That Belongs to a Woman

They are the first women in scripture to be landowners, but that is not what distinguishes the daughters of Zelophehad whose story appears in the Old Testament book of Numbers. Owning property was the daughters' way of carving out a secure, stable future for themselves. Let's applaud them for stepping out and speaking up for themselves. But they were also courageous enough in admitting what was a moral scandal in their day, namely, that they wanted to know what it felt like as women to own property. What must it feel like, they probably wondered sometimes when they were girls, to be financially independent, to be able to take care of yourself, to not have to live always on the edge? Land was an appreciating asset, they surmised, and convincing the elders of their right to their deceased father's property became their objective. All that was needed was a strategy for changing the laws that prevented women from owning property. The sisters came together and devised just such a strategy. Imagine the heads that turned that day at the sight of the five sisters approaching the Tent of Meeting where Moses, Eleazar the priest, various tribal leaders, and other policy makers conducted their business. The sisters came, argued their case, and won their appeal.

Taking charge of your finances, coming up with a plan to secure your future, and deciding that you're too old to be scraping by and that it's time to maximize your earning potential-- is empowering. When the day came for their father's land to be deeded over to them the sisters probably wept with relief. They would never have to confuse falling in love with being dependent upon someone else to help make ends meet.

"Be able to take care of yourself," was my own mother's advice to me. Of course, it costs to be independent. We either learn the skills of budgeting, saving, investing, and taking intelligent risks with our money, or we don't. We either learn in a capitalist society the importance of having multiple streams of income, or we don't. We either learn how to make people pay us what we're worth, or we don't. If we don't, we are doomed. We learn from Zelophehad's daughters the importance of not simply waiting idly by for someone to come along and take care of us. Imagine the satisfaction of walking up on someone pointing to your company, your property, your name on the marquee, and saying to his daughter, "You see that. It belongs to a woman."

(adapted from the chapter "You See That Land, It Belongs to A Woman" in the new and revised edition of Just A Sister Away by Renita J. Weems)

 

Renita J. Weems, Ph.D.