E Torah - Rabbi Cohen's guide to the week's parasha

Parashot Mattot-Masei  B’midbar 30:2-36:13 or 33:50-36:13*

What’s Going On

As we come to the end of the fourth book of Torah, we become more aware of the journey on which we find ourselves, as individuals and as a community. We have been through the genesis of the community (its foundation years) and the struggle to build a vision and structure for the decisions to be made. Now, just as the Israelites prepare to break camp and move forward, so too does our congregation prepare to break camp and follow its path to its next destination. It is therefore appropriate that the close of the book of Numbers be the close of this series of eTorah.

Parashat Mattot with a discussion of vows. In ancient times, vows were taken very seriously. Vows made by Israelite men may not be annulled, but there are circumstances in which a woman’s vows may be annulled. If she is young and her father does not object, the vow stands, but if her father “restrains her on the day he finds out,” her vow is annulled. If she marries while her vow is in force and her husband learns of it, if he does nothing, the vow is in force, but if he “restrains her,” the vow is annulled. The vow of a widow or of a divorcee stands.

The parasha continues with a command to avenge the seduction of the Israelites by the Midianites. A thousand from each tribe are to be dispatched to attack the Midianites under the leadership of Pinhas, son of Eleazar the high priest. The Midianite men were slaughtered, along with their kings and Bil’am the sorcerer, but the women and children were taken captive. Moses is enraged – it was precisely the women who had enticed the Israelite men, and yet the Israelite troops had allowed the women to live. He orders all the male children to be killed, along with all women who have been with men, but sparing the young virgins. The fighting force is then given instructions on how to purify themselves after having been in battle. The booty from the Midianites is divided.

The tribes of Reuven and Gad request permission not to settle in the Land. The land on the east side of the Jordan is better for their herds, so they wish to settle there. Moses is enraged – it was precisely the lack of faith on the part of the 10 spies that kept the Israelites wandering for 40 years – not two full tribes wish to diminish the appeal of the Land by settling outside? The tribal leaders reply that they will participate in the wars of conquest, but that after the Land is in the hands of the Israelites, they wish to return to their settlement east of the Jordan. Moses agrees to this compromise, and conveys his agreement to Joshua.

In the second parasha, Masei, we find a recap of Israel’s movement from the time they left Egypt, and the boundaries of Israel are given. The Land is divided by lots, and the princes of each tribe are appointed. The tribe of Levi is not given a territory, so God instructs Moses to have the Israelites assign towns for the Levites to dwell in, along with pasture around their towns.  Included among these towns are cities of refuge – arei miklat – to which those guilty of manslaughter may flee to escape blood vengeance from the family of their victims, until they may be tried before the assembly.

Murderers, however, may not flee to these cities of refuge – they must be executed by the blood avenger of the victim. Standards to determine murder versus manslaughter are given.

You will remember the daughters of Tzloph’had, who requested their father’s portion in the Land. Other members of their clan bring a grievance to Moses – these women will perhaps marry men from other tribes and their father’s inheritance will go to other tribes, thus diminishing the tribal area. Even in the Jubilee year, when land sales revert to the original ownership, these holdings will only revert to the original male ownership of the husbands of these five women. Moses’ reply is that they must marry within their own clan. Every Israelite woman who inherits a share of land must marry someone from a clan of her father’s tribe in order that every Israelite may keep his ancestral share.

Questions

1. When the Gadites and the Reuvenites request permission to dwell outside the Land, they speak of building sheepfolds for their herds and towns for their children. Moses reverses the order and tells them that if they invade the Land with Joshua, they may then build towns for their children and sheepfolds for their herds. The commentary observes that Moses is reminding them that the children should be their first priority. Can you make any argument to defend the Gadites and Reuvenites for thinking of their sheep first?
2. The annulment of women’s vows is interesting. Vows are not automatically nullified by fathers or husbands. The men seem to have the right to annul the vows but may choose not to. What kind of vow might a woman make that her father or husband would want to restrain? What kind might they allow?
3. Is there any modern equivalent of the solution Moses provides to keep Tzloph’had’s tribal land within the tribe?
4. Of the six arei miklat – cities of refuge – three are in the Land and three are outside, in the territory assigned to Gad, Reuven, and Manaseh. Why do you think the numbers are so unbalanced? Nine and a half tribes, including the large tribes of Judah and Ephraim, are within the Land promised by God, but they get only three cities, while the two and a half tribes to the east of the Jordan get the same number. Can you suggest a reason for this?

A Few Thoughts

Probably the most obvious contemporary connection to the reading is the permission to dwell outside the Land but to be prepared to fight on her behalf. Modern commentators have pointed to the fact that all Israel has never lived within the borders of Eretz HaKodesh, that even pre-conquest, two and a half tribes (Manasse also stayed outside the Land) chose to live where the land was more hospitable to their flocks. Thus, it should not be a surprise that there have always been Jewish settlements outside the Land – after the destruction of the first Temple and the relocation of the leadership of Jerusalem to Babylonia, when Babylonia fell to Persia and the Persian king allowed the Israelites to return and rebuild their Temple, only 25% did. Most stayed in Persia and became the ancestors of the Persian community of the 20^th century. And today, millions of Jews live outside Israel. The point, of course, is not where we live but whether our loyalties remain with Israel. While we may not pick up Uzis and fight against Israel’s armed enemies, there is much a diaspora community can do to support Israel. Every time we speak up when Israel is challenged or held to an unfair standard, every time we buy an Israel bond or travel to Israel or tell our friends how very beautiful it is and how exciting and how safe it felt to walk the streets of Jerusalem, we are fighting for Israel from outside the Land. While making aliyah remains a mitzvah, fighting for Israel, being an active voice taking Israel’s part on the world stage – all this is also a mitzvah. Moses tells the Gadites and the Reuvenites that they must fight with Joshua before they may settle east of the Jordan. Jewish law tells us that there are obligations we must fulfill on behalf of others before we may take care of ourselves. We must feed our animals before we can sit down to eat. In the case of Israel, we must make the time, learn the facts, and make support of Israel our business. If we cannot live there and support her physically, we must do all we can to support her financially and emotionally and politically.