Bava Batra 238

שמגלגלים זכות על ידי זכאי וחובה על ידי חייב

that merit<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Or privilege. The daughters of Zelophehad were righteous women and deserved, therefore, that a section of the Torah conferring rights and privileges on certain heirs should be written at their instance, ');">¹</span> is brought about by means of the meritorious<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Or privilege. The daughters of Zelophehad were righteous women and deserved, therefore, that a section of the Torah conferring rights and privileges on certain heirs should be written at their instance, ');">¹</span> and punishment for guilt<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The announcement of the severe penalty of stoning for gathering sticks on the Sabbath was brought about by means of the guilty man who was the first to commit such an offence; v. Sanh. 8a. ');">²</span>

ואי סלקא דעתך ארץ ישראל מוחזקת מאי קא מסתפקא ליה

by means of the guilty.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The announcement of the severe penalty of stoning for gathering sticks on the Sabbath was brought about by means of the guilty man who was the first to commit such an offence; v. Sanh. 8a. ');">²</span> Now, if it be assumed [that] the land of Israel was [regarded as being even before the conquest] in the possession [of those who came out of Egypt]. why was he<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Moses. ');">³</span> in doubt?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely, Hepher, having been one of those who came out of Egypt, was by virtue of that fact in possession of his share even before the entry into Canaan, Zelophehad's daughters, therefore, through their father, were entitled to the double share due to the firstborn. ');">⁴</span>

היא גופה קא מסתפקא ליה דכתיב (שמות ו, ח) ונתתי אותה לכם מורשה אני ה' ירושה היא לכם מאבותיכם או דלמא שמורישין ואינן יורשין

— He was in doubt on this very [question]:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Whether the land of Israel was to be regarded as being in possession of those who came out of Egypt. even before the entry into Canaan. ');">⁵</span> It is written, and I will give it you for a heritage,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] morashah. ');">⁶</span> I am the Lord,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. VI, 8. ');">⁷</span>

ופשטו ליה תרוייהו ירושה לכם מאבותיכם ומורישין ואינן יורשין והיינו דכתיב (שמות טו, יז) תביאמו ותטעמו בהר נחלתך תביאנו לא נאמר אלא תביאמו מלמד שמתנבאין ואינן יודעין מה מתנבאין

[does this mean]. 'it is for you an inheritance from your fathers'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The fathers of those who left Egypt. [H] like [H] yerushah, signifying 'heritage' and implying that the fathers who came out of Egypt were to be regarded as the actual possessors of the land, having inherited it from their fathers, and hence, their firstborn sons would be entitled to double portions. ');">⁸</span> or perhaps [it means] that they<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Those that left Egypt. ');">⁹</span> would transmit [it] but would not [themselves] he heirs?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] Hiph., having a causative signification, denoting that they would cause their descendants to inherit the land, without any hearing on the question of their own possession thereof, Firstborn sons would, consequently, have no claim to a double portion. ');">¹⁰</span>

(במדבר כז, ב) ותעמדנה לפני משה ולפני אלעזר הכהן ולפני הנשיאים וכל העדה אפשר עמדו לפני משה כו' ולא אמרו להן דבר ועמדו לפני הנשיאים וכל העדה

And it was made clear to him [that the text implies] both: 'It is an inheritance for you from your fathers; yet you would [only] transmit, and not [yourselves] inherit [it].' And this accounts for the Scriptural text, Thou bringest them in, and plantest them in the mountain of thine inheritance.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XV, 17. ');">¹¹</span> It is not written, 'Thou bringest us in', but 'Thou bringest them in'; this teaches that they prophesied<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That their descendants, and not they themselves, would enter the land. ');">¹²</span> and knew not what they prophesied.

אלא סרס המקרא ודרשהו דברי רבי יאשיה אבא חנן אמר משום רבי אליעזר בבית המדרש היו יושבין והלכו ועמדו להן לפני כולן

<i>And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the princes and all the congregation</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XXVII, 2. ');">¹³</span> Is it possible that they stood before Moses etc. and they did not say anything to them [so that] they [had] to stand before the princes and all the congregation? But, the verse is to be turned about and expounded;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They first came to the congregation, then to the princes and Eleazar, and finally to Moses, ');">¹⁴</span> Is these are the words of R. Josiah. Abba Hanan said in the name of R. Eliezer: They<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Moses, Eleazar and all the rest. ');">¹⁵</span>

במאי קמיפלגי מר סבר חולקין כבוד לתלמיד במקום הרב ומר סבר אין חולקין

were sitting in the house of study and these came and stood before all of them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The daughters of Zelophehad submitted their claim when Moses and the others were sitting together. ');">¹⁶</span> Wherein<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On what principle? ');">¹⁷</span> lies their dispute?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That of R. Josiah and R. Eliezer. ');">¹⁸</span>

