פָּרָשַׁת מַטּוֹת Parashat Matot
INTRODUCTION:
Parashat Maṭṭoth (Num. 30:2-32:42) contains the following sidrot:
Hundred-and-Thirtieth Sidra՚, vows;
Hundred-and-Thirty-First Sidra՚, the war against the Midianites, and purification after the war;
Hundred-and-Thirty-Second Sidra՚, allocation of the spoil;
Hundred-and-Thirty-Third Sidra՚, the allocation of Transjordania.
ANALYSIS:
Hundred-and-Thirtieth Sidra՚ (Num. 30:2-17): Vows.
Parashat Maṭṭoth opens with the rules and regulations concerning vows, "If a man shall vow a vow to YHWH or swears an oath to bind a bond upon his soul/life-force, he shall not desecrate his word; according to all that goes out of his mouth he shall do" (Num. 30:3). If a young woman makes a vow or swear a bond to YHWH while she is still living in her father's house, and her father hears her making the vow or swearing the bond, but he does not object and remains silent; then all her vows and bonds shall stand. However, if on the day that she makes her vow or swears her bond, her father upon hearing objects and withholds her then none of her vows or bonds shall stand and YHWH will forgive her because her father restrained her. If a young woman whose vow or bond to YHWH had been upheld by her father subsequently marries, once her husband has been informed about it he can either acknowledge the vow or the bond, and it will still stand, or annul it, and YHWH will forgive her. If a widow or a divorcée makes a vow or bond to YHWH then all that she bound upon herself or vowed shall stand. A married woman who vows a vow or swears a bond to YHWH, and her husband hears her making the vow or swearing the bond, but he does not object and remains silent; then he has established it. However, if on the day that he heard her making the vow or swearing the bond, her husband annuls it then her vow or bond shall not stand and YHWH will forgive her; but if sometime later he decides to annul her vow or bond then he bears her iniquity.
Hundred-and-Thirty-First Sidra՚ (Num. 31:1-24): The war against the Midianites, and purification after the war.
YHWH tells Moses that the Children of Israel are to avenge themselves upon the Midianites. YHWH informs Moses that once this military action has taken place he will be gathered to his people. Moses drafts a fighting force totalling twelve thousand men, a thousand per tribe, to exact the vengeance of YHWH upon Midian. Moses sends out the army accompanied by Pinaḥas son of Elՙazar kohen to the army, along with the holy vessels as well as the trumpets. The Israelite forces attack the Midianites slaying every male, including the five kings of Midian along with Bilՙam son of Boՙor who was killed by the sword. Evidently, much to Bilՙam's own detriment rather than returning home he went to the Midianites. The Children of Israel take captive the Midianite women, their young, their beasts, their livestock, as well as plundering all their wealth. All the cities, settlements, and encampments of the Midianites they burn with fire. The captives and spoils of the war they bring to Moses and to Elՙazar the kohen, and to the Community of the Children of Israel. Moses, Elՙazar the kohen, and all the Nesi՚im of the Community go outside the camp to meet them. Moses is wroth with the military commanders - the officers of thousands and the officers of hundreds - returning from the war, for they had let live all the females! The female Midianites had been the root cause of the problem, for they had turned the Children of Israel away from YHWH in the matter of Poՙor - at Bilՙam's instigation, which resulted in a plague coming against the Community of YHWH! Moses commands them to kill all the young males, and every woman who has known a man through sexual intercourse, but all the young women who have not had sexual intercourse with a male - can be kept alive as spoil.
Moses tells the returning warriors that all those amongst them who have killed a human or touched one slain, are to stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and on the seventh day they are to purify themselves from sin along with their captives. In addition, every garment, leather item, work of goats' hair, and wooden utensil is to be purified from sin. Elՙazar the kohen tells all the returning warriors a law of the Torah that YHWH commanded Moses; all items of gold, silver, copper/bronze, iron, tin, and lead - anything that can be placed in fire - is to be passed through fire in order to be purified. However, the item still needs to be purified from sin with the Water of Separation. Any item that cannot be passed through fire shall be passed through water. The returning warriors are to launder their garments on the seventh day, and then may return to the camp, as they will be pure.
Hundred-and-Thirty-Second Sidra՚ (Num. 31:25-54): Allocation of the spoil.
YHWH tells Moses that Elՙazar the kohen and the Heads of the Fathers of the Community are to assist him in a head count of all the captive booty whether it be human or beast. The booty is to be divided 50/50 between those who went to war and all the Community. From the warriors' share a tax is to be raised for YHWH, one out of every five hundred i.e. 0.2%, is to be given to Elՙazar the kohen as a contribution to YHWH. From the Children of Israel's half of the booty, one out of every fifty i.e. 2%, is to be given to the Levites the keepers of the charge of the Mishkan of YHWH.
