Parashas Mattos - Masei

Our Parsha this week just after Rosh Chodesh Av is a double portion of Mattos-Masei which ends the fourth Book of the Torah Bamidbar .
In the last Parsha we discussed the offerings brought for the Yomim Tovim and mentioned there , was the free-will offerings and or offerings fulfilling vows , so , as one reason , in the following Parsha of Mattos, HaShem Gives the Laws of Vows .
HaShem Commands Moshe to Speak to the heads of the " Mattos " - " Tribes , " teaching them of the Laws of Vows and Oaths . The difference between a Vow and an Oath , according to our Rabbonim , is that an " Oath " - " Sh'vuah " is binding upon a person , where the person binds himself to do or not do something , whereas a " Vow " - " Neder " is taken out on an object , binding the relationship that one will have with that object , either forbidding partaking of that object , or placing a condition on an object in relation to oneself .
The idea of Vows and Oaths gives us a feeling of How HaShem Feels , In Placing a Law upon us , as when making a Vow or Oath , we are actually putting ourselves in the position like HaShem , to make a Law binding upon ourselves and the punishment for violating , is 40 Lashes , not a drop more or less . One of the reasons this Commandment was given to the Leaders of the " Mattos " - " Tribes , " was that a Leader of the Tribe or court of three laymen can annul a vow or oath .
Then HaShem Discusses a woman taking a vow and depending on her age and status , her Father or Husband can annul it on the day of their hearing . HaShem Would Prefer us not to take Vows or Oaths and deprive ourselves of that which HaShem has Blessed us to Enjoy and so , to take a Vow or Oath , is not to HaShem's Liking . So Females have an opportunity here then if their Fathers or Husbands do annul it , that males don't get , to remove a prohibition one puts on oneself .
Gemorrah Nedarim 65a tells the story of how one day our king Tzidkiyahu caught Nevuchadnezzar , king of Bavel , eating a live rabbit , a breaking of one of the seven Noachide Laws for the gentiles , and Nevuchadnezzar had Tzidkiyahu make an oath not to tell. Later on , Tzidkiyahu became ill , from wanting to tell what he had seen and wanted his oath absolved by the Judges of the Sanhedrin , which he did and then publicly told what he had seen . When Nebuchadnezzar heard he was being spoken of , he summoned Tzidkiyahu and the Sanhedrin and questioned them if an Oath can be absolved and if the person who made the Oath must appear before them and they said in the affirmative , so he knew Tzidkiyahu had told and that the Sanhedrin had absolved the Oath , so he punished them by having their hair tied to horses and pulled as the horses rode . This shows , that HaShem Does Not Like us to make Vows and Promises and Oaths , binding ourselves , for only HaShem Makes Laws that we are to live by . Though some do it , for good reasons in order to try make themselves holier , by abstaining from things , like the Nazarite Vow abstains from Wine or Grapes , though even then , they need to bring a korban as such to atone .
HaShem Then Instructs Moshe to take vengeance on the Midyanim for their immoral actions against us ,of getting their women to entice our men to serve baal peor the idol . Moshe was asked to pick a 1000 from each tribe and thus 12000 went to war against Midyan , not counting the 12 000 who stood on the side and separate from them the number of Levites that stood and prayed . Pinchas ben Elazar ben Aharon , was chosen to lead the battle and along with him , he took the Tzitz , the Head plate with the Words " Holy to HaShem . " It was at that time , that Bilaam had returned to the Midyanim out of greed , for money he claimed owing and thus , got caught up and ended up facing Pinchas . Our Midrash tells us how Bilaam was able to lift in the air , and lift the five kings of Midyan and when Pinchas displayed the Head Plate , it caused Bilaam to fall . Pinchas slew him with Bilaam's own sword , after Bilaam pleaded for his life , and Pinchas reminded Bilaam of all the evil he did to the Jewish people ( according to the Zohar ) . All five kings including Tzur - Balak of Midyan died in the battle . After the battle , the booty was brought and the women captives and animals . Moshe was angry that the women of Midyan that had caused the men before to sin , were brought . Moshe instructed that those old enough to know a man were to be killed and the younger ones were allowed to live . To know which , HaShem allowed him to see those that had been with a man , take on a green tinge .
