Hello from Pennsylvania and welcome to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa based in Mason City. I've been in Lancaster County for several days and spent some time learning about the Old Order Amish. It's been quite the adventure. So many things this group does would be very familiar to the Jew. We'll chat about it a bit next week which, by the way, is when we gather for services on Friday the 21st at 7:00PM and then our Torah Study (Midrash) will be on Shabbat (22nd) starting at 10:00AM. We will be studying the book of Devarim which means "words". You may know it as Deuteronomy. The portion is Deut. 1:1 - 3:22 so you can get a head start.
Also next week begins the Hebrew month of Av which is the 19th of July. For the past several weeks observant Jews have refrained from entering into contracts, holding weddings, bar or bat mitzvah celebrations even getting a haircut...it is a period of mourning for the destruction of both temples and a host of other horrible things that happened to the Jewish Community. We'll talk about that as well.
It's nearly Shabbat so let's dig into Torah Thoughts.
This week you get TWO for the price of one. We're reading Torah Portions Matot-Masei or Numbers 30:2 - 36:13.
The word "matot" means tribes and is found in the opening line: "Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes...". Meanwhile the word "masei" means journeys which is found in the first line of Numbers 33:1, "These are the journeys of the Children of Israel....".
In the first parsha we learn about vows and oaths. The Hebrew word for a vow is neder. In this parsha we learn how important it is to keep your word. The rabbis tell us this is as important as a commandment. For example if you were to make a vow, "I will not, for thirty days, consume Kool-Aid of any color." Then you must keep your neder. The rabbis say that failure to do what you vow to do results in (ready?)...lashes! Yikes!
Meanwhile what is the difference between a vow and an oath? A vow (nedar) is a voluntary prohibition to do something. Meanwhile by declaring an oath is reserved for either prohibiting or requiring yourself to perform an act. Confusing? Try this, A neder (vow) changes the status of the object: for example, if I have made an apple forbidden to myself, the apple has the status of a forbidden food to me, so I can not enjoy an apple. In contrast, an oath places an obligation only on the person: for example, if I have sworn to eat an apple, there is a new obligation on me but the lawful status of an apple is unchanged. So, while you may make an oath to eat a pork chop you really can't because the pork chop is still treif and not kosher.
Next in this reading Israel takes vengeance against the people of Midian and it's not pretty.
We then learn about the value of being in something "together".
The tribes of Ruben and Gad say to Moses that they would like to settle not in Israel but outside of land. Moses has a hard time with that thinking that the tribes did not want to enter Israel for the battles that were to come. Ruben and Gad make clear that that is not their intent and that they wish to lead in battle.
So, what do we learn here? The importance of staying together to finish a mission...as long as that mission is righteous. In this portion we also learn that it is G-d who gives the entire Land of Israel to the Jew. How do we know that? "Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess" (Num. 33:53).
In Parsha Masei (journeys) the Torah summarizes the entire route followed by Israel from the Exodus to standing at the Jordan River to cross over into the Promised Land. We then read about the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel). What is interesting here is that while the Jews could take other lands they were not allowed to do so until they conquered the prescribed Land.
We also learn that about the willful and accidental killing...and who can and cannot be a witness.
There is then an interesting issue of a woman's right to choose. You can read that starting in Numbers 36:1. It all has to do with land and who gets what. Moses ends the debate of who might marry who by saying, "Let them be wives to whomever is good in their eyes..."
Shabbat Shalom thank you for reading!
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