Our Gemara on this daf discusses the matter of the daughters of Zelophehad , who brought to Moshe an objection that they should also be allowed to inherit in the Land of Israel, on behalf of their father, who died without male progeny (Bamidbar 27:3-5):

Our father died in the wilderness. He was not one of the faction, Korah’s faction, which banded together against Hashem, but died for his own sin; and he has left no sons. Let not our father’s name be lost to his clan just because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father’s kinsmen!” Moses brought their case before Hashem.

Indeed, their claim was validated by God (ibid 6), which became the impetus for a prophetic revelation about various laws of inheritance, which are studied in detail in our Gemara:

The plea of Zelophehad’s daughters is just: you should give them a hereditary holding among their father’s kinsmen; transfer their father’s share to them.

This is one of the four parts of the Torah where Moshe did not know the law, and had to ask God for further guidance. The other three are: (1) The Mekoshes - the one who gathered wood on Shabbos, Bamidbar 15:32; (2) The Mekallel - the one who cursed Vayikra (24:11-14), and (3) Pesach Sheni the make-up Paschal Sacrifice for those who were ritually impure on the 14th of Nissan, Bamidbar 9:1-14.)  Are these four thematically connected? We might consider that they all have to do with entry into the land of Israel, and the related theme of a birthright and legacy. Supporting this idea, we find Gemara (Shabbos 96a) which tells us that the father of these women, Zelophehad, was either the  Mekoshes or from those who waged an unauthorized military operation to conquer the land of Israel, after the sin of the spies. Gemara Succah (25) says that those who were ritually impure on the 14th of Nissan became so either because they carried the bones of Yosef, who was to be buried in Israel, or because they were involved in the burial of Ahron’s sons.  Burial is also a matter of inheritance and legacy, see an upcoming Gemara (Bava Basra 112a).  Finally, the curser’s main gripe was about being excluded from inheriting the land of Israel, as his father was an Egyptian (Rashi Vayikra 24:10.)  Assuming this analysis is more or less correct, the common thread in these various sections of the Torah have to do with legacy and/or inheritance in the land of Israel. Now, all we need to do is try to understand what about this in particular eluded Moshe’s original revelation on Mount Sinai, requiring subsequent consultation with God0?

At this point, we can turn to the Sefas Emes (Bamidbar, Ma’asay 16) Who makes the following observation:

The Exodus is mentioned 50 times in the Torah, corresponding to the idea mentioned in the Zohar that the Jews ascended from the 49th gate of impurity and entered the 50th gate of understanding. So too there are 50 Shabbosim in the year. Each Shabbos opens one of these 50 gates of understanding. Similarly, the passage implies that there were also 50 journeys, based on Rashi’s commentary that the Israelites retraced their steps during eight of these journeys, making the total 50.

Now, the final journey, which took place on the other side of the Jordan River, was parallel to the 50th gate of understanding. Chazal teach that 50 gates of understanding were given to Moshe Rabbeinu, except for one. This journey corresponds to the gate that was beyond Moshe’s comprehension. Therefore, the passage about the daughters of Zelophehad, where Moshe did not initially know the law, is mentioned during this journey (as also noted by Rabbeinu Bachya).

Incredibly, in this passage of the Torah we have one of the rare instances in which there is a tradition to write a letter larger or smaller. In this case, the verse that describes Moshe bringing their question before Hashem (Bamidbar 27:5) uses the Hebrew word “Mishpatan”, “their case”. The last Hebrew letter in “Mishpatan“ is a Nun, which is made larger and elongated, according to the tradition. Sefas Emes says, the letter Nun which is Gematria 50, alludes to the 50th gate, which is the highest of all gates and thus remained hidden from Moshe. Furthermore, this aspect of understanding is connected to the crossing of the Jordan River, which took place on the 10th of Nissan, a date that is associated with Shabbos HaGadol, the "50th Shabbos" of the year, as referenced in earlier writings on this subject (and also perhaps related to the Paschal sacrifice and those who could not access it.)

Our final question to consider is why in particular did this aspect of the Torah elude Moshe’s awareness? In addition, we have a circular question. Did Moshe sin and lose his ability to enter the land of Israel because he had some blockage in his wisdom and spiritual access? Or, did his sin cause this blockage in wisdom and spiritual access, of which one of the side effects was not being entering the land of Israel?  I am inclined to think that there was some spiritual blockage inside Moshe, of which the manifestation was his inability to enter into the land of Israel and his inability to grasp this 50th level of wisdom. What is it exactly? And why did the daughters of Zelophehad have access to it? For this part, I do not yet have an answer. However, an important idea is that it takes an entire people to have something whole and complete. And as developed and elevated Moshe was, there was still some insight he could not access. He was only able to recover it by listening to the concerns and claims of a minority that might have been ignored. If a person wants complete wisdom, they have to be willing to listen and learn from everyone.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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