The vessels that had come into contact with the slain , needed Kashering and so , Elazar the Kohein instructed on the methods of Kashering . The Spoils were then divided . Moshe was totally amazing , for he knew that after the battle of Midyan , his time would come , so he could have delayed the battle to delay his time , but Moshe was totally faithful to HaShem's Will and thus put his own needs aside , and saw to it that the battle took place straight away . Moshe never took part in it , for HaShem Had him sit out from this battle as the Midyanim had once given him a place to stay .
It was then that Reuvein and Gad , who had become quite wealthy from the battle and so had bought lots of cattle , made a request to Moshe to remain on the Eastern side of the Jordan and not to take their allotted portions in Eretz Yisroel .
Moshe was understandably concerned , remembering the incident of the Meraglim Spies , but they assured Moshe that they would build pens for their flock and livestock and cities for their children and would then join in with the vanguard of Israel , fighting side by side with their fellow Jewish Tribes and only then would they return to their families , after Israel was gotten for our people by Hashem . Moshe objected that in their sentence , they put their livestock before their children , but permitted them to fulfill their request as long as they fought side by side with their fellow Jews against the inhabitants of Canaan . Half the Tribe of Manasseh also joined them . Parashas Masei then begins where the word " Masei , " - " Journeys , " enumerates the journeys of the Children of Israel from Mitzrayim to Israel , place by place , all 42 stations along the way . What is the reason why HaShem Enumerated all the places they went through ? This can best be answered by an example , of a Father who dearly loves his son and they travel together from one place to another , stopping off at various places along the way where they have various memories . When they get to their intended destination , the Father writes down each place along the way and what happened in the places , so as to remember the trip they took together , thus showing the love the Father feels for his son . HaShem , For a Similar Reason , as one reason , Did The Same , for we are very special to HaShem . And so was the time and trips we spent with HaShem .
HaShem Then Enumerates the borders and boundaries of The Land of Israel for us . Also , HaShem Enumerates the Leaders of the Tribes and the division of the Land . Also , the cities to be given to the Levites are also Spoken of . Six Cities as " Cities of Refuge " - " Ir Miklat " are also designated as Cities of Refuge , for an unintentional Murderer to flee and be safe from the " Go'el HaDam , " - " The Redeemer of the Blood , " a relative of the one murdered , who may seek to kill the murderer . The one who murdered unintentionally , must then stay in the City of Refuge , where the relative cannot hurt him , in a city of holy Levites , thus ,unlike the secular World , where such a person would be put in jail with undesirables , here , in Jewish Law , he of she is put in an atmosphere of holiness among holy Levites , so they can better themselves spiritually and thus correct any spiritual impurities within them that brought them to the action of even an unintentional murder . Obviously if they leave the City of Refuge , then the Redeemer of the Blood , can kill them . The Unintentional Murderer has to stay there till the death of the Kohein Gadol and only then can they leave . If they were learning Studies from a Rabbi , then the Rabbi too must go into the City of Refuge with the person , for the Rabbi should have been enough of a Spiritual influence on the person , that they should not have been lacking the spiritual holiness , for such an event to have never come to them committing it . The Term ends with the death of the Kohein Gadol , for the demise of a Holy person, can work toward the atonement of that generation and also , the representative of the generation - The Kohein Gadol , should be Holy enough so as to keep his generation pure enough that such things should not be able to happen . The idea of the " Goel Ha Dam , " is deeper than it sounds , for the true Redeemer of the Blood should be the person whose blood spilled on the ground that the Earth swallows up and has to cover , which it does not want to do until that person is avenged of the person who committed it . Intentional Murder , must be judged with total strictness , to remove the evil from existence and thus , such a person must be sentenced to death , even to the case where such a perpetrator holds onto the horns of the Altar , as did Yoav , whom Shlomo Ha Melech was told by his Father David to sentence to death , for the purposeful slaying of two holy men of David's army . Shlomo instructed his faithful delegate Benayahu to kill Yoav where he stands . We are to root out the evil from the World .
