Who Were Machlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah? They were the five daughters of Tzelafchad, a man who died in the desert, leaving no male survivor. According to the Torah's original inheritance laws, only male heirs received a portion of the Land of Israel. Feeling wronged, the Tzelafchad daughters came to see Moshe Rabbeinu and said to him: "Is it ordained by the Torah that our father's name be eradicated because he did not leave any sons? Give us a portion among our father's brothers! " Hashem agreed, by scrupulously adapting the law to include female heirs and said to Moshe: "If a man dies without leaving a son, you will transfer his inheritance to his daughter".

By the merit of five women, a previously unknown law was revealed! But what was their merit? What was their grandeur more precisely?

Their greatness lied in their ability to cultivate foolproof Emunah (faith) and to believe Hashem could unconditionally give them the best. They believed Hashem could do anything.

Indeed, their circumstances did not predispose them to marry at an early age, let alone find a quality match. They had reached the ages of 40 to 65 years old. In addition to their advanced years, they had no patrimony nor glorious ancestry; their father died while transgressing Shabbat! Yet, they were not deterred and conveyed to Moshe that God would send them a husband in due time. And not any husband: they expected husbands able to match their intellectual and spiritual levels. The future proved them right and the expected miracle was realized. Despite their late age they all married honorably and gave birth to children. One of them conceived at the age of 135.

The beginning of our Parsha mentions that the daughters of Tzelafchad were Yosef's descendants. This  is no coincidence. Yosef the dreamer believed in his imminent deliverance, despite his interminable detention in an Egyptian jail.

One outstanding typically feminine power is the ability to dream big, to believe that Hashem will provide for all our needs, optimally, despite unfavorable conditions. This is one of the ways to interpret the Talmud Avodah Zarah: "Women easily change their ways of thinking". In other words, we have a special faculty to immediately transform dark and negative thoughts to positive thoughts; to believe that everything is possible and that nothing is too difficult or unattainable for Hashem.

This is also referred to in a verse of Shemot (1, 18): "The wives of the Hebrews are vigorous; before the midwife has had the time to help facilitate the birthing process, they are already delivered (they have already given birth)."

In other words, as soon as they begin feeling the contractions of childbirth, they fantasize about the joy of holding a newborn in their arms, thus ignoring the pain of childbirth. This gives them the strength to transform their pain into a feeling of deep inner joy.

This is the lesson that the daughters of Tzelafchad teach us: regardless of how dim reality manifests itself, and despite the negative predictions of other people who would like us to believe otherwise, success depends on our Emunah (faith in God). Because nothing is impossible for Hashem and He will provide what's best for us in the very near future. Thanks to the merit of our boundless Emunah, we will achieve immediate serenity and tranquility, in the firm conviction that Hashem's disproportionate blessings are on their way!