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In this parashah, G‑d gives the commandments regarding the division of the Land of Israel among the tribes, clans, and families of the Jewish people. After hearing these commandments, the five daughters of a man named Tzelofechad, who had not had any sons, argued that they, too, deserved a portion of the land.23
Sha’ar HaPesukim and Likutei Torah, parashat Pinchas
Know that Tzelofechad personified the source of the fives states of gevurah. This is alluded to by the fact that the letters of his name spell the words for “the shadow of fear” (tzel pachad).
Fear is the emotion associated with the attribute of gevurah.
His five daughters personified the five states of gevurah.
As we have seen previously, there are five states of gevurah in binah and da’at, which then become the gevurah-components of the five principal sefirot of the emotions, chesed to hod.
Specifically, they personify the five states of gevurah that remain within the yesod of Z’eir Anpin, and do not enter malchut. Instead, other states of gevurah take their place and enter malchut, as is known.
The first set of states of gevurah that descend from Ima to Z’eir Anpin remain within it until they are “sweetened” by the states of chesed within Z’eir Anpin. They are then transferred to Nukva.
Therefore, Moses was unsure whether or not they deserved a portion in the land, i.e., in malchut.
The earth, and specifically the Land of Israel, personifies malchut. These five daughters personified the five states of gevurah, but there are iterations of the five states of gevurah that do not reach malchut, so Moses was not sure whether they personified the iterations that reach malchut or not.
G‑d told him that since they do shine into malchut, they deserve a portion of the land.
Even the iterations of the five states of gevurah that do not themselves enter malchut shine some of their light into malchut, and therefore, no matter what iteration of the five states of gevurah the five daughters of Tzelofechad personified, they deserved a portion in the land.
Of these five states of gevurah, three of them are sweetened by the states of chesed within Z’eir Anpin and two are not, as is known.
The three that are sweetened were personified by the daughters Choglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah.
This is because Choglah means “she has a holiday” (chag lah). She celebrates because she is sweetened.
Milkah’s name indicates her essence.
Milkah can be vocalized malkah, “queen,” clearly associated with malchut, “sovereignty.”
Tirtzah means “will” and “lovingkindness.”
Tirzah means “she will want,” indicating goodwill and desirability, which is possible only if the gevurah has been sweetened by chesed.
The two that were not sweetened were Machlah and Noah.
Machlah can be interpreted to mean “she will be wiped out,” similar to “And he wiped out (vayimach) all life….”24
Noah is similar to the words meaning “swaying” in the verse, “The earth is swaying like a drunkard; it is rocking to and fro like a hut. Its iniquity shall weigh it down, and it shall fall, to rise no more.”25
These two names are thus associated with states of gevurah that have not been sweetened with chesed.
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