Chazal says that the blood swallowed up by the ground doesn't rest till the slain is avenged . We see this as an example , when King Achav / Achaz and Izevel ( Jezebel ) had false witnesses set up so as to have a neighbor Navos slain , because he wanted Navos' vineyard that the time came that Achav wanted to go to war with Aram . Achav had 400 prophets who advised him wrong , to go to battle against Aram , but one true prophet Micaiah ben Imlah warned him not to . He didn't listen and went dressed in disguise as an ordinary soldier , thinking he could fool the enemy , who would naturally go for the king , but Achav/Ahaz got shot with an arrow and , being the only one to die in the battle , fought till the end and died . Up in the Heavenly Court , HaShem Asked if anyone would stand in that Achav should die , and the soul of Navos , that Achav had killed stood in and said ' let him die , ' and so , Ahav/Achaz died . Izevel too was punished , for she too met with a grizzly fate , and her body was torn to pieces and eaten by dogs , on the very field , she had helped steal from Navos , whom she helped kill . Thus , a murdered person's blood cries from the ground .
The question of Tribal Marriage comes up , where Tzelafchad's daughters are instructed to marry within their own Tribe , and so was the Law , so that Tribal Territory remains within the Tribe it is allotted to and so ends the Parsha . The Haftorah for this Shabbos , is Yirmeyahu 2:4-28;3:4;4;1-2 and continues The Upset HaShem Feels at us , at this time , between the three weeks of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av Tisha B'Av , that we are in right now .
We note through these Sedras , a general idea of leadership responsibility , where the ones in charge have a responsibility for those they lead and thus serve . Note how I put that a leader serves . Usually in the secular World , people would serve their leader , but HaShem in Yiddishkeit Teaches the proper way , where a Leader in Judaism , is to serve those he looks after , for they are his responsibility and he is to work toward ensuring that they remain holy and pure , and thus he is to lead by example , for he must be holy and pure himself , which is the best teacher and example , for all counts on how he lives and portrays himself . As the saying goes , ' teach by example . '
HaShem Puts people in high positions to Give them an opportunity for them to bring goodness and holiness to their community . A leader needs to remember that it Is HaShem Who Put them in a Leadership Position. They would never have gotten there on their own . HaShem Only , Sets them there . So many Leaders today , think they got there via their own need to climb to higher positions . But they need to realize that HaShem Only , Is In Charge , and that He Is Giving them a Test to work for Him and the people , and not work only for themselves as a leader , for it is HaShem Who Makes all things and puts people in a position to lead and Gives them the opportunity to do Good . A Leader , is in a very special position , chosen by HaShem , to represent Right and Honest and Just Ways and never to take advatage of his position in only furthering his own selfish ends . A Leader is to Lead by holy and righteous example . Dovid Ha Melech , would always carry with him a Torah and he , at all times , remembered Whom he was serving , Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu , The Holy One Blessed Be He .
The Task of a Jewish Leader , is to be a Teacher , Keeper of , and Promoter to his people , of HaShem's Torah . The best example is the one we set ourselves . We may not all be Leaders , but as Hillel said in Pirkei Avos , ' In a place where there are no Leaders , Strive to be a Leader . ' In other words , the World around each one of us that we are in the midst of , as our own personal World , is our place to lead , not as a boss , but as a World to serve and wherever we " Masei " - " Journey , " we are to bring the Light of HaShem there . The World Is Created for each one of us , and we are to teach all around us by example , to be Holy and Pure and Righteous and Good and Moral and Kind , to thus Emulate the Sweet Beautiful Ways Of HaShem , to all around us and so , be a ' Leader ' by ' Serving ,' and bringing to Holiness and Light , all around us , to HaShem .
The World around each one of us , is like a " Bamidbar " - " A Wilderness , " that we as HaShem's ' Malachim ' - ' Angels ' are to make alive , by bringing HaShem's Light into every corner of it , and so make the World in the midst of which , each one of us live , into a Garden of Eden .
I wish HaShem with all my love , A Very Sweet Special And Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh And Chodesh Tov with Forever Love , and to all my fellow Yidden , a Very Sweet Special and Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Chodesh Tov with love .