The Importance of Keeping Our Word.
These two portions, Matot (Tribes) – Masei (Journeys) which ends the fourth book of the Torah Bamidbar (Numbers) deal with preparing this second generation after the exodus from Egypt to conquer the land. Many things are repeated because it takes time for us to learn and even then, we forget but there is always something new to be revealed.
Matot addresses the chieftains of the tribes, emphasizing that vows are vital. Our people Israel had made a vow at Mount Sinai – “We will do and we will obey”. What would they do and obey? The Written Torah, specifically the Ten Commandments. These two tablets, the Constitution of Israel, were kept in the Aron, the Ark in the Tent of Meeting until they were carried by the priests at the forefront of every battle. Pinchas marched out ahead of the people with this ark, blowing the trumpets as they went forth to war.
The regulations for vows made by women of all ages and statuses within the community were given to protect them at a time when women had no rights. They were considered to be like cattle that could be bought and sold; very different than societies today where feminism rules. The Torah elevated women to the level of men.
It would take a long process to purge this fledgling nation from all the biases learned under the oppressive slave system in Egypt; changing their mentality could only be done in increments. The Creator was taking Israel by the hand, like a baby, to purge them from their past.
Keeping our word is extremely important as this is one way that we are judged by others. The Creator was teaching Israel that if they didn’t keep their word, no one could trust them. He formed Israel to be ohr l’goyim, a light to the nations and they needed to be the example. When we promise to do something, we must keep it. Our great teacher and Rabbi Yeshua wisely told us that our “yes needs to be yes and our “no needs to be no”. Do not make a promise that you cannot keep and do not try to get involved in more than you can handle. Our words have power; they carry a lot of weight. We know the damage that can be done by “lashon harah”, the evil tongue or gossip.
At the end of Matot, we read about the vengeance that Israel was ordered to take against the Midianites. Our sages ask why only the Midianites and not Moab. Some say that Moab had a real fear of the Israelites who were conquering nation after nation as they travelled. Midian was not part of the territory that they were told to conquer. We also know their relationship with the Midianites through Moshe whose wife Tziporah was a Midianite and whose father-in-law Yitro was the high priest of Midian. Pinchas’ father, Eleazar was married to Putiel’s (another name for Yitro) daughter, a Midianite. This was all in the family.
Then suddenly we hear about the Midianite’s desire to do everything in their power to destroy Israel. This is called “sinat chinam – שנאת חינם”–free hatred. If we try to destroy anyone out of sinat chinam, the repercussions are great. Our Creator was warning the men of Israel that the Midianites trying to destroy them, were using their own women to entice the Israelites to be unfaithful to their God which would cause them to suffer the consequences of their actions. The Israelites were told to kill all the Midianites, but they just killed the men and kept the women as booty, even though it was the women who had enticed them.
There are consequences for hating Israel for the simple sake of hating. Sinat chinam is rampant everywhere today and Israel is being blamed for the evils in the world. Anti-Semitism is not new. The Jews have experienced one “holocaust” after another throughout the centuries – the Spanish Inquisition, the Russian pogroms, the attempted annihilation from Germany, etc., simply because we are different. This is pure envy. I have mentioned before that every great empire fell for three reasons, the last of which is the hatred of Israel. Today Iran is at the top of the list and they will suffer the consequences. On a personal level, we suffer when we hold hatred in our hearts against anyone without good reason.
Next, we read that the three tribes, Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, preferred to not enter the Promised Land because the land on this side of the Jordan River was much better for their cattle. Moshe insisted that they first join the other tribes in battle and then return to their families who had remained behind. The Creator guides us and shows us the direction that He wants us to go, but He doesn’t impose His will upon us. He also doesn’t hand everything to us on a silver platter. We need to work for what we want. Although He gave us the land, He didn’t conquer it for us; we had to fight for it.
The next portion Masei, (Journeys) covers the forty-two major locations where Israel stopped, instructing them that every disobedience to the Creator resulted in consequences thus extending their journey.
How do we relate this to today? Socialism and Progressive Liberals are very popular now, especially in supposedly advanced countries like the US and Canada where many are promoting the return to Marxism. Who is brainwashing our young people? They are being promised that everything will be provided for them – housing, education, food, medicine and work and everyone will be equal and free. Do they not see what is happening in countries like Venezuela today?
