Matot MaseiArtscroll p.900 | Haftarah p.1193Hertz p.702 | Haftarah p.725Soncino p.955 | Haftarah p.984

Volume 31No. 48

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In loving memory of Devorah Bat Avraham

“The children of Gad and the children of Reuven spoke up saying, ‘As God has spoken to yourservants, so shall we do. We shall cross over, armed, before God to the land of Canaan, and oursshall be the heritage of our inheritance across the Jordan River’” (Bemidbar 32:31-32).

3 August 2019 2 Av 5779

Shabbat ends London 9.41pmJerusalem 8.14pm

Jordan River

Sidrah Summary: Matot Masei

United Synagogue Daf HashavuaProduced by US Living & Learning together with the Rabbinical Council of the United SynagogueEditor: Rabbi Chaim Gross Editor-in-Chief: Rabbi Baruch Davis Editorial and Production Team: Rabbi Daniel Sturgess, Rabbi Michael Laitner, Joanna RoseAvailable also via email US website www.theus.org.uk ©United SynagogueTo sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Danielle Fox on 020 8343 6261, or dfox@theus.org.ukIf you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please email rabbigross@theus.org.uk

1st Aliya (Kohen) – Bemidbar 30:2-31:12

At the start of parashat Matot, Moshe speaks to the headsof the tribes, telling them to relate the laws of vows andoaths to the Children of Israel. Contravening an oath orvow constitutes a Biblical prohibition. The sidrah detailswho may revoke a vow on behalf of others in their care,but only on the day that they first hear about the vow.

God tells Moshe to wage war against the Midianites, whoconstituted a serious threat to Bnei Yisrael. Mosheconscripts 1000 men from each tribe. They go into battleand kill all the Midianite males, as well as Bilam. They takecaptive women, young children, cattle and materialpossessions.

2nd Aliya (Levi) – 31:13-54

Moshe rebukes the officers for not killing the Midianitewomen, who had been the instigators of the promiscuityand idol worship that had led to the national catastropheat the hands of the Midianties (see 25:1-9); he instructsthem to now kill many of the women. Moshe tells thosewho have killed how to purify themselves from their stateof tumah (ritual impurity). Upon God’s instruction, Mosheand Elazar (Aharon’s son) count up the spoils and dividethem in half, between those who fought in the war and therest of the nation. A small percentage of each of thesespoils is given as a tribute, one to Elazar and another tothe Levi’im. The military leaders approach Moshe in orderto donate the jewellery that they had plundered, as anoffering to God.

3rd Aliya (Shlishi) – 32:1-19

The tribes of Gad and Reuven ask to be given land on theeast bank of the Jordan River, instead of crossing into theLand of Cana’an. Moshe rebukes them for their apparentcowardice, which seems to repeat the error of the spies 39years previously (see p.4 article). The two tribes clarifythat, whilst the women and children would settle on theeast bank of the Jordan, the men would fight with the restof the nation to conquer the Land and would not return totheir families until the end of the conquest.

Question: Why did these two tribes specifically want landto the east of the Jordan? (see 32:1-2 ) Answer on pg.6.

4th Aliya (Revi’i) – 32:20-33:49

Moshe accepts their request and instructs Elazar and thetribal heads to allow them to keep the land they requestedif they do battle as promised. Some of the tribe ofMenashe is also apportioned land east of the Jordan.

Parashat Masei begins by recalling the 42 journeys thatthe Israelites made from leaving Egypt until the presenttime, when they are about to cross into the Land ofCana’an (see p.6 article).

5th Aliya (Chamishi) – 33:50-34:15

God speaks to Moshe in the plains of Moab, telling him torelate to the nation that after entering the Land, they mustdestroy the idols of the Canaanites and make sure to drivethem out the Land. God tells Moshe the boundaries of theLand that the tribes will inherit.

6th Aliya (Shishi) – 34:16-35:8

God announces the names of the leaders of each tribewho will take charge of apportioning land to the tribes’members. 42 cities are set aside specifically for Levi’im tolive in, surrounded by a designated amount of openspace. These cities are also to provide refuge for a personwho has killed accidentally and is fleeing from the relativesof the deceased.

