn Ezra). This same phrase occurs in XVI,22. According tot he Midrash, Moses prayed: ‘Sovereign of the universe, Thou knowest the minds of all men, and how the mind of one man differs from that of another. Appoint over them a leader who will be able to bear with the differing minds of every one of thy children.’
17 who will go out before them, who will come back before them, who will lead them out, who will bring them back; so that the community of YHVH will not be like a flock that has no shepherd.go out . . . come in. Who combines the capacity of leadership in warfare with the vigorous prosecution of the general duties that devolve upon the head of a nation.
lead . . . bring them in. The image is that of a shepherd and his flock.
which have no shepherd. And are therefore scattered and helpless, exposed to attack on all sides and at all times.
Joshua the son of Nun. Saying to him, ‘Happy art thou inasmuch as thou hast merited to become the leader of the children of God’ (Rashi).
in whom is spirit. i.e. wisdom, piety, courage, capacity.
lay thine hand upon him. A symbolic action to show the transference of his authority to Joshua. From this Heb. word is derived the noun Semicha, the act of admission in the Talmudic age to the rights and duties of a Rabbi—ordination. In modern times, when ordination in the olden sense has lapsed, the certificate of admission to the Rabbinate is still called Semicha, as well as by the more general designation Hatarath Horaah—‘permission to render decisions on ritual questions.’
19 community, and you are to commission him before their eyes.give him a charge. i.e. instruct him publicly in the duties appertaining to his great and sacred office.
20 You are to put of your majesty upon him, in order that they may hearken, the entire community of the Children of Israel.of thy honour upon him. i.e. Moses was to confer honour and dignity upon Joshua publicly; so that, when the peoples saw the high esteem in which he was held by Moses, they would feel it incumbent upon them to honour him likewise, as well as to obey him. The lit. translation is ‘put some of thy majesty upon him,’ as no man was worthy to receive the whole of Moses’ majesty.
21 Before El’azar the priest he is to stand, he will seek judgment for him of the Urim, before the presence of YHVH, by his order he will go out and by his order he will come back, he and all the Children of Israel with him, and the entire community.stand before Eleazar the priest. Unlike Moses, he was not to receive Divine communications directly, but indirectly through the medium of Eleazar, the High Priest, after the latter’s consultation with God by means of the Urim and Thummim; see Exod. XXVIII,30.
at his word. Eleazar’s.
Image from: https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=images+of+Moses+and+Joshua
laid his hands. Moses is Divinely bidden to lay his hand upon Joshua (v. 18). But Moses goes beyond the Divine command, and lays both his hands upon him. So great was his solicitude for the usefulness and success of the man who was to succeed him (Midrash).
22 Moshe did as YHVH had commanded him; he took Yehoshua and had him stand before El’azar the priest, and before the entire community. 23 He leaned his hands upon him and commisioned him as YHVH had spoken by the hand of Moshe.