Midrash sa Mga Bilang 26:53: Midrash Tanchuma, Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Seder Olam Rabbah & Shir HaShirim Rabbah

"To these apportion the land" (Numbers 26:53). And who are they? The ones standing on the Plains of Moav. And was the land not apportioned to those that left Egypt? As it is written (Exodus 6:8), "and I will give it to you as a possession." [So] for what reason was it [actually] apportioned to [the ones standing on the Plains of Moav]? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that six families from [those that left Egypt] would be destroyed. And who are they? [Of] those written above (Genesis 46:10), "And the children of Shimon were Yemuel, Yamin, Ohad, Yakhin, Tsohar and Shaul," when you read "to Nemuel, the Nemeulite family" (Numbers 26:12-13), neither Ohad or Tsohar are there. Rather they were lost. And so [too,] with Binyamin: "Bela, Bekher, etc." (Genesis 26:21), behold there are ten. But when you come to count them [you read], "to Belaa, the Belaaite family [etc.] (Numbers 26:38-40), they are only seven. Behold [those missing] were lost. And so [too,] with the "children of Gad. Tsifion, Chagi, Shuni, Etsbon [etc.]" (Genesis 26:16); but when you count "to Tsafon, the Tsafonite family [etc.]" (26:15-17), Etsbon is not there. Behold six families got lost from the licentiousness of the counsel of Bilaam. And there is no licentiousness that does not accomplish its [end]. Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "[Why should] I apportion the land to people who will be destroyed in the future?" And [so] He [rather] apportioned it [only] to the one that stood resilient. Hence it is stated, "To these apportion the land" (Numbers 26:53).

(Numb. 27:1:) “Then came forward the daughters of Zelophehad.” In that generation the women were fencing¹¹On raising a fence about the Law, see Avot 1:1. that which the men were breaching.¹²Numb. R. 21:10. Accordingly you find that Aaron said to them (i.e., the men in Exod. 32:2), “Take off the gold rings [that are in the ears of your wives…]”; but the women were unwilling and protested against their husbands. Thus it is stated (in vs. 3), “So all the people took off the gold rings that were in their¹³Since “their” is masculine here, there is an implication that the men only took their own earrings. ears.” Thus the women did not take part in making the [golden] calf. So also in the case of the spies who had spread slander (according to Numb. 14:36), “when they returned, they made [the whole congregation] murmur against him.” A decree was issued against them, because they had said (in Numb. 13:31), “We are unable to go up [against this people for they are stronger than us].” The women, however, were not with them in their counsel. What is written above the matter (in Numb. 26:65)? “Because the Lord had said to them, ‘They shall surely die in the wilderness,’ not a man of them remained.” [Note that Scripture speaks of] “a man,” and not of "a woman.” Because they (i.e., the men) did not want to enter the land, but the women came forward to ask for an inheritance [in the land]; (Numb. 27:1) “Then came forward the daughters of Zelophehad.” Therefore the parashah [about the death of that generation] was written next to this parashah, because what the men broke down the women fenced in. Another interpretation (of Numb. 27:1), “Then came forward [the daughters of Zelophehad ben Hepher ben Gilead ben Machir ben Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh ben Joseph”: [Their action was] an honor to them. [It was also] an honor to their father, an honor to Machir, an honor to Manasseh and an honor to Joseph that such righteous and wise women had issued from him.¹⁴Numb. R. 21:11. But what was their wisdom? They [only] spoke up at the proper time, when Moses was busy with the parashah about inheritance (in accordance with Numb. 26:53), “To these shall you apportion the land [for an inheritance].” [So what was their wisdom? That] they said to him, “If we are like a son, let us inherit; but if not, let our mother perform levirate marriage (marry her husband's brother).”¹⁵His duty would be to rear children in the name of the deceased father. On levirate marriage generally, see Deut. 25:5-6: also Gen. 38:8-9; Ruth 4:5. Immediately (in Numb. 27:5), “Moses brought their cause before the Lord.” They were righteous, In that they had never been married to someone unworthy of them. Then why did they meet with Moses now? So that he would not [put on airs] over having abstained from his wife for forty years.¹⁶Since Moses regularly stood in the Divine Presence, he needed to preserve an unbroken state of purity. The Holy One, blessed be He, informed him through these [women], saying, “Here are women who without being commanded [remained unmarried] for forty years, until they were married to someone worthy of them.”

(Cant. 2:12:) THE BLOSSOMS HAVE APPEARED IN THE LAND. These are the redeemers (i.e., Moses and Aaron).³²Cant. R. 2:12:1. (Ibid., cont.:) THE TIME OF PRUNING (rt.: ZMR) HAS ARRIVED, <i.e.,> The time for the foreskin to be pruned (rt.: ZMR) has arrived, as stated (in Exod. 15:2): THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY CIRCUMCISION (rt.: ZMR).³³So has the midrash understood the text. More common translations would be either THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY MIGHT OR THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SONG. Cf. PR 15:11, which finds the concept of pruning in the idea of the sea dividing (Exod. 14:21). Cf. also PR 15:12, which alludes to the Canaanites being cut down and the land being divided (Numb. 26:53). The time for Torah to be given has arrived, since there is written concerning it (in Ps. 119:54): YOUR LAWS HAVE BEEN MY SONGS (rt.: ZMR).³⁴Cf. Sot. 35a. (Cant. 2:12, cont.:) AND THE VOICE OF THE TURTLEDOVE IS HEARD IN OUR LAND. R. Johanan said: This VOICE OF THE TURTLEDOVE (TWR) refers to Moses,³⁵Cf. PR 15:11, which adds here that Moses led Israel through the turnings (TYYRI) of their wanderings. Cf. also PRK 5:9. since it is stated (in Exod. 11:4): THEN MOSES SAID: THUS SAYS THE LORD: ABOUT MIDNIGHT <I SHALL GO FORTH INTO THE MIDST OF EGYPT>…. (Cant. 2:13:) AND THE FIG TREE SHEDS³⁶Heb.: Hanetah. Although this rare verb can mean “enbalm” (as in Gen. 50:2, 26), here the biblical context suggests a translation such as “give form to,” “put forth,” “fill with juice,” or “ripen.” The midrash, however, understands the word in a more negative sense such as “overripen” or “shed.” ITS GREEN FIGS. These are the wicked Israelites who died during the three days of darkness. (Ibid., cont.:) AND THE BLOOMING VINES GIVE OFF AN AROMA. These are the mediocre ones who have been accepted through <the aroma of> repentance. The Holy One said to them: Why are you sitting <there>? (In the words of Cant. 2:10) ARISE. The wicked are dead and the mediocre ones have repented. ARISE, (for in the words of Exod. 12:2): In THIS MONTH you are being redeemed.