B"H
Thursday, Tammuz 29, 5778 / July 12, 2018
This Shabbat we read the two final portions of the book of Numbers (Bamidbar), Matot and Masei.
When the Torah reader finishes Parsha Masei, everyone rises and in unison we say, “Chazak, Chazak, Venitchazeik.” This means, “Be strong, be strong and let us together be strengthened.”
This is done whenever we conclude one of the Five Books of the Torah. This Shabbat we will have concluded the Fourth Book of the Torah, the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar).
The Book of Numbers spans the 40 years that the Jewish people were in the desert. The next Book, which is the last book of the Torah, Devarim (Deuteronomy), will be about Moshe’s parting words to the Jewish people before his passing away. It encompasses the last five weeks of Moshe’s life.
Parshat Matot begins with the laws of vows (Nedarim); "And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, ‘This is what the L-rd has commanded; When a man makes a vow to the L-rd or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bind, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all which came out of his mouth.’" The general law of vows also applies to women.
Q. Why are the laws of vows recorded in Parshat Matot, at the end of the Fourth Book of the Torah, and not earlier as were all the other laws?
A. The water supplied to the Jewish people throughout their 40 years in the desert came from a rock. After Miriam passed away, the rock stopped giving water. G-d told Moshe and Aaron to seek out the rock and speak to it, so it will give water. But Moshe mistakenly hit the rock. In punishment for not doing exactly as G-d told them, G-d made a vow that Moshe and Aaron will not enter into the Promised Land and will die in the desert.
To the very end of his life, Moshe didn’t give up hope. He prayed and begged G-d to allow him entry into Israel, but to no avail.
Now, as the Jewish people were about to enter into the Promised Land, the Torah records the laws of the importance of keeping a vow. Our sages say that all the laws which G-d commanded us to keep, He too keeps them. In other words, G-d says do as I do (not just do as I say). By telling Moshe to command the people about the importance of keeping one’s vow, G-d wanted Moshe to understand why He intended on keeping His own vow that Moshe will not enter the Land.
Point of interest: All the men, between the age of twenty to sixty, when they came out of Egypt, didn’t merit to go into the Promised Land and died in the desert. But the women all merited to go into Israel.
Thursday night and Friday is Rosh Chodesh of the new month, Menachem Av.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY