When you walked into your first chapter meeting, did you think there was no real spot for you? Like everyone else seems to fit somewhere and you are just kinda standing there?

You have two choices at that moment:  You can either walk out or you can decide to make a spot for yourself. 

This week's parshah, Pinchas, is about this decision. 

The parshah starts with Hashem asking Moses to create a census of the nation by tribe. This count is based on the "new generation”, meaning those who will actually enter the land, and how the land will be divided based on the census. 

Continuing on, it mentions the daughters of Zelophehad. Their father died with no sons, and only five daughters, but due to the existing rules of the census their family's portion of land would not be passed down to them because they are women. They could have just stayed quiet and accepted it as it was the law, but they didn't. The daughters, Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milcah, and Tirtzah, walked up to Moshe and Elazar and outwardly stated their case. 

Moshe didn't just dismiss what they were asking but he brought the question straight to Hashem, where Hashem agreed with what the girls were saying. Not only do the girls receive their portion of the allowance, but the law actually changes. From then on, any man with no son, passes on their inheritance to his daughters. 

They didn't just find a place for themselves but they opened up a place for every daughter in the same position after them. 

This is what the parshah teaches us. Don't just wait and accept to be told where you belong, but find your own place and pave your own path. When you see there is no spot for you, you do not have to take that as the final answer. You can ask for one. And by asking, you might not only make room for you but also for the other people who would have been left out too. 

If you ever walk into a room and feel out of place just remember Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milcah, and Tirtzah. They didn't stay quiet, leave or give up but they made a spot and left it open. 

Shabbat Shalom,
Rachel Lewin
Miami Region

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Simchat Torah Challenge Podcast Series

Interested in listening to this week's parsha? Check out BBYO Netherlands' take on Parshat Pinchas as a part of the Simchat Torah Challenge Podcast Series. The Simchat Torah Challenge is a yearlong journey where teens from around the Order are exploring the Torah, one parsha at a time. Teens are connecting with the text, sharing their thoughts, and exploring how it relates to their own lives.