Tribes, Travels and Tribulations
D’var Torah for Parashat Matot-Massei
By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman
August 2, 2024
With this week’s Torah reading (actually a double portion, Matot -Mass’ei—"Tribes and Travels,” Numbers 30:2—36:13) we conclude the fourth book of the Torah, Numbers. As is true for so much of the rest of the Torah, the topics covered in these portions are still relevant today. First addressed here is the issue of women’s rights (a follow-up to the story of the Daughters of Zelofehad, who argued for the right to inherit their father’s property). The specific topic this time is vows, promises we make—to ourselves, to others and to God—that are so important that breaking them entails harsh penalties (though we are still given the right to revoke them through an elaborate ritual). The question that comes up in Num. 30 is whether vows made by women are valid, and if so, who has the right to revoke them.
The answer—at least by our modern sensibilities—is incomplete. Yes, vows made by women are valid; but no, they do not have the right to revoke them unless the particular woman is divorced or widowed. Married women and those who still live with their families need to rely on the male head of the household to undo their vow.
While we may think that this is unfair—and of course we would be right—let us remember that in modern-day America women did not have the right to open a credit card in their own names until half a century ago, and that later this month, on August 26, we will be marking the 104th anniversary of the ratification of 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote. And still today, some of the most divisive issues facing us as a nation, have to do with women’s rights.
The Torah’s law regarding breaking a vow is a what today we would call a split decision, and while unsatisfactory—again, by contemporary standards—it does open the door to reconsideration of women’s legal status, a long process that begins in the Torah but unfortunately is still incomplete.
The second major event covered in these chapters is the request by the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Menashe to settle on the eastern shore of the Jordan River, specifically in the area that today constitutes the Golan Heights. Moses at first is enraged by this request. Why, he asks, did we have to go through all the trouble to get here, if you decide not to enter the Promised Land? Why are you cutting yourselves off from the rest of the People?
The tribes’ response actually reassures Moses: They will remain loyal to the Covenant with God and will come to the assistance of the other tribes in times of trouble and/or wars. Only once this vow is declared does Moses acquiesce and allow them to settle in the fertile lands of the Golan.
Jews have resided in lands all over the world since the beginning of our history. Our connection to our ancestral homeland, however, was never in doubt. Still, the question of coming to the aid of other Jewish individuals and communities must have been a contentious one for centuries. In the 12th century already, Maimonides, to this day still considered the most important compiler of Jewish Law, ruled that “It is a mitzvah for all Jews who are able to come and help defend their brethren to do so, and it is forbidden to delay their coming until after Shabbat” (Mishne Torah, “Laws of Shabbat” 2:23).
In this ruling, Moses Maimonides follows the precedent established by the Prophet Moses, while also adding to it the rabbinic injunction (BT Eruvin 45a) that it is even permissible to break the Sabbath in order to fulfill this most important commandment.
Finally, as the Book of Numbers concludes, we have a recap of our travels and tribulations in the Sinai Wilderness, 40 years in total from the Exodus to the point where the Israelites are poised to enter the Promised Land.
As we reflect on our long and rich history, both ancient and more modern, we realize how relevant the Torah is still today. The long list of encampments enumerated in the final two portions of Numbers help us remember the long history of the Jewish People. Our journeys have taken us to just about every corner of the world. We all have our stories, told and retold by our parents, grandparents, or going even further into the past. Some stations along the way were like oases in the desert; others were bitter experiences.
And yet, we still adhere to the ancient vows taken by our ancestors so long ago. And while our relationship to the modern State of Israel is questioned, debated—and fought over—both among the nations of the world and even among ourselves, the rejoinder offered by Moses more than three thousand years ago, and its development as reviewed and ruled upon by Maimonides 800 years ago, remind us of the seriousness of the obligation we took upon ourselves then, and which still binds us today. One people, one God, one land.
We are one. Yet our culture is multilayered and varied, and our traditions reflect our interaction with the many peoples among whom we’ve lived. Yet we are still bound by the same vows we took thousands of years ago, following the same rituals and laws commanded us by God and Moses. How we adapt them to our lives is a matter of personal reflection and decision; yet we still always carry our past with us, even as we look toward the future. Our Covenant still governs our identity as Jews; the Commandments still direct our everyday behavior. And our deep attachment to our homeland, Israel, is still at the foundation of our relationship with God and our people.
We may argue and debate just about every issue under the sun. Yet the laws given us thousands of years ago still give inform our lives today. ‘Od Avinu chai—our ancestors still live, through us and our children. Am Yisrael Chai—the People of Israel still lives.
Chazak chazak v’nit-chazek: Let us be strong and of good courage, let us strengthen one another and together we shall be strengthened. These words are traditionally spoken as we conclude reading each book of the Torah. At the same time, they also are the lights that guide us toward the future. May they continue to shine brightly through our words, thoughts and deeds.
© 2024 by Boaz D. Heilman
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