7th Aliya (Shevi’i) – 35:9-36:13

In addition, six cities are designated as special ‘cities ofrefuge’, to which the accidental killer can flee. Instructionsare given about what constitutes ‘accidental killing’ andhow the community must endeavour to protect theaccidental killer from those who are pursuing him.

Men from the tribe of Menashe approach Moshe,concerned that the land given to the five daughters ofTzelofchad, a descendant of Menashe (see parashatPinchas 27:1-8) would be lost from the tribe if they marrymen from other tribes. Moshe responds that they shouldonly marry men from the tribe of Menashe.

This is the closing part of the book of Bemidbar. We standfor the final verse and then recite: “chazak, chazakve’nitchazek”, a phrase asking for continued strength tostudy the Torah.

Point to Consider: Why is the release of the accidentalkiller to go back to his home contingent upon the death ofthe Kohen Gadol? (see Rashi to 35:25)

Haftarah

This haftarah, taken from Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah), is thesecond of the three ‘haftarot of tribulation’ read in thebuild-up to Tisha B’Av. God rebukes Israel for turningaway from Him and towards idols, forsaking theopportunity He gave them when He brought them into thefruitful Land.

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3In memory of Harav Avraham Yitzchak Yaakov ben Harav Nata Gershon

A Message for Leadersby Rabbi Chaim Gross, Editor, Daf Hashavua

“And Moshe spoke to theheads of the tribes of theChildren of Israel, saying‘this is the matter that Godhas commanded: if a manmakes a vow to God…”(Bemidbar 30:2)

Rashi (1040-1105) notes the phraseology of thefirst verse of this week’s sidrah, which states thatMoshe first instructed the heads of the tribesabout the laws of vows (nedarim) beforeinstructing the rest of the people.

Rashi adds that this was actually the procedurefor all the mitzvot. If so, why specifically was theorder pointed out here? A powerful answer tothis question is given by Rabbi Yissocher Frand(of Baltimore, USA).

We are familiar with the fact that certain types offood are forbidden by the Torah, such as non-kosher animals. Those foods are intrinsicallyprohibited. The laws of nedarim present a verydifferent facet of prohibition. For example, whenmaking a neder, one can take a food which ispermitted and render it forbidden for oneself toeat. The prohibition generated is as severe aseating certain non-kosher animals. This dramaticchange is achieved by merely reciting a certainstandard formula.

The underlying message of nedarim is the powerof the spoken word. This, explains Rabbi Frand,is why the Torah had to state specifically herethat the heads of the tribes heard the mitzvahfirst. Those in a position of power often have the ability to manipulate others and gain theirconformity through the use of force. The headsof the tribes were subject to this danger.

Yet to be truly effective, to actually shape others’ opinions, rather than to elicit superficialconformity, physical force is never effective;words have much greater power. As the

Victorian author, Edward Bulmer-Lyttonfamously said: “the pen is mightier than thesword”.

This also explains why the verse uses the term“rashei matot” to describe the tribal heads,rather than “nesi’im”, as they are often referredto elsewhere in the Torah. The word matehmeans ‘tribe’ but also means ‘a staff’. The Torahis hinting that those leaders who have physicalpower at their disposal, as represented by astaff, should nevertheless use words.

Moshe, the conveyor of these laws and thismessage, was an appropriate spokesperson forthis idea. Moshe paid a very heavy price for adeviation from the imperative to bring aboutresults through speech rather than power. Thereason why God decreed that Moshe would notenter the Land of Israel was because of theepisode at Mei Meriva (Bemidbar 20:7-13),where God had told Moshe to speak to a rock infront of the nation, after which water wouldemerge from it. However, Moshe actually struckthe rock, twice, “with his staff ”. Whilst the watermiraculously emerged nonetheless, that mistakewas irreparable for somebody of Moses’standing, given that he had deviated from God’sexpress instruction. It was fitting that, havinghimself made an error of judgement, Mosherelated the importance of this facet of leadershipdirectly to the tribal leaders.

4In memory of Shmuel Nissim ben Yaacov

Where are our Hearts by Nechama Atlas, Ma’ayan

“The children of Reuven and the children of Gad hadabundant livestock… Theysaid: 'If we have found favour in your eyes, let thisland be given to yourservants as a heritage; do not bring us across theJordan” (Bemidbar 32:1,5).