Total spoil:
Warriors' share:
Children of Israel's share:
The military commanders inform Moses that they have taken a head count of the men returning from the war and there has not been a single casualty. The military commanders bring an offering to YHWH from their personal booty - so as to atone for their souls/life forces - consisting of vessels of gold, armlets and bracelet, rings, earrings, and girdles. Moses and Elՙazar the kohen take the gold from them, and bring it to the Tent of appointed Times for a donation to YHWH, as a reminder for the Children of Israel before YHWH.
Hundred-and-Thirty-Third Sidra՚ (Num. 32:1-42): The allocation of Transjordania.
The Children of Reuben and the Children of Gad had an exceedingly large amount of livestock, and upon seeing that the land of Yaՙzer in the land of Gilՙad was a good place for raising livestock, they desire it for their landed inheritance. They therefore approach Moses, Elՙazar the kohen, and the Nesi՚im of the Community, and request from them the land just conquered from Siḥon along with its cities as their landed inheritance since it is a good land for their livestock. Also, they do not want to be compelled to cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan. Moses becomes angry with them, "Should your brothers go out to war, and you shall sit here" (Num. 32:6). He warns them that if they do not cross over their actions will discourage the other tribes from crossing into the land that YHWH is giving to the Children of Israel. Moses compares their behaviour to those of the lying scouts, who scouted the land while Israel was encamped at Ḳadesh Bardneyaՙ, and whose false report discouraged the people from entering the land. As a result, YHWH became extremely angry with the Children of Israel and condemned them to wander in the wilderness for the next thirty-eight years until the generation of the Exodus died out apart from Kalev son of Yefunne the Ḳenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, both of whom were completely loyal to YHWH. The Torah states that Kalev was not born an Israelite, but was a Ḳenizzite of origin, who became a Nasi of the tribe of Judah. Moses is adamant that if they do not cross into the land with their brethren then YHWH's anger will flare up once again and He will condemn the Children of Israel to a life in the wilderness that will eventually bring about their ultimate destruction. However, it is not the intention of the tribes of Reuben and Gad to discourage their fellow Israelites from crossing over into the land of Canaan. They simply want to settle in a region that is more than suitable for their ample livestock. Therefore, they are willing to strike a deal with Moses and suggest that they will first build flock-folds for their livestock as well as cities for their young ones, and then they will cross over as a shock force before the Children of Israel, while their young ones dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. Nor will they return to their homes until each one of the Children of Israel has inherited his landed inheritance. In addition, they will not demand any landed inheritance in the land of Canaan since Transjordania will be their landed inheritance. Moses agrees with this proposal on one condition, that they keep their word and go as a fighting force before YHWH until He has dispossessed His enemies from before Him. However, if they do not keep their word then they will have sinned against YHWH and their sin will find them! Moses tells them to build towns for their young ones and folds for their flocks, and to do that which they said they would do.
The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph receive as their landed inheritance from Moses, the kingdom of Siḥon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of ՙOg king of Bashan, as well as the land and the cities within their borders including the cities of the surrounding land. To the tribe of Gad - Divon, ՙAṭaroth, ՙAroՙer, ՙAṭroth Shofan, Yaՙzer, Yogbaha, Beth Nimra and Beth Haran. To the tribe of Reuben - Ḥeshbon, Elՙale, Ḳiryathayim, Nevo, Baՙal Moՙon - whose name they changed, and Sivma. To the Children of Makhir son of Manasseh - the land of Gilՙad, which they seized from the Amorites, while dispossessing them in the process.
TEACHINGS OF HAKHAM REKHAVI:
There are two types of vows mentioned in the opening sidra՚ of this parasha, נֶדֶר (neder), and אִסָּר (՚issar). A neder is usually a vow whereby one promises to do something once something else has come about, e.g. someone might vow to donate a certain sum of money to a charitable organisation every time that YHWH grants them a child. While an ՚issar is a bond or an obligation, that someone binds upon himself or herself to carry out on a regular basis, for example to swear never to eat meat or drink wine until the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. When one makes a vow or swears a bond the wording must not be open to interpretation and should be clear as well as precise. Neither should one make a vow or swear a bond that is either stupid, nonsensical, or is not in one's power to fulfil, such as, "I vow to give all the gold in the world each and every time the sky turns green". Another form of vow or bond that is invalid is either one that is a negation of the commandments of the Torah, i.e. "I vow to drink blood", or one where the object of the vow is already incumbent upon us by virtue of the Torah, "I swear to refrain from working on the Shabbath". For a neder or for an ՚issar to become actual the name of YHWH has to be pronounced in the formula, "YHWH your God you shall revere Him you shall serve; and to Him you shall hold fast, and by His name you shall swear" (Deut. 10:20). Therefore, if one was to say, "By heaven and earth I will do so and so if thus and thus comes to pass," the vow is not binding, but if one was to say, "I vow by YHWH to do so and so if thus and thus will come to pass," then the vow is binding.
