Shalom.
This week’s Torah portion here in the Land of Israel is parashat Matot, the penultimate
Torah portion in the Book of Numbers, while parashat Pinchas is being read in the Diaspora.
Next week in Israel we will be concluding sefer Bamidbar with the reading of parashat
Masay, while in the Diaspora both Matot and Masay, a double portion, will be read next
week.
Thus we will once again be on the same page and coordinated with our brethren outside
of Israel, in time for parashat Devarim, always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av, or
as it will be this year, on the Shabbat on which Tisha B’Av will actually fall, and
the fast, deferred on account of Shabbat, will be observed on Sunday August 11th.
Matot begins with the laws of vows and oaths, and their annulment.
This is all about the power and seriousness of words, of speech; words can effect change,
a person can vow something to the Holy Temple, words can change someone’s or something’s
status, and make it sanctified.
A person can take an extra stringency upon themselves as an act of extra piety, out of
a desire to draw closer to Hashem.
The subject of vows and oaths, makes us want to stop and think about promises that are
made and not kept.
But on the subject of words, we can look back at sefer Bamidbar, and reflect upon how much
of it has been taken up with or influenced by…words and their result.
The sin of the spies, the rebellion of Korach, the complaining about the Manna, the evil
speech against Moses, the confession of the sotah, the nazarite vow, the priestly blessing,
the question brought forward about Pesach Sheni, Moshe was supposed to speak – to
the rock to bring forth water – but hit it instead; the fiery serpents that were brought
about by complaining; the lashon hara against Moshe; the song at the water; the power of
the words of Bilaam, the request of the daughters of Tzelafchad; look how much we have been
preoccupied, influenced by, and changed by words.
Now that the Children of Israel will soon be entering the Land, and, as opposed to the
passive nature of the Generation of the Desert, all that ensues within the Land will be the
result of their own initiative, the ability to make a vow as an expression of a desire
to do more, to express an extra level of holiness, fits in perfectly with the new reality.
The parasha continues with Hashem’s command to Moshe to go out to battle against the Midianites.
The children of Israel are instructed to go out to do battle with Midian as vengeance
for their plot to cause the children of Israel to worship idolatry by seducing the men of
Israel with their own daughters.
These verses also include details of the division of the spoils and sanctifying part of it for
Hashem, also laws of koshering vessels.
One amazing idea regarding Hashem’s command to Moshe to take vengeance from the Midianites:
G-d links this revenge directly to Moshe’s death, saying, “Take vengeance for the children
of Israel against the Midianites, and afterwards you shall be gathered to your people.”
Even so, or despite this, Moshe does not hesitate or stall for the slightest moment in fulfilling
this order, and the very next verse tells us “and Moshe spoke to the people saying,
‘arm men from among yourselves for the legion, that they may be against Midian to inflict
Hashem’s vengeance against Midian.”
Moshe is very soon to take his leave of his beloved people, but this is one of the most
powerful examples of Moshe’s unparalleled greatness, his total dedication to the people
of Israel and his total lack of self-interest.
Any person, upon being informed that his death was dependant on some circumstance or action,
would certainly endeavour to postpone and delay this, whether consciously or subconsciously.
Not only does Moshe immediately go out to battle… he urges the people, ‘arm yourselves’
– as Rashi points out, even though he understood that his death would follow, he did it with
joy and did not delay.
But open up your heart in the deepest way.
If Moshe loved his people so much, and he knew that they needed him so, maybe for the
sake of the Jewish people he should have been more slothful in the fulfilment of this commandment,
so that he could have remained in the world longer?
One might think, the longer that Moshe remains in the world, the better for the nation and
the world.
But that is the secret of his humility and his secret altogether.
Moshe thought nothing for himself, he had no personal thoughts, he was totally focused
on Hashem’s will.
So when Moshe is given a Divine command, there’s no processing, no considerations, angles,
spins, calculations, how do I feel about this, where do I plug this in my mind, he just totally
becomes an object for fulfilling that command.
Hashem is in head, and nothing else.