Moshe’s speech to the tribes of Reuven and Gadin this week’s sidrah can also be applied as amessage to those of us living in the Diaspora.

Reuven and Gad’s request from Moshe was thatthey should not have to cross the Jordan Riverand enter Israel. Their motivation was economic– they had a lot of cattle and were seeking goodpasture. They would be better off staying wherethey were.

According to Rabbi Yitzchak ben Moshe Arama(1420-94), Moshe, whose dream was to enterand settle in the Land of Israel, who knew thathe was forbidden to cross the Jordan and thathe would soon die and be separated from hispeople, was taken aback by Reuven and Gad’srequest.

Stay in the Diaspora? Care for the cattle? Think only of the material aspects? Lose theopportunity of life in the Promised Land? Repeatthe sin of the spies?

Moshe therefore pushed Reuven and Gad tothink again. He wanted them to understand the correct order of priorities. Where were their hearts? Were they longing for the Land ofIsrael? Of course it is legitimate to discussspecific needs, to take into considerationdifferent constraints and to decide that there is no choice but to live outside of the Land. YetReuven and Gad’s only consideration seemed tobe their cattle and wealth (see Rashi to 32:16).

After a long discussion with Moshe, Reuven andGad understood their mistake and made a

different argument. They would not neglect theirbrothers in the Land of Israel. They would takeresponsibility to cross and fight, beforereturning.

Moshe accepted their proposal, whilst subtlyrebuking them that they should prioritise buildingsafe homes for their children and wives beforementioning their cattle. Moshe would not bearound when the promise would be fulfilled.Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (1816-1893)explains that Moshe was worried, so he sentpart of the tribe of Menashe to join Gad andReuven (32:33). Menashe did not want to live inthe Diaspora. For that very reason, Moshedecided to divide that tribe into two sections onboth sides of the Jordan River, with the easternbloc constantly expressing the aspiration to livein the Land of Israel. They would take care of the daily connection between the Jews of theDiaspora and the Jews of the Land of Israel.They would make sure to keep the hearts ofthose in the Diaspora in the right place.

Today, we live in the Diaspora either because we have to or because we choose to. We arechallenged to ask ourselves: where are ourhearts? Are they in the Diaspora or in the Land of Israel? Are we making sure we are akin to half of the tribe of Menashe, who longed toreturn to the Land?

5In memory of David Yochanan ben Moshe

The History of Jewish Philosophy: Part One – Rav SaadiaGaonby Rabbi Chaim Burman, US Rabbinic Fellow

“The Jewish faith wasalmost lost. Through his writings this manilluminated crucial butunderappreciated areas ofthe Torah and united theJewish people”. These werethe words of praise that the

Rambam (Maimonides 1135-1204) had to sayabout Rav Saadia Gaon. The Rambam did notlavish praise lightly.

Rav Saadia (882-942) came from humblebeginnings in Egypt. He dedicated himself to hisstudies, becoming a well-versed and prolificpolymath. He wrote important works aboutJewish law and grammar and compiled anauthoritative siddur. In addition to eventuallybeing elevated to the position of Gaon (literally‘genius’) in the esteemed yeshiva of Sura(present day Iraq), he is most often rememberedas the first great Jewish philosopher.

He lived in a time of great intellectual ferment.The majority of Jews still lived in the Middle-East and Iberian Peninsula, alongside Christian,Muslim and Karaite groups. Inevitably, in areaswhere Jewish identity was not so strong, Jewishpeople felt unequipped in their frequentencounters with these widely-practiced andoften antagonistic faiths. Many Jews wereuneducated and confused, lacking the requiredknowledge-base and abilities to respond to thechallenges that they faced.

Whilst there was access to Tanach (the HebrewBible), Talmud and early halachic writings, therehad not yet been a systematic treatment ofclassical Jewish literature that drew togetherthese authoritative sources into one work tocreate a coherent presentation of the parametersof legitimate Jewish beliefs. Without acomprehensive guide, people were confused andsought clarity from dubious sources.

