This Week’s Torah Portion: Matot – Mas’ei – מַטּוֹת – מַסְעֵי (Numbers 30:2–36:13)
“Shall your brothers to go to war while you stay here?” (Numbers 32:6).
Moses rebukes the tribes of Gad and Reuben, assuming they are planning not to fight alongside the other tribes. His words echo still today, with the fierce battle of Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews to be exempt from the national draft to the army, and in a way, to everyone who lets other people carry the burden and exempts themselves.
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
“Shall your brothers to go to war while you stay here?” (Numbers 32:6).
Moses rebukes the tribes of Gad and Reuben, assuming they are planning not to fight alongside the other tribes. His words echo still today, with the fierce battle of Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews to be exempt from the national draft to the army, and in a way, to everyone who lets other people carry the burden and exempts themselves.
