Matos – Page 4 – Peninim on the Torah

נקם נקמת בני ישראל מאת המדינים... וישלח אתם משה... ואת פנחס בן אלעזר

Exact the revenge of Bnei Yisrael from the Midyanim… Moshe sent them… with Pinchas ben Elazar HaKohen. (31:6)

Hashem instructed Moshe Rabbeinu to exact revenge against the Midyanim for their role in causing Klal Yisrael to sin with the Moavite girls and worship the Peor idol. Moshe himself did not lead the way; instead, he chose Pinchas. Rashi attributes Moshe’s reasoning to the fact that Pinchas had begun the deed of reckoning, by slaying Kozbi, the Midyanite Princess, who had cohabited with Zimri, the renegade Prince of the Tribe of Shimon. Let the one who initiates the revenge carry on to the next phase. Alternatively, Pinchas was a descendant of Yosef HaTzaddik who was sold by his brothers…

Home -> Matos -> 5774

והנה קמתם תחת אבתיכם תרבות אנשים חטאים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Matos

Behold! You have risen up in place of your fathers, a society of sinful people. (32:14)

At the end of Talmud Sukkah (56b) Chazal teach that the mishmor, watch, of Bilgah always divides in the south. This means: The incoming watch divides the Lechem HaPanim, Showbread, in the north, since most offerings were slaughtered in the northern side of the courtyard. Thus, it was apparent that they were the incoming mishmor. The outgoing watch divided the Lechem HaPanim in the south, so that it should be clear that they were leaving. The family of Bilgah always divided in the south as the result of an incident involving Miriam, the daughter of one of the Kohanim of…

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ויתן להם משה לבני גד ולבני ראובן ולחצי שבט מנשה בן יוסף את ממלכת סיחן... ואת ממלכת עוג

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Matos

So Moshe gave to them – to Bnei Gad, and Bnei Reuven, and half the tribe of Menashe ben Yosef – the Kingdom of Sichon… And the Kingdom of Og. (32:33)

The lands which were inhabited by the kingdoms of Sichon and Og were very fertile. Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuven were two tribes which had large herds of sheep and cattle. The fertile grazing land would be a boon for them. They, therefore, approached Moshe Rabbeinu and requested to lay claim to the eastern portion of the Jordan, Eivar ha’Yardein, for themselves and their families. They were granted their wish, and the two tribes, with the added complement of half the tribe of Menashe, were allowed to remain on Eivar haYardein. The question is obvious: Where did the tribe of…

Home -> Matos -> 5774

לא יחל דברו ככל היוצא מפיו יעשה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, Matos

He shall not desecrate his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do. (30:3)

For the most part, the idea of “keeping one’s word” is ethical in nature. I gave my word; someone relied on my word; it is only right that I keep my word. Our parsha teaches a new dimension in “word keeping”: our words are sacred. If one breaks his word, as in a promise to pay back a debt, to perform a specific endeavor, etc., he is not just acting unethically, but he is actually desecrating his word. Words are holy. We are used to thinking that kedushah, holiness, is relegated to space, time, objects. We view sanctity as innate….

Home -> Matos -> 5773

איש כי ידור נדר לד' או השבע שבועה לאסר אסר על נפשו לא יחל דברו ככל היוצא מפיו יעשה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Matos

If a man will take a vow to Hashem or swear an oath to establish a prohibition upon himself, he shall not desecrate his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do. (30:3)

Rashi teaches that vows and oaths apply only when one seeks to render prohibitive that which is permitted. One cannot, however, utilize oaths and vows to permit that which is forbidden. Horav Meir Shapiro, zl, was an individual known by many titles, one of which was Lubliner Rav. He followed a long line of distinguished rabbonim, one of whom was the famous Maharshal who preceded him by four centuries. The Maharshal was a formidable gadol, a talmid chacham, Torah scholar without peer, and a Kabbalist of great renown. The following story was often related by Rav Meir Shapiro. He had…

Home -> Matos -> 5773

נקם נקמת בני ישראל מאת המדינים אחר תאסף על עמיך. וידבר משה אל העם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5773, Matos

Take vengeance for Bnei Yisrael against the Midyanim. Afterward you will be gathered unto your people. Moshe spoke to the people. (31:2,3)

Remarkable! The Midyanim were to receive their due punishment in response to their involvement in the Jews’ sins of immorality and idolatry. This punishment resulted in the deaths of 24,000 Jewish souls. Hashem told Moshe that this “unfinished business” should be addressed now, since his death was tied to it. In other words, Moshe was going to leave this world as soon as he carried out this last retribution. Our quintessential leader, Moshe Rabbeinu, could easily have taken his time in executing Hashem’s command. He did not. Indeed, he did it immediately, so great and intense was his love for…