"If a man shall vow a vow to YHWH or swears an oath to bind a bond upon his soul/life-force, he shall not desecrate his word; according to all that goes out of his mouth he shall do" (Num. 30:3). For an adult male as well as for a woman who is either divorced or widowed, once they have made a neder or sworn an ՚issar it cannot be abrogated and its terms must be fulfilled. They cannot turn to a kohen to revoke it nor is there a formula in the Torah for its annulment; what comes out of their mouth has to be brought about. The commandments concerning vows and bonds teach a very important lesson, that being, "We are responsible for the words that emanate from our lips and are held accountable for the good or bad that they might cause as we are for the actions of our hands". Therefore, making a neder or swearing an ՚issar should not be taken lightly. If one swears an ՚issar before YHWH that they will never eat chocolate again for as long as they live, then no matter how much they might desire chocolate in the future they can never eat chocolate again.
We would do well to remember the story of Jephthah found in the Book of Judges chapter eleven. Jephthah made a vow to YHWH that if YHWH would grant him victory against Israel's enemy then he would sacrifice to YHWH the first thing that greets him when he comes home. However, the first thing that greeted him was his daughter, whom he sacrificed. Jephthah did not think through his vow before he made it, nor were the Elders of his time well versed in the Torah for if they had been they would not have permitted him to sacrifice his daughter. This story also teaches that when true knowledge of the Torah is at a low amongst Israel, both in practical application and in knowledge of its contents, especially when such ignorance is amongst those who are the leaders of the Community of YHWH - then terrible and abominable things happen in Israel.
Parashat Maṭṭoth (Num. 30:2-32:42) contains the following sidrot:
Hundred-and-Thirtieth Sidra՚, vows;
Hundred-and-Thirty-First Sidra՚, the war against the Midianites, and purification after the war;
Hundred-and-Thirty-Second Sidra՚, allocation of the spoil;
Hundred-and-Thirty-Third Sidra՚, the allocation of Transjordania.
ANALYSIS:
Hundred-and-Thirtieth Sidra՚ (Num. 30:2-17): Vows.
Parashat Maṭṭoth opens with the rules and regulations concerning vows, "If a man shall vow a vow to YHWH or swears an oath to bind a bond upon his soul/life-force, he shall not desecrate his word; according to all that goes out of his mouth he shall do" (Num. 30:3). If a young woman makes a vow or swear a bond to YHWH while she is still living in her father's house, and her father hears her making the vow or swearing the bond, but he does not object and remains silent; then all her vows and bonds shall stand. However, if on the day that she makes her vow or swears her bond, her father upon hearing objects and withholds her then none of her vows or bonds shall stand and YHWH will forgive her because her father restrained her. If a young woman whose vow or bond to YHWH had been upheld by her father subsequently marries, once her husband has been informed about it he can either acknowledge the vow or the bond, and it will still stand, or annul it, and YHWH will forgive her. If a widow or a divorcée makes a vow or bond to YHWH then all that she bound upon herself or vowed shall stand. A married woman who vows a vow or swears a bond to YHWH, and her husband hears her making the vow or swearing the bond, but he does not object and remains silent; then he has established it. However, if on the day that he heard her making the vow or swearing the bond, her husband annuls it then her vow or bond shall not stand and YHWH will forgive her; but if sometime later he decides to annul her vow or bond then he bears her iniquity.
Hundred-and-Thirty-First Sidra՚ (Num. 31:1-24): The war against the Midianites, and purification after the war.
