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Matot – Mas’ei – מַטּוֹת – מַסְעֵי (Numbers 30:2–36:13)

July 29, 2022/in Torah Tidbit

This Week’s Torah Portion: Matot – Mas’ei – מַטּוֹת – מַסְעֵי (Numbers 30:2–36:13)

וַיִכְּתֹּ֨ב מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶת־מוֹצָאֵיהֶ֛ם לְמַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־פִּ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְאֵ֥לֶּה מַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם לְמוֹצָאֵיהֶֽם׃
Vayich-tov Moshe, et-motza-eihem l’ma’s’eihem al’pi Adonai veiled mas’ei’hem l’motza’eihem.
“Moses recorded the starting points of [the Israelite’s] various marches as directed by Adonai.” Num:33:2

Moses and the Israelite people are about to complete their journey through the wilderness. Matot-Masei offers the Israelite’s a chance to reflect upon each step of their journey from Egypt to Canaan in preparation for entering the promised land. The text and list are extensive and specific. Further, each of the 42 steps of the journey Moses will recount is “directed by Adonai.” Moses’ list illustrates that God’s presence and guidance have infused each part of Israel’s forty-year desert trek.

When The Children of Israel hear Moses call out each step, they relive their past. It is this process that God has instructed through Moses, by which they are to prepare for their next step- the most extraordinary step they will take as a Peoplehood. Before they can embrace their new life as a nation living in the Promised Land, they must first take the time to examine how they culminated their momentous occasion. The people of Israel must also recognize and elevate the miracles that helped them mark this pinnacle.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is fast approaching. Matot Masei charges us with a two-fold task we can begin as we approach the new year. We must examine our steps over the past eleven months as we enter a time of renewal. Only by understanding our previous actions will we truly understand who we are and why we are where we are at this moment. As we look ahead to those peak moments we are striving for it is essential to take the time to acknowledge all of the high and low points we have experienced in our past. We must remember God’s spark is always present in both our highest and most challenging moments.

Parsha Matot – Mas’ei – מַטּוֹת – מַסְעֵי Torah Summary:

Moses explains to the Israelites the laws concerning vows made by men and women. (30:2—17) Israel wages war against the Midianites. (31:1—18) The laws regarding the spoils of war are outlined. (31:19—54) The tribes of Reuben and Gad are granted permission to stay on the east bank of the Jordan River. (32:1—42) The itinerary of the Israelites through the wilderness from Egypt to Jordan is delineated. (33:1-49) Moses tells Israel to remove the current inhabitants of the land that God will give them and to destroy their gods. (33:50-56) The boundaries of the Land of Israel are defined, along with those of the Levitical cities and the cities of refuge. (34:1-35:15) God makes a precise distinction between murder and manslaughter. (35:16-34) The laws of inheritance as they apply to Israelite women are delineated. (36:1-13) Matot – Mas’ei – מַטּוֹת – מַסְעֵי

Pinhas – פִּינְחָס (Numbers 25:10−30:1)

July 22, 2022/in Torah Tidbit

This Week’s Torah Portion: Pinhas – פִּינְחָס (Numbers 25:10−30:1)

“Who shall go out before them and come in before them, and who shall take them out and bring them in, so that יהוה’s community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd.” (Numbers 27:17)

This is the kind of leader Moses asks Adonai to appoint over Israel after he dies.

Someone who leads by example, who is always in front of everyone, not hiding behind them. Someone who has patience and empathy to see every person’s needs in the community. Someone who is as compassionate as a Shepperd with their sheep.

Parsha Pinhas – פִּינְחָס Torah Summary:

Pinchas is rewarded for killing the Israelite and the Midianite woman who cursed God. (25:10–15) Israel fights a war against the Midianites. (25:16-18) A second census is taken. (26:1–65) The daughters of Zelophehad force a change in the laws of property inheritance. (27:1–11) Joshua is chosen to be Moses’ successor. (27:15–23) The sacrificial ritual for all festival occasions is described in detail. (28:1–30:1) Pinhas – פִּינְחָס

Balak – בָּלָק (Numbers 22:2−25:9)

July 15, 2022/in Torah Tidbit

This Week’s Torah Portion: Balak – בָּלָק (Numbers 22:2−25:9)

“How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel!” (Numbers 24:5)

This is the way we open our morning prayer. This was the blessing that Balak the Moabite magician who was ordered to curse Israel and ended up blessing us.