These ideals sound so beautiful but once we’re trapped in them, we see that we have become slaves. This younger generation, living in freedom, is crying out for a socialist system of handouts in which the government turns people into slaves. This is a generation of entitlement whereas the Creator is teaching us through Masei, the journeys, that if we don’t work for something, we are not entitled to it.
Marxism teaches that “the end justifies the means”, i.e., we can do “whatever” it takes to reach our goal. The Torah teaches the opposite; yes, we need to have a goal but that is not what is important; it is the journey that counts. Each stage of our life is to teach us and make us a better person if learn how to appreciate the gift of life. That applies to the formation of us as individuals, a family or a nation.
If everything comes too easy, we lose the desire to grow and improve. If we only rely on handouts, we become lazy. Everyone has the right to have the opportunity to succeed and welfare should be there only for those with special needs. Those who are capable should use their skills for the benefit of society and the development of their self-worth. Governments want to keep us dependent on handouts but they are robbing us of the desire to strive to be better by making us subservient. Slaves cannot think or do anything for themselves. The Torah teaches us that God gave us free will to exercise our minds and capabilities.
We are the only species with communication skills, feelings and intelligence but we can make the wrong choices. This is where the Torah becomes so vital; it provides us with a moral code. If we do not have moral values and integrity, society falls into chaos.
There are two systems in the world used for people to obey the rules: one is through the fear of punishment and enforcement; the other is the hope of reward and enticement. The Torah teaches a third way: it is not by being forced or enticed but by our personal moral decisions, by our integrity. We choose to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. Not because it is convenient or for payment, but because it is right. The Torah teaches us that we should not be bought, enticed, or threatened to do what is right but that it should come from our hearts.
We all struggle internally but knowing the formula in these next four steps can help us in our daily lives: First, each of us has been given the gift of Emunah, faith. When we take a step of faith, we build the second – Bitachon, trust. Third, God gave us Bechirah Chofshit – free will with which we can choose to do the right thing as we assume responsibility for our choices. Fourth, our Kavanah, our intention by which God judges us. Some people play the game of being goody-goody, self-righteous but the Creator is not easily deceived. He measures and knows our hearts. We can be the most religious or dedicated people but if our intention is only to impress, it has little value. Some say all we need to do is good works, but they have little value if they are done for the wrong reason. Do we care about others not just for ourselves or worry that we’ll be punished if we don’t do something? We need to search our hearts.
We end this book at the border of the Promised Land when Moshe is not allowed to enter. Why do you think that it ends before the taking of the land? The principle here is that the goal is not as important as the journey. When we look back at our lives some of us will see that we were not walking with the Creator at all, but later in our lives, we turned to Him. Some have been blessed to have always walked with GOD but we have all had our ups and downs. There are things that we might be ashamed of from our past, but we can say thank you God because You always give us the opportunity to make things right.
The saddest thing is to be close to the end of our lives without putting things right. When we look at our past, let’s be grateful that even if we made mistakes, we don’t have to repeat them; we can learn from them. We can make things right with ourselves and with our Creator. It is so easy to hate or dislike people and some are unlikeable but let’s put them into the hands of GOD. He is just and righteous. Let us not hold anything against anyone because we don’t know what they have been through. Pray that God opens their hearts and takes away the hatred within them. We can be an influence for good and when we treat others in the right way, we will be treated in the right way.
When discussing issues with those whose ideas differ from ours, we can simply agree to disagree. We don’t need to be their enemies. Over time we may both change our minds and see each other’s perspective in a better light. Do not be closed-minded, rather be open-minded toward others. Check their values. Just because they are liberal doesn’t mean they are evil; perhaps they are simply idealistic. Perhaps you are more down to earth than they are. When I was young, I was involved with Communism, Marxism, and Socialism and I was a proud atheist. I was sure I was right. Through people, over time, I began to see things from the right perspective; how those seemingly beautiful theories don’t work. It is because of our nature. No one is perfect and we will constantly be struggling with ourselves. Especially Israel, a name that depicts our constant struggle with our Creator. But the Torah gives us hope.
May the LORD bless you and keep you
Rabbi Netanel ben Yochanan (Ranebi)