והלכתא חולקין והלכתא אין חולקין קשיא הלכתא אהלכתא הלכתא אהלכתא לא קשיא הא דפליג ליה רביה יקרא, הא דלא פליג ליה רביה יקרא

— [One] master<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Josiah. ');">¹⁹</span> is of the opinion [that] honour may he shown to a disciple in the presence of the master,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence he maintains that they went first to the others (Moses' disciples) and then to the master himself. ');">²⁰</span> and the other<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Abba Hanan. ');">²¹</span>

תנא בנות צלפחד חכמניות הן דרשניות הן צדקניות הן

is of the opinion that it is not to he shown.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The case had, therefore to be submitted to Moses himself when presiding. ');">²²</span> And the law is [that honour is] to be shown. And the law is [that honour is] not he shown. Surely this is a contradiction between one law and the other!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'law upon law'. ');">²³</span> — There is no contradiction: The one<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'this'. ');">²⁴</span>

חכמניות הן שלפי שעה דברו דא"ר שמואל בר רב יצחק מלמד שהיה משה רבינו יושב ודורש בפרשת יבמין שנאמר (דברים כה, ה) כי ישבו אחים יחדו אמרו לו אם כבן אנו חשובין תנה לנו נחלה כבן אם לאו תתיבם אמנו מיד ויקרב משה את משפטן לפני ה'

[refers to the case] where his master shows him<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The disciple. ');">²⁵</span> respect; the other,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'this'. ');">²⁴</span> where his master does not.

דרשניות הן שהיו אומרות אילו היה [לו] בן לא דברנו והתניא בת אמר ר' ירמיה סמי מכאן בת אביי אמר אפילו היה בת לבן לא דברנו

It was taught: The daughters of Zelophehad were wise women, they were exegetes, they were virtuous. They [must] have been wise, since they spoke at an opportune moment; for R. Samuel son of R. Isaac said: [Scripture] teaches that Moses our master was sitting and holding forth an exposition on the section of levirate marriages, as it is said, If brethren dwell together.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXV, 5. ');">²⁶</span> They said unto him:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' While he was engaged in the exposition of this law. ');">²⁷</span>

צדקניות הן - שלא נישאו אלא להגון להן תני רבי אליעזר בן יעקב אפילו קטנה שבהן לא נשאת פחותה מארבעים שנה

'If we are [to he as good] as son[s],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the existence of a daughter, like that of a son, obviates levirate marriage ');">²⁸</span> give us an inheritance as [to] a son; if not,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., if, with reference to an inheritance, daughters are not to be given the same rights as sons. ');">²⁹</span> let our mother be subject to the law of levirate marriage!' And Moses, immediately. brought their cause before the Lord.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Num. XXVII, 5. ');">³⁰</span>

איני והא אמר רב חסדא ניסת פחותה מבת עשרים יולדת עד ששים, בת עשרים יולדת עד ארבעים, בת ארבעים שוב אינה יולדת אלא מתוך שצדקניות הן נעשה להן נס כיוכבד דכתיב (שמות ב, א) וילך איש מבית לוי ויקח את בת לוי

They [must] have been exegetes, for they said: 'If he had a son we would not have spoken'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This plea shows that they knew the exposition of Num. XXVII, 8, according to which a daughter has no claim where there is a son. Cf. supra 110a. ');">³¹</span> But was it not taught: 'a daughter'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Viz some versions read that they said, 'If he had a daughter'. ');">³²</span> — R. Jeremiah said: Delete, 'daughter', from here.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The word, 'daughter', in that Baraitha is an error. ');">³³</span> Abaye said: [The explanation is that they said]: 'Even if a son [of his] had a daughter. we would not have spoken'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'Knowing that a son's daughter has preference over the daughter of the decreased', v. supra 115b. ');">³⁴</span> They were virtuous, since they were married to such men only as were worthy of them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra p. 493, n. 2. ');">³⁵</span> R. Eliezer b. Jacob taught: Even the youngest among them was not married under forty years of age.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Waiving for a worthy husband. ');">³⁶</span> But can this he so? Surely, R. Hisda said: [One who] marries under twenty years of age beget till sixty; [at] twenty, begins till forty. [at] forty, does not beget any more!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Is it, then, possible that virtuous women like the daughters of Zelophehad would marry so late in life as to he unable to have any issue? ');">³⁷</span> — Since, however, they were virtuous, a miracle happened in their case<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'to them'. ');">³⁸</span> as [in that of] Jochebed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The mother of Moses. ');">³⁹</span> As It is written, And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex II, I. ');">⁴⁰</span>