The Midrash explains, that even though we lived for 40 years in the wilderness in tents, meaning had no privacy at all, God made sure that every tent had full privacy. We were all together when needed and at the same time, we enjoy being alone and having our privacy.

Parsha Balak – בָּלָק Torah Summary:

Balak, the king of Moab, persuades the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites so that he can defeat them and drive them out of the region. However, Balaam blesses the Children of Israel instead and prophesies that Israel’s enemies will be defeated. (22:2-24:25) God punishes the Israelites with a plague for consorting with the Moabite women and their god. The plague is stayed after Pinchas kills an Israelite man and his Midianite woman. (25:1-9) Balak – בָּלָק

Chukat – חֻקַּת (Numbers 19:1−22:1)

July 8, 2022/in Torah Tidbit

This Week’s Torah Portion: Chukat – חֻקַּת (Numbers 19:1−22:1)

“Moses made a copper serpent and mounted it on a standard; and when bitten by a serpent, anyone who looked at the copper serpent would recover” (Numbers 21:9).

Many years would pass, and King Josiah smashed all the gods and idols that the Israelites had been worshiping. Fighting against idol worshiping and idolatry, he also smashed the copper serpent made by Moses.

Sometimes what is sacred to us, becomes idol worshiping. This is one of the most difficult things to admit and accept – when the sacred becomes an idol, we need to smash it.

Parsha Chukat – חֻקַּת Torah Summary:

The laws of the red heifer to purify a person who has had contact with a corpse are given. (19:1-22) The people arrive at the wilderness of Zin. Miriam dies and is buried there. (20:1) The people complain that they have no water. Moses strikes the rock to get water for them. God tells Moses and Aaron they will not enter the Land of Israel. (20:2-13) The king of Edom refuses to let the Children of Israel pass through his land. After Aaron’s priestly garments are given to his son Eleazer, Aaron dies. (20:14-29) After they are punished for complaining about the lack of bread and water, the Israelites repent and are victorious in battle against the Amorites and the people of Bashan, whose lands they capture. (21:4-22:1) Chukat – חֻקַּת

Korach – קֹרַח (Numbers 16:1−18:32)

July 1, 2022/in Torah Tidbit

This Week’s Torah Portion: Korach – קֹרַח (Numbers 16:1−18:32)

Korach, the “evil hero” of our portion, makes a political and a spiritual claim against the “good heroes “Moses and Aaron.

The Political claim is – why did you take all the power for yourselves, and you do not share it with anyone else? The spiritual claim is the entire community is Holy so why are you pretending to be the only “holy” people worthy of getting close to the Divine and officiating all the sacred work of Adonai.

The answer is grounded in the Hebrew grammar. Adonai calls on the entire community saying to us “you shall be Holy for I Adonai am Holy.”

You shall – in the future, you are not holy yet. No person is holy. At best we are trying to achieve holiness in our lives through acts of lovingkindness towards one another. We are all on the way, trying to be there, but we all are not yet what we should and ought to be.

Parsha Korach – קֹרַח Torah Summary:

Korach and his followers, Dathan and Abiram, lead a rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. God punishes the rebels by burying them and their families alive. Once again, God brings a plague on the people. (16:1-17:15) The chief of each tribe deposits his staff inside the Tent of Meeting. Aaron’s staff brings forth sprouts, produces blossoms, and bears almonds. (17:16-26) The Kohanim and Levites are established and assigned the responsibility of managing the donations to the Sanctuary. All of the firstborn offerings shall go to the priests and all the tithes are designated for the Levites in return for the services they perform. (18:1-32) Korach – קֹרַח

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