New musical based on women's property rights [Daughters of Z]

A new musical performed at Grace Mennonite Church here in May was based on the earliest case of women's property rights.

More than 3000 years ago, a Jewish law was changed to allow women to inherit property. The story is told in Numbers 27.

Zelophehad, who had no sons, died during the migration of the Hebrew people from Egypt to the Promised Land. His five daughters appealed to Moses to allow them to inherit his property instead of it being distributed to male relatives. After praying to God, Moses changed the law.

The biblical account set a legal precedent cited by the American Bar Association in 1924 as "the earliest judgement in which the property rights of …