A Promise is a Promise

Matot - Masei

Numbers 30:2-36:13

Precis: Matot is the first of this double parasha reading, It begins with a speech to the heads (matot) of the tribes concerning the importance and sacredness of vows. The parasha then returns to the war with the Midianites, including the purification of the warriors and division of the booty. The tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh express their desire to dwell east of the Jordon, and are permitted to do so, after promising to enter the Land to help the rest of the People defeat the Canaanites.

Masei is the concluding parasha of the Book of Numbers. “These are the stages (massei) of the journey” which the Israelites made through the desert. In what amounts to a recapitulation, all of the stops along the way are identified. The Israelites are reminded to drive the Canaanites from the Land. Most of the parasha outlines the Israelites' entry to the Promised Land and sets out first steps to be taken as they establish their national home, including the distribution of land among the tribes. The Levitical cities are described, as well as the cities of refuge. Just prior to their invasion of the land, the laws differentiating between murder and killing are repeated. The parasha ends with a summary of the commandments and ordinances. 

Numbers 30:2 -3 “And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of Israel, saying: ‘This is a thing that Adonai has commanded: When a man vows a vow to Adonai, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word, but will do according to what comes from his mouth.’”

This week’s parasha tells us much about the Jewish concepts of obligation and commitment.  First, we see the current verse regarding vows made to God, and the importance (if not inviolability) of such oaths.  Next, the parasha reviews the shared obligations of the various tribes in their wars with Midian. Following this discussion (Numbers 31:14-21) we read about the requests of the tribes of Reuben and Gad to makes their homes on the east bank of the Jordan because it seemed a good place to raise their herds. This at first appears to be an instance of their shirking of communal responsibility to help conquer the Promised Land, but this problem is soon resolved by their promise to place warriors from their tribes in the vanguard of invading Jewish troops.

What is the connection between vows (obligations) made to God and commitments to our community? I would suggest that the confluence of these two concepts in this week’s reading is not coincidental. Judaism is a religion of commitment and obligation. It is also a religion which defines our relationship to God and our relationship to our community. The parallels we find in this parasha remind us that our obligations to community are in fact also obligations to the "higher authority."

Family

Pinchas

Numbers 25:10 - 30:1

Précis: This parasha begins with a reward for Pinchas’ zealotry in slaying the offending adulterers at the conclusion of the previous parasha. (His reward: the hereditary High Priesthood for his family). The parasha continues with a second census conducted by Moses, with war being declared against Midian. The laws of inheritance are amended to provide, at least in certain cases, for daughters to inherit their fathers’ estates. Joshua is appointed the successor to Moses as leader of the People. The parasha then shifts to details of daily sacrifices, offerings for the new moon, and Festivals.

Numbers 27:1-4   “And the daughters of Zelophehad… came forward… The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They stood in front of Moses, saying, ‘Our father died in the wilderness…and he had no sons… Give us a possession among our father’s kinsmen....’”

When we look at Biblical narrative, one can easily see it as a story of sibling rivalry, generation after generation. (I remember being called on the carpet by a rabbi as a teenager when I said that certain parts of the Joseph saga revealed a “dysfunctional family”). But when we look objectively, from the story of Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel  to Joseph and his brothers, the inability of siblings to get along is almost startling. (It is most telling that the unique positive relationship between Menashe and Ephraim is cited by the Sages as one of the reasons that we bless our children by hoping that they can be like that particular set of brothers!)

The rivalries between siblings is most commonly characterized by a fight between an individual’s wants and desires while he or she ignores the harmful, hurtful impact on the other sibling. In this light, the story in this week’s parasha about Zelophehad's daughters takes on a unusual and important aspect. The sisters act together to obtain a common goal, a point reinforced by the text’s specific inclusion of each of the individual names of daughters. Each daughter merits individual mention because their ability to work for the collective good is rare in Biblical narrative. Their ultimate success in securing a mutual inheritance occurs only because they work together.

We remember these names not only because their descendants inherited a portion of tribal land. More importantly, we recall their names because of their dedication to the essential Jewish values of family togetherness and cooperation. Their story thereby remains an inspiration to us all.