Home -> Matos -> 5772

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Matos

“If a man takes a vow to Hashem… to prohibit a prohibition upon himself, he shall not profane his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do.” (30:3)

Chochmas HaMitzpon draws a penetrating analogy from the laws of Nedarim, vows, and the Torah’s admonition to keep one’s word to the regular prohibitions of the Torah. It is well- known that if one is ill with a serious disease, he will seek out a specialist in that field. Even specialists have various levels of experience. Commensurate with the gravity of the illness, one will make every effort to see the most qualified practitioner. There seems to be a parallel between the physician’s level of expertise and the seriousness of the disease. The more qualified the physician one seeks, the…

Home -> Matos -> 5772

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Matos

“He shall not profane his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do.” (30:3)

Horav Mendel, z.l., m’Kosov rendered this pasuk homiletically: Hashem will fulfill the blessing of the person who guards his mouth, who does not make his words chullin, mundane. In other words: if one sanctifies his speech, if he does not waste his words and everything that he says is of a holy nature, Hashem will make it His priority to fulfill this individual’s blessings. It is told that Horav Yisrael Abuchatzeira, z.l., the Baba Sali, went to Ashdod in 1966 together with his father-in-law, Horav David Yehudiaf, z.l., to visit a venerable sage. The Baba Sali encouraged his father-in-law to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, Matos

“A thousand from a tribe, a thousand from a tribe, for all the tribes of Yisrael shall you send to the legion.” (31:4)

The Midrash discusses the number of soldiers who went out to battle. According to one point of view, each tribe sent two thousand men, while the other view contends that each tribe sent three thousand men. The men were divided into three groups: twelve thousand were soldiers who fought in battle; twelve thousand were in charge of the various vessels and weapons; twelve thousand were there to pray. We wonder why there was a need to have an equal number of men designated specifically for prayer. This was Hashem’s war; He commanded Bnei Yisrael to wage war on the Midyanim,…

Home -> Matos -> 5771

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, Matos

If a man will take a vow to Hashem or swear an oath to prohibit a prohibition upon himself, he shall not desecrate his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do. (30:3)

Rashi teaches that vows and oaths apply only when one seeks to render prohibitive that which is permitted. One cannot, however, utilize oaths and vows to permit that which is forbidden. Horav Meir Shapiro, zl, was an individual known by many titles, one of which was Lubliner Rav. He followed a long line of distinguished rabbanim, one of whom was the famous Maharshal who preceded him by four centuries. The Maharshal was a formidable gadol, a talmid chacham, Torah scholar without peer, and a Kabbalist of great renown. The following story was often related by Rav Meir Shapiro. He had…

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נקם נקמת בני ישראל מאת המדינים... וישלח אתם משה... ואת פנחס בן אלעזר

Exact the revenge of Bnei Yisrael from the Midyanim… Moshe sent them… with Pinchas ben Elazar HaKohen. (31:6)

והנה קמתם תחת אבתיכם תרבות אנשים חטאים

Behold! You have risen up in place of your fathers, a society of sinful people. (32:14)

ויתן להם משה לבני גד ולבני ראובן ולחצי שבט מנשה בן יוסף את ממלכת סיחן... ואת ממלכת עוג

So Moshe gave to them – to Bnei Gad, and Bnei Reuven, and half the tribe of Menashe ben Yosef – the Kingdom of Sichon… And the Kingdom of Og. (32:33)

לא יחל דברו ככל היוצא מפיו יעשה

He shall not desecrate his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do. (30:3)

איש כי ידור נדר לד' או השבע שבועה לאסר אסר על נפשו לא יחל דברו ככל היוצא מפיו יעשה

If a man will take a vow to Hashem or swear an oath to establish a prohibition upon himself, he shall not desecrate his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do. (30:3)

נקם נקמת בני ישראל מאת המדינים אחר תאסף על עמיך. וידבר משה אל העם

Take vengeance for Bnei Yisrael against the Midyanim. Afterward you will be gathered unto your people. Moshe spoke to the people. (31:2,3)

“If a man takes a vow to Hashem… to prohibit a prohibition upon himself, he shall not profane his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do.” (30:3)

“He shall not profane his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do.” (30:3)

“A thousand from a tribe, a thousand from a tribe, for all the tribes of Yisrael shall you send to the legion.” (31:4)

If a man will take a vow to Hashem or swear an oath to prohibit a prohibition upon himself, he shall not desecrate his word; according to whatever comes from his mouth shall he do. (30:3)

YEARS

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