עקידת יצחק — צרור את המדינים / ותקרבנה בנות צלפחד

Q — Why command striking Midian and recount Pinchas's zeal here? Why place the census beside it? Why do the daughters of Tzelafchad press their claim to a portion in the land?

A — The thread is authentic love of the land and the nachalah as an expression of emunah. Pinchas's zeal defends the holiness of Israel against the corruption Midian sowed; the census prepares the inheritance; and the daughters of Tzelafchad, far from the meraglim's contempt for the land, cherish their portion in it and are rewarded. Where the spies despised Eretz Yisrael, these women yearned for it — and the parsha sets devotion to the land beside the defense of Israel's sanctity as twin expressions of faithful attachment to God's promise.