Furthermore.
Moshe’s soul was completely bound up with the collective soul of the Jewish people.
So when he said back in Exodus, 32:32 – When he said ‘and if not, erase my name from
Your book’ – do you understand what he was saying?
Meaning, remove me completely from the timeline…because the book he was referring to, Hashem’s book
– that wasn’t a reference to the Torah, but a reference to the next world…the directory
of the Coming World…so Moshe was saying take me out by the roots if you don’t forgive
Israel because I have no existence without them.
Again, he has no thoughts of himself…both physically and spiritually he is totally dedicated
to am Yisrael, because his thoughts are only of Hashem…open up your hearts…since he
understands that the nation of Israel is the manifestation of G-d in the world, the only
conduit through which the kingdom of G-d is revealed in this world.
So what happened here…when Hashem commands Moshe in 31:2 “take vengeance for the Children
of Israel against the Midianites,” in the next verse Moshe turns to the people and asks
them to ‘avenge the vengeance of Hashem,’ he flipped it, Hashem called
it vengeance for the Children of Israel, but Moshe called it vengeance for Hashem, not
of the children of Israel….because Moshe, the true leader of Israel, understands that
they themselves are the manifestation of Hashem in this world, because Israel and the Holy
One blessed be He, are One.
So G-d’s instructions to right the wrong done to His children becomes righting the
wrong that was done to Him.
G-d is clearly stating, when you hurt my children, you’re hurting Me.
The tribes of Gad and Menashe requested of Moshe that they be allowed to receive their
inheritance on the east side of the Jordan and not in the Land of Israel, west of the
Jordan.
They’re not interesting in crossing over into the Land, the event the nation has been
waiting for since leaving Egypt.
Since Abraham Isaac and Jacob.
Here on the other side of the Jordan, the grazing was very lush, and here they would
be able to accommodate the great herds with which they were blessed.
After initially expressing serious objection, Moshe acquiesces to their request on condition
that they obligate themselves to participate in the war as the vanguard of Israel’s army,
on behalf of their brethren, to conquer the land from the Canaanites.
They accepted the condition, and he joins to them half of the tribe of Menashe.
But the harshness of Moses’ reaction – comparing their request to the sin of the spies – informs
us of the severity with which he viewed their request.
From Moshe’s reaction we can understand that he felt this request displayed a lack
of appreciation for the land of Israel, as if the place where one lives should be determined
only according to financial or material considerations.
What about Hashem’s promises regarding this land?
What about His plan?
What about the future of the nation as a whole, and their own future and that of their children?
Where was their desire and love for the Land?
Simply put, their priorities were misplaced; their perspective was based on secular materialism
rather than spiritual well-being and concern for the spiritual well-being of their children,
to ensure the future generations.
In reality all blessing in this world, the physical as well, is only achieved with Divine
aid and by following Hashem’s commandments.
But you know in the light of this precedent, the highly criticized and negative stance
of Reuven and Gad, who sought to remain outside the Land of Israel, which the Torah takes
pain to record as instruction, what a tikkun, what a great spiritual rectification it is
to see Jews coming home to Israel.
A certain thread connects many of the ideas of our parsha.
It’s a certain sensitivity that is required of us to sanctify ourselves, to sanctify our
lives for G-d’s purpose, and especially, to prepare us to live lives of sanctify in
the Land, and to appreciate what we have, what G-d has given us.
Everything.
Each other.
Our lives, our homes.
Everything is sacred and nothing should be taken for granted.
Words should not be taken lightly.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Stand up to your enemies who are G-d’s enemies, an attack against Israel, G-d tells Moshe,
is an attack against Me.
Sensitivity to the Land of Israel and how imperative is for our survival that we be
here, as opposed to the flawed logic of Reuven and Gad, seemingly a flawed exile mentality.
Sensitivity to the phrases, phases and stages and adventures and misadventures that befall
us as we make our way home, always traveling home.
And once we get there: Our responsibility to the Land, which is our responsibility to
ourselves and to G-d.
The Nation of Israel is coming home.