Parshas Matos-Massei 5766

Commentary by Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum

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In the final portions of the Book of Bamidbar, Moshe was given his final tasks to fulfill before his passing. He was ordered to do battle with the Midianites, to punish them for having caused the Jewish people to sin. The spoils that were taken were divided among the soldiers and the Levites. Although the Levites did not fight in the wars, they were considered “partners” with the people in their spiritual responsibilities and were treated as such.

The tribes of Reuven and Gad asked Moshe if they could inhabit the trans-Jordanian side of Israel as their inheritance. They had much livestock and they felt that the lush pasture of this part of the land was preferable.

Moshe sharply rebuked the tribes for wanting to separate themselves from their brothers. He accused them of failing to appreciate the Promised Land, somewhat reminiscent of their fathers, who had left Egypt and died in the desert for the very same reason.

Reuven and Gad promised that they would not forsake their brothers, and that they would help them fight to conquer the land. Based on this condition, Moshe allowed them to inhabit the trans-Jordanian cities.

Moshe was also ordered to set up cities of refuge where an accidental murderer could flee from the family of his victim. These included the forty-two cities of the Levites, an additional three cities in the mainland, and three cities on the trans-Jordanian side. The murderer was to take up residence in one of these cities, until the death of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. The Talmud explains the connection to the Kohen Gadol, that had the leader of the generation been on the proper spiritual level, occurrences such as accidental murders would not have happened. Although the death was not caused through malice or intent, with proper caution it could have been prevented. This absence of caution is a result of not properly appreciating the true value of human life. The leadership must take responsibility for the nation’s shortcomings and failures.

The Talmud explains that the two-and-a-half tribes in the trans-Jordanian side of Israel had the same amount of cities as the nine-and-a-half tribes in the mainland, because there were more murders committed on that side of the Jordan. Although only accidental murderers fled to the cities of refuge, in a society where murder is commonplace, coarseness towards human life develops and they are more prone to accidents and mishaps, too.

“Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes…If a man takes a vow . . .” (Num. 30:2-3)

The Chasam Sofer explains that the laws of vows were given to the leaders because public figures often make promises they cannot keep. It is all the more important for a leader to keep his word, since people look to them as a moral compass.

An Israeli politician once promised a yeshiva government funding. When the funds were not forthcoming the Rosh Yeshiva reminded the man of his promise. The politician replied, “It’s true I promised, but I never promised to keep my promise!”

It is interesting that literally, The Torah says “When a man vows a vow….” This can be explained that taking a vow is equivalent to promising to fulfill the promise.

Did You Know...

A utensil used with meat may not be used with dairy, since the taste of the meat absorption can be emitted into the dairy. If, however, the utensil has not been used for more than 24 hours, the absorption is considered to be spoiled and it can no longer emit its taste. Thus, if a meat spoon that was not used with meat for more than 24 hours is used with dairy, it will not affect the dairy, since the meat taste is spoiled. However, the dairy taste will be absorbed in the meat utensil thus rendering the utensil non-kosher. In order to avoid confusion, one should not use any meat utensil with dairy products, and vice-versa.