No More Starry Nights
We are moving right along in our parashas' and are in Matot this week. This begins in Numbers 30:1-32:42. We open up this parasha with YHVH speaking to Moshe about vows and oaths. There is no equivalent in English to the Hebrew word neder, so it ends up being translated as 'vow' in English. The passage refers to married women who take on vows to YHVH. Sometimes the vows they make are not good ones. A husband who hears his wife utter such a vow can cancel that vow before YHVH and she isn't held accountable for it. The same goes for the man's daughter who is single and living under his jurisdiction. However, when the daughter marries, it is her husband's responsibility at that point to cancel her non Torah vows and oaths. Now we have YHVH commanding Moshe to go to war with the Midianites. YHVH comes right out and tells Moshe, after this war is over, you are joining your fathers in death. In this case, a lot of us would make that war and the preparation for it last a 'really long time':. But not Moshe, he set about to get the ball rolling, knowing full well his death would come some time afterwards. He told them a thousand from each tribe would go out to war. That would be twelve thousand people I do believe. Notice who was also sent out with them, but not to fight, Pinchas.
He was to carry the set apart instruments, the trumpets. So they killed all the men and the five kings of Midian. They took all the women captive and kids captive. They also took their stock. Upon returning, we find Moshe highly upset with the officers of the war. These men allowed the women to live who had been involved in making the Israelites sin back in the incident with Balam. So Moshe instructed his men to kill every male child and every woman, young