YHWH tells Moses that the Children of Israel are to avenge themselves upon the Midianites. YHWH informs Moses that once this military action has taken place he will be gathered to his people. Moses drafts a fighting force totalling twelve thousand men, a thousand per tribe, to exact the vengeance of YHWH upon Midian. Moses sends out the army accompanied by Pinaḥas son of Elՙazar kohen to the army, along with the holy vessels as well as the trumpets. The Israelite forces attack the Midianites slaying every male, including the five kings of Midian along with Bilՙam son of Boՙor who was killed by the sword. Evidently, much to Bilՙam's own detriment rather than returning home he went to the Midianites. The Children of Israel take captive the Midianite women, their young, their beasts, their livestock, as well as plundering all their wealth. All the cities, settlements, and encampments of the Midianites they burn with fire. The captives and spoils of the war they bring to Moses and to Elՙazar the kohen, and to the Community of the Children of Israel. Moses, Elՙazar the kohen, and all the Nesi՚im of the Community go outside the camp to meet them. Moses is wroth with the military commanders - the officers of thousands and the officers of hundreds - returning from the war, for they had let live all the females! The female Midianites had been the root cause of the problem, for they had turned the Children of Israel away from YHWH in the matter of Poՙor - at Bilՙam's instigation, which resulted in a plague coming against the Community of YHWH! Moses commands them to kill all the young males, and every woman who has known a man through sexual intercourse, but all the young women who have not had sexual intercourse with a male - can be kept alive as spoil.
Moses tells the returning warriors that all those amongst them who have killed a human or touched one slain, are to stay outside the camp for seven days. On the third day and on the seventh day they are to purify themselves from sin along with their captives. In addition, every garment, leather item, work of goats' hair, and wooden utensil is to be purified from sin. Elՙazar the kohen tells all the returning warriors a law of the Torah that YHWH commanded Moses; all items of gold, silver, copper/bronze, iron, tin, and lead - anything that can be placed in fire - is to be passed through fire in order to be purified. However, the item still needs to be purified from sin with the Water of Separation. Any item that cannot be passed through fire shall be passed through water. The returning warriors are to launder their garments on the seventh day, and then may return to the camp, as they will be pure.
Hundred-and-Thirty-Second Sidra՚ (Num. 31:25-54): Allocation of the spoil.
YHWH tells Moses that Elՙazar the kohen and the Heads of the Fathers of the Community are to assist him in a head count of all the captive booty whether it be human or beast. The booty is to be divided 50/50 between those who went to war and all the Community. From the warriors' share a tax is to be raised for YHWH, one out of every five hundred i.e. 0.2%, is to be given to Elՙazar the kohen as a contribution to YHWH. From the Children of Israel's half of the booty, one out of every fifty i.e. 2%, is to be given to the Levites the keepers of the charge of the Mishkan of YHWH.
Total spoil:
- Flock - 675,000
- Cattle - 72,000
- Donkeys - 61,000
- Humans, young women virgins - 32,000
Warriors' share:
- Flock - 337,500 tax for YHWH 675
- Cattle - 36,000 tax for YHWH 72
- Donkeys - 30,500 tax for YHWH 61
- Humans, young women virgins - 16,000 tax for YHWH 32
Children of Israel's share:
- Flock - 337,500 for the Levites 6,750
- Cattle - 36,000 for the Levites 720
- Donkeys - 30,500 for the Levites 610
- Humans, young women virgins - 16,000 for the Levites 320
The military commanders inform Moses that they have taken a head count of the men returning from the war and there has not been a single casualty. The military commanders bring an offering to YHWH from their personal booty - so as to atone for their souls/life forces - consisting of vessels of gold, armlets and bracelet, rings, earrings, and girdles. Moses and Elՙazar the kohen take the gold from them, and bring it to the Tent of appointed Times for a donation to YHWH, as a reminder for the Children of Israel before YHWH.
Hundred-and-Thirty-Third Sidra՚ (Num. 32:1-42): The allocation of Transjordania.
The Children of Reuben and the Children of Gad had an exceedingly large amount of livestock, and upon seeing that the land of Yaՙzer in the land of Gilՙad was a good place for raising livestock, they desire it for their landed inheritance. They therefore approach Moses, Elՙazar the kohen, and the Nesi՚im of the Community, and request from them the land just conquered from Siḥon along with its cities as their landed inheritance since it is a good land for their livestock. Also, they do not want to be compelled to cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan. Moses becomes angry with them, "Should your brothers go out to war, and you shall sit here" (Num. 32:6). He warns them that if they do not cross over their actions will discourage the other tribes from crossing into the land that YHWH is giving to the Children of Israel. Moses compares their behaviour to those of the lying scouts, who scouted the land while Israel was encamped at Ḳadesh Bardneyaՙ, and whose false report discouraged the people from entering the land. As a result, YHWH became extremely angry with the Children of Israel and condemned them to wander in the wilderness for the next thirty-eight years until the generation of the Exodus died out apart from Kalev son of Yefunne the Ḳenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, both of whom were completely loyal to YHWH. The Torah states that Kalev was not born an Israelite, but was a Ḳenizzite of origin, who became a Nasi of the tribe of Judah. Moses is adamant that if they do not cross into the land with their brethren then YHWH's anger will flare up once again and He will condemn the Children of Israel to a life in the wilderness that will eventually bring about their ultimate destruction. However, it is not the intention of the tribes of Reuben and Gad to discourage their fellow Israelites from crossing over into the land of Canaan. They simply want to settle in a region that is more than suitable for their ample livestock. Therefore, they are willing to strike a deal with Moses and suggest that they will first build flock-folds for their livestock as well as cities for their young ones, and then they will cross over as a shock force before the Children of Israel, while their young ones dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. Nor will they return to their homes until each one of the Children of Israel has inherited his landed inheritance. In addition, they will not demand any landed inheritance in the land of Canaan since Transjordania will be their landed inheritance. Moses agrees with this proposal on one condition, that they keep their word and go as a fighting force before YHWH until He has dispossessed His enemies from before Him. However, if they do not keep their word then they will have sinned against YHWH and their sin will find them! Moses tells them to build towns for their young ones and folds for their flocks, and to do that which they said they would do.
