Matot- Masei
Num. 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 Masei. “These are the stages (masei)
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 the 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.
Num.
35:9-10 “The Lord spoke further to Moses: ‘Speak to the Israelite
people and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you
shall provide yourselves with places to serve as cities of refuge to which
a manslayer who has killed a person unintentionally may flee. The
cities shall serve you as a refuge from the avenger so that the manslayer may
be brought before a tribunal…”
The concept of cities of refuge (“arei miklat”) was developed for a
society in which revenge was the usual reaction to a murder, whether
intentional or unintentional. Even today, there remain cultures in which
physical revenge is used in reaction to a range of “insults” (from “improper”
relations with a female relative to the killing of a relative). While the
concept of a city of refuge was probably not a creation of the Israelites
(there were similar concepts known in neighboring cultures of that era), it was
a mark of a society in while the rule of law was to be supported.
The Hebrew word we translate here as “avenger” (go'el) literally means
“redeemer,” as in one who redeems the honor of his clan. This shows just how
important this concept of honor was in this society.
The Torah rejects revenge and instead demands a system of tribunals to protect
the accused from the vengeance of others. If found innocent of intentional
killing, the accused would be permitted to live in the city, isolated from the
community where he had committed the non-willful slaying. For a
civilization which had yet to invent prisons, this was an important
development.
Today, we have an on-going debate about the modern form of cities of refuge,
more commonly referred to as “sanctuary cities.” The cause is certainly
different (an escaped accused murderer on the one hand and a seeker of asylum
on the other) but a common concept remains: the need for a system of law which
recognize the need for justice. How we go about finding justice in the modern
context is certainly an important is to consider. I personally am guided in
this issue by our tradition which requires us to care for the orphan, the widow,
and the stranger among us.
