Honesty, Honesty You shall pursue

My title this week is a take-off on the famous phrase from Leviticus, "Justice, Justice You shall pursue." Honesty is an essential - perhaps the essential - basis for all human interaction, and for the creation of a civil society.


Matot- Massei
Numbers 30:2 - 36:13

Précis: Matot 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.
The Book of Numbers ends with Massei. “These are the stages (massei) of the journey” which the Israelites made through the desert. In a recapitulation, all of the twenty stops along the way are identified. The Israelites are reminded to drive out the Canaanites from the land. 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.’”

These verses are very rich in potential teaching and discussion.



First, why is it that these instructions are made to the heads of the tribes, and not to the People as a whole, as is usually the case with commandments? The notes in Etz Hayim, citing Hatam Sofer, give a rationale: “People in high public office are more often tempted to make promises that they cannot keep.” We all, unfortunately, have knowledge of public officials who promise more than they can delivery, or who simply lie to the public.

Another aspect of this interpretation is that when our leaders fail to keep their promises, the people are more willing to accept subsequent failures. In such cases, the leaders lessen the respect that the people have for honesty. (Is this why America is the land of the second, third, and fourth chances?)

On yet another level, think about our Jewish institutional settings. I would submit that these verses provide a tremendously important lesson for those who are in the leadership of any Jewish organization: never make a promise you can’t keep – it’s the surest way to lose one’s credibility.

Second, the text explicitly concerns vows made to God. It may also include, according to the sage, Ibn Ezra, vows made between people based on God’s name (“bind his soul”). The seriousness of these vows was so great that tradition counseled against making them. For us, these verses are a reminder of the importance of keeping one’s word. Honesty is the basis of all successful human relations, whether personal or in the work place. There is an obvious lesson for modern politicians, for Jewish communal employees, and for parents and children as well.