The Torah describes the scene:

They stood before Moses, Elazar the [high] priest, the leaders and the entire congregation, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and said: "Our father died in the desert. He was not among those who banded against G-d among Korach's group; rather, he died due to his own sin-and he had no sons.

"Why should our father's name be eliminated from his family because he had no sons? Give us a landholding among our father's brothers!"

Moses brought their case before G-d. G-d spoke to Moses as follows: "The daughters of Tzelafchad have spoken correctly. You shall certainly give them a landholding among their father's brothers, and transfer their father's inheritance to them." (Numbers 27:2-7)

In fact, in their merit, the laws of inheritance follow this precedent. From then on, one who died without sons would have his daughters inherit his estate.

His daughters described Tzelafchad as having died "due to his own sin." TheTalmud1 cites two opinions as to what this sin was, though both agree that it was done with good intentions.

One view is that Tzelafchad was among the ma'apilim, the Jews who attempted to storm the land of Israel. After the sin of the spies,2 G-d decreed that the Jews would wander in the desert for 40 years, until that generation had died out. 

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