LITMIR.BIZ

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were the offenders and the lepers. As much as he coveted some more privacy, he cringed at the thought of such complete isolation from the camp. Such had been the fate of the greatest woman in the camp—Miriam. Some years ago she had been isolated for leprosy, a curse that had come upon her for daring to challenge her brother Moses. They were a people governed by laws given to Moses directly by YHWH. They were different from the surrounding nations who envied their organization and culture. They had courts and judges to settle their disputes. They had a good system of justice that worked well for the people. Moses elected elders from all the tribes who were assigned to oversee the people in divisions of tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands just like their army was structured. The overall judge, however, remained Moses, to whom difficult cases were presented. For the Moabites, the Amorites, the Amalekites, and the Cushites—the nations surrounding them—it was different. It was survival of not only the fittest but the roughest. Barbaric and unclean, they called them and were forbidden by the law to marry from these nations. Over the years they had had families come from these nations to beg for citizenship in Israel. Some qualified and many were rejected based on a number of conditions required by their laws. It was good to live in a community with laws. Egypt had been lawless. The Pharaohs were the law. They maimed, killed, and did about anything at their whims and wills. Israel had laws and regulations regarding every aspect of living. Food, drink, housing, marriage, birth, genders, death, diseases, crimes, slavery, farming, inheritance, and the list goes on. They had restitution and death penalty depending on the offense. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Life for a life. Even their animals were not exempted. He had once watched his brother Makir’s leg deliberately broken as payment for his neighbor’s fractured limb, which he had been responsible for in the course of a fight. His friend Ramah, a Cushite turned Israelite, often argued that their people were no better than the other nations but were forced by the laws to behave. Zelophehad’s comeback was always that it did not matter which came first, whether the law or the good behavior. It was peace that mattered. At least he was sure that a man could not kill him and go free. He was sure that no man would encroach on his territory and get away with it. He was sure no priestess would demand for one of his daughters to be burnt in a fire as a sacrifice to a worthless idol. He was sure no man could forcefully take his wife from him. He was a man who loved predictability. At least they were not likely to wake up one day and be told that they were no longer bona fide members of their community. They were a nation now. They were God’s special people, they were Israel! The mention of their name terrified many nations. Clearly they had heard of the dread they left in Egypt and their dealings with the Amalekites. Only their destination Canaan troubled him. They were informed that giants filled the land and great walls surrounded their cities. For twenty-five years now they have been waiting on this promised land. The land they were to claim was extensive. It included the land of the Amorites, Hitittites, Hivittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and of course the focus—Canaan. Maybe if they had at least conquered the extensions by now he would worry less. But here they were, it seemed, stranded in Paran for now. Maybe the several wars they had faced so far was part of YHWH’s plan to prepare them for the giants of Canaan, only Moses could tell him he believed. His thought focused on Moses at the moment as he tried to understand the person he was made of. He was in awe of this man. There was just something about Moses. He thought of his calm, his carriage, his courage, his humility, his conducts, his intimacy with YHWH, even his looks. He looked the same as he had over twenty years ago when he began to lead them. His brother, Aaron, the high priest, was not so lucky. The four years between them seemed more like forty years. Yet all the weight and burden of their nation was on this man. To be fair to Aaron, he had undergone a lot, losing two sons at the same time and having to live a very restricted life as a high priest.

      3

      Zelophehad smiled as he approached the entrance of his tent and heard his daughters’ loud chatter and his mother’s nagging voice asking them to be quiet so she could hear the footsteps approaching their tent. He did not know how she did it, but his mother could tell with almost perfect precision the person approaching their tent by their footsteps. She knew when it was his or his siblings. She could tell if it was bad or good tidings that was coming with a footstep. He often took advantage of her forecast. He was always prepared for every visitor. His mother came out of the tent with his daughters and the first thing she said to him was, “Any word from the priest?” A feeling of annoyance began to well up inside him as he understood exactly what she was talking about. She had asked him this same question three years ago when he had returned with his wife and Hoglah, his third daughter. She could at least have started with welcoming them or asking how it went. But that was his mother, never one to waste time on pleasantries. She seemed to have gotten worse with age. His wife kissed his mother and quickly vanished into their tent, ushering the girls in with her as she mumbled something about feeding the baby. He knew how much his wife hated such confrontation, especially in the presence of their daughters. He schooled his expressions and scooped up his third daughter, Hoglah, laughing as she shouted in glee. He was always careful not to get into any heated argument with his mother in the presence of his children. He did not want them growing to think that they can talk back to their mother and him. He waited for them to enter the tent and then he turned to his mother with his worst scowl. When his mother saw the look in his eyes she reached out to touch him affectionately saying, “Well you know how much I am so concerned about you. You are my first son and I do not want you cheated. I had sons and all your brothers have sons so we know the source of this problem. All I am saying is that you should take another wife since she cannot give you a son.” This only made Zelophehad angrier and he wished for the umpteenth time that his mother would just go live with any of his siblings and get off his case. He had had just about enough. He replied to her slowly, “Imah, I have told you over and over that I would do anything to have a son but that. I love my wife and the girls. While I wait for a son, I will train my daughters to be strong, confident women who will make history in Israel.” His mother snorted. “How will they do that may I ask? Can they go to war and defend our nation? Can they give you sons that will carry on your name? You know they will be married off to some men and leave your house desolate.” “Imah!!!!” Zelophehad growled and walked away from his mother and his tent as she continued her tirade, shouting after him, “Don’t wait for a son, get a son you hear me.” Walking away briskly, he decided to go far away from the quadrangle of tents into the nearby wilderness to cool off. He tried hard all the time not to dishonor his mother even though she made him angry enough to do just that. He was determined to live a very long life. He would not allow his mother to cut it short for him by causing him to dishonor her. “What a day!” Zelophehad hissed under his breath. He had woken up to his wife’s tears early in the morning and had spent an hour convincing her that all was well with their family. She had feared that he was going to give in this time to his mother’s counsel and take another woman after their fourth girl. For the love of God, they were still in the middle of nowhere. No sight of the promised land. They were nomads moving from one valley and mountain to another at the dictates of Moses. His tent was already crowded with a wife, four daughters, and his mother. Why would he bring in another woman who may very well continue the tradition? He believed sons were gifts from YHWH and it had nothing to do with the woman. He had spent time this morning reassuring his wife, and now this conversation with his mother may very well have incited another bout of anxieties in his poor wife. His wife was not just his wife but was also kin. She was his second cousin. And even if she were no kin, he knew he would still love her and honor her as much. He did not even know her growing up until they were pledged to be married. It was his father who chose her after a careful search for the most suitable wife for his firstborn. His mother, sisters, and brothers had approved of her from the first day she was introduced to them as his wife. She had a wonderful relationship with his sisters and even his mother. Though he knew without a doubt that no woman could take her place with his family, nevertheless he was maintaining his stand to honor her. After all, Abraham refused to take another wife besides Sarah even without any child. And Abraham was their father. All he wanted was for his mother to understand and respect his decision. “I will continue to do what I know to do and wait for YHWH to smile down upon me with a son. And I hope very soon,” he said out loud, talking to himself. His situation appeared peculiar to him as he truly could not name another man in his tribe or other tribes facing this same dilemma. There must be at least one, he pondered. Many men in his age group had more than one wife, he realized, solely for this same reason—sons. Some

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