Articles with the tag: mattos
A Living Torah (2:22)
The land east of the Jordan was ideally suited for pasture. Since the tribes of Reuven and Gad possessed vast herds, they approached Moses for permission to settle there rather than cross into Israel. Initially furious, Moses asked, “Shall your fellow countrymen go to war while you sit here?”
No, they answered. They had no wish to exempt themselves from battle. Indeed they promised to lead the charge and, “Not return home until every Israelite had received his inheritance.” So a public pledge to this effect was sworn to and Moses agreed that, “When the land is conquered…you shall be neki’im-vindicated before G-d and Israel.”
This rule of “veheyisem neki’im,” means it’s not enough to do what is right in…
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The War on Strife (31:4)
He had led them out of Egypt. He had nourished them body and soul for forty years. He had brought them the Torah from heaven. He had squashed the rebellion of Korach, battled the giant of Bashan, and now he had brought them to the edge of the Promised Land. One would think that this consummate Jewish leader could finally rest easy. But Moses was given one final task; to lead the war against Midian.
Not only Moses, but all the tribes, even his own brethren, the Levites, were ordered to participate. This was highly unusual. Since the tribe of Levi had no portion in the Land of Israel, they had no reason to actively take part in the conquest….
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Amazing Speech (30:3)
I comprehend the value of an oath. It obligates us to fulfill the Biblical directive of, “Kechol hayotzay mipiv ya’aseh - all that comes out from his mouth he must do.” The Torah, however, takes this a step - a huge step - further. A person pronounces something verboten, and the object becomes as forbidden and as spiritually dangerous as a Big Mac!
Judaism obviously disagrees with the slogan, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me.” In the realm of spirituality, words have power, even more than action. But can a human being’s vow truly affect reality, or do we just pretend it does?
Please recall that as early as the creation of man,...
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Sticking It Out (30:2)
It is certainly no accident that one of the two Biblical portions that we publicly read this week bears the name of Mattos. This section, always read during the Three Weeks wherein we mourn and re-experience the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash and the onset of Galus, carries with it a singular lesson for these trying times.
As is well known, the name of each section of Torah has significance. According to the mystical writings of the Shaloh, not only is the name thematic for the entire reading, it also is relevant to the Jewish calendar date with which it coincides.
Mattos, translated here as tribes, is used elsewhere in the Torah to mean staff or stick. Indeed, the word…
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