It is told that as a young man, Rav Saadiaentered a classroom of a Jewish school andnoticed a textbook lying on the teacher’s desk.He was dismayed to see that it was written byHiwi al-Balkhi, a Jew who had fused a blend ofIslam, Christian and Zoroastrian beliefs in hisderogatory presentation of the Torah. At thatmoment, Rav Saadia decided that there could beno delay; he had seen a problem and feltcompelled to resolve it. His people needed aconcise guide to authoritative Jewish belief.

Rav Saadia devoted much of his life to clarifyingand advocating the basic tenets and beliefs ofJudaism. He encountered numerous Karaitethinkers and was also drawn into debates withvarious rabbinic figures who argued forinnovative halachic positions, such as reforms tothe Jewish calendar that would have delayed thefestivals by a number of days, a change thatwould have resulted in a potential schism in theJewish nation. Rav Saadia, principally throughhis writings, was immensely successful and hispresentations were received with widespreadrecognition.

He was a philosophical optimist with a faith thatreason could demonstrate the veracity of theTorah and determine the ideal way to live. He didso with caution, however. He divided the mitzvotinto two categories: rational and “auditory”mitzvot. Rational mitzvot are ones that we couldhave derived even without revelation, such as notstealing or the institution of marriage. Auditorymitzvot are ones that we “hear” and accept fromGod even if we cannot fathom them. Forexample, we could not know about Shabbat andits laws if not for God telling us.

Although Rav Saadia categorises the mitzvot in this precise way, the distinction is alreadyapparent in the Talmud (Yoma 67b), whichdifferentiates between logical mitzvot (mishpatim)and mitzvot without a revealed reason (chukim).

(continued on page 6)

What is the purpose of theTorah listing the nation’sjourneys in the desert?

Rashi (1040-1105) writes that this shows God’skindness. He calculates that

throughout the 40 years in the desert, the nationtravelled on 42 journeys. 14 of those were in thefirst year in the desert, whilst another 8 were afterAharon’s death, during the last year in the desert.This means that during 38 years, the nationtravelled only 20 times. This shows God’skindness in not forcing the Israelites to constantlybe on the move.

Rabbi Ovadia Seforno (1470-1550) writes thatthe purpose of listing all of the desert wanderings

is to praise the nation, that we ‘followed God’into the desert despite the physical dangerinvolved. We relied on Him for everything – forfood and drink, for surviving the conditions andwe travelled on His command too.

The Kotzker Rebbe (1787-1859) suggests adifferent idea. The introductory verse – “these arethe journeys of the children of Israel” (Bemidbar33:1) – refers not only to the journeys undertakenby the generation which left Egypt, but also tothe journeys that the nation would make in theirvarious future exiles. For example, the journey toChashmonah (ibid. 33:29) is the 25th journeylisted. This alludes to the Chashmonaim andChanukah, which is celebrated on 25 Kislev.

This is typical of much of Rav Saadia’s work. Hedid not introduce new ideas into Jewishliterature; rather he collected disparate ideas andlatent themes together and presented themsystematically to offer a manageable body ofbeliefs that would consolidate and give faith itssolid foundations.

However, Rav Saadia went further, nuancing thepresentation of rational and auditory mitzvot.Even the revealed, auditory mitzvot havecharacteristics that can be explained. Forexample, we can see the logic of Shabbat as a recurring day of rest and reorientation.Conversely, when it comes to rational mitzvot,there are times when human reason alone couldnot have deduced the parameters of thesemitzvot. We could intuit the need for laws

concerning personal property and the institutionof marriage, but how would we know what kindof action constitutes a transferal of property andthat a marriage is solemnised through thetransferral of an item of value (such as a ring)?For this we required Divine revelation. Thus,philosophical speculation is useful but limited.There is a logic to areas of Torah we cannotfathom but there are also aspects of rationalmitzvot which are difficult to rationalise.

Rav Saadia’s thinking had immense influence on subsequent generations; his most famouswork The Book of Beliefs and Opinions (EmunotVe’edot) remains a classic of Jewish philosophyand is a repository of grounded theory of Jewish philosophy that remains highly relevant to this day.

6In memory of Harav Yisrael ben Eliyahu

A Short Thought by Rabbi Daniel Fine, Community Rabbi, Stanmore and Canons Park UnitedSynagogue

Answer: it would be able to accomodate theirabundant livestockThe History of Jewish Philosophy: Part One – Rav SaadiaGaon(continued from page 5)