The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph receive as their landed inheritance from Moses, the kingdom of Siḥon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of ՙOg king of Bashan, as well as the land and the cities within their borders including the cities of the surrounding land. To the tribe of Gad - Divon, ՙAṭaroth, ՙAroՙer, ՙAṭroth Shofan, Yaՙzer, Yogbaha, Beth Nimra and Beth Haran. To the tribe of Reuben - Ḥeshbon, Elՙale, Ḳiryathayim, Nevo, Baՙal Moՙon - whose name they changed, and Sivma. To the Children of Makhir son of Manasseh - the land of Gilՙad, which they seized from the Amorites, while dispossessing them in the process.
TEACHINGS OF HAKHAM REKHAVI:
There are two types of vows mentioned in the opening sidra՚ of this parasha, נֶדֶר (neder), and אִסָּר (՚issar). A neder is usually a vow whereby one promises to do something once something else has come about, e.g. someone might vow to donate a certain sum of money to a charitable organisation every time that YHWH grants them a child. While an ՚issar is a bond or an obligation, that someone binds upon himself or herself to carry out on a regular basis, for example to swear never to eat meat or drink wine until the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. When one makes a vow or swears a bond the wording must not be open to interpretation and should be clear as well as precise. Neither should one make a vow or swear a bond that is either stupid, nonsensical, or is not in one's power to fulfil, such as, "I vow to give all the gold in the world each and every time the sky turns green". Another form of vow or bond that is invalid is either one that is a negation of the commandments of the Torah, i.e. "I vow to drink blood", or one where the object of the vow is already incumbent upon us by virtue of the Torah, "I swear to refrain from working on the Shabbath". For a neder or for an ՚issar to become actual the name of YHWH has to be pronounced in the formula, "YHWH your God you shall revere Him you shall serve; and to Him you shall hold fast, and by His name you shall swear" (Deut. 10:20). Therefore, if one was to say, "By heaven and earth I will do so and so if thus and thus comes to pass," the vow is not binding, but if one was to say, "I vow by YHWH to do so and so if thus and thus will come to pass," then the vow is binding.
"If a man shall vow a vow to YHWH or swears an oath to bind a bond upon his soul/life-force, he shall not desecrate his word; according to all that goes out of his mouth he shall do" (Num. 30:3). For an adult male as well as for a woman who is either divorced or widowed, once they have made a neder or sworn an ՚issar it cannot be abrogated and its terms must be fulfilled. They cannot turn to a kohen to revoke it nor is there a formula in the Torah for its annulment; what comes out of their mouth has to be brought about. The commandments concerning vows and bonds teach a very important lesson, that being, "We are responsible for the words that emanate from our lips and are held accountable for the good or bad that they might cause as we are for the actions of our hands". Therefore, making a neder or swearing an ՚issar should not be taken lightly. If one swears an ՚issar before YHWH that they will never eat chocolate again for as long as they live, then no matter how much they might desire chocolate in the future they can never eat chocolate again.
We would do well to remember the story of Jephthah found in the Book of Judges chapter eleven. Jephthah made a vow to YHWH that if YHWH would grant him victory against Israel's enemy then he would sacrifice to YHWH the first thing that greets him when he comes home. However, the first thing that greeted him was his daughter, whom he sacrificed. Jephthah did not think through his vow before he made it, nor were the Elders of his time well versed in the Torah for if they had been they would not have permitted him to sacrifice his daughter. This story also teaches that when true knowledge of the Torah is at a low amongst Israel, both in practical application and in knowledge of its contents, especially when such ignorance is amongst those who are the leaders of the Community of YHWH - then terrible and abominable things happen in Israel.
