Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 14:58:58 -0700
From: "Sias, Kathy" <kathy.sias@intel.com>

RE: PARSHA 5760 -41: 
>Parashat Pinchas That God's response was that "On the
>human existential level, therefore, there is an equality of value between
>men and women.  Not always is this equality evident, because social
>arrangements, and the force of daily life which is based on those social
>arrangements, obscure it.  The statement of the daughters of Tzelofchad
>sharpened the contradiction between the arrangements of the patriarchal
>society and that which is prior to any social arrangement - the basic
>human equality of man as created by God.  In this case, the precedence of
>that equality over social arrangement becomes clear. 

I would suggest that this Parsha displays that these women did in fact
challenge the social structure.  If they weren't challenging the social
structure, it wouldn't have had to go to Moshe who then refered it to God
directly.  As in any political upheaval, timing is everthing and success is
frequently due to developing a strategy which allows those in charge to
continue to feel in control.  

I would say that God's response showed that the social arrangements were
not how God would order the world. However, He honored man's structure to
govern itself within His commandments.  For the same reason, Rambam
explained that sacrifices were permitted within the law, which allowed the
people to bridge their previous practices into their new
relationship with God. He allowed man's current social order, within the
new comandments given, to continue to exist until man deemed it time to
evolve into a higher social order. 

Personally, I am very grateful to be able to benefit from the social
changes, changes which at the outset seemed to be focused on benfiting
women but upon implementation have given men new freedoms and options as
well.

Shalom, 
Kathy

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Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 09:31:40 EDT
From: Zeliglaw@aol.com

In a message dated 7/26/00 8:02:54 AM Central Daylight Time, 
Kathy Sias <kathy.sias@intel.com>  writes:

<< I would say that God's response showed that the social arrangements were
 not how God would order the world. However, He honored man's structure to
 govern itself within His commandments.  For the same reason, Rambam
 explained that sacrifices were permitted within the law, which allowed the
 people to bridge their previous practices into their new
 relationship with God. He allowed man's current social order, within the
 new comandments given, to continue to exist until man deemed it time to
 evolve into a higher social order. >>

  This explanation works well if one accepts the Rambam's understanding of 
sacrifices. It would be out of bounds according to the Ramban who criticizes 
the Rambam for not realizing the the chesed that God gave man in offering 
sacrifices as a means of concretizing and expiating the process of teshuva.
                                                   Steven Brizel
                                                   Zeliglaw@aol.com