Tunes on Tuesday: What About Us

Photo of Oren Levine playing an electric piano and singing into a microphone. He wears a ball cap and headphones.

Why this tune?

This week’s tune is an update of my Torah Tune for Parashat Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1). It tells the story from Numbers 27 about the five daughters of Zelophehad, who successfully petitioned to inherit their late father’s share of the Promised Land, establishing a rule that daughters could inherit property if there were no male heirs. It’s a rare story of women seeking some measure of justice for themselves, and a rare case where “ordinary” women are mentioned by name. For this new recording, I added a modulation after each verse.

The direct inspiration for this song came from Miriam Anzovin‘s video on the parashah. I’ve been enjoying her witty and insightful commentary on Instagram (and other socials), in particular her explorations of the details of the Talmud through the current Daf Yomi cycle, which still has a year to go.

I think this song would be perfect for a d’var torah or youth service. If you’re looking for Torah content or know someone who is, I would be delighted to share the song.

Tunes On Tuesday Reel

Check it out

Miriam Anzovin’s commentary

Published by Oren Levine

Jazz pianist and songwriter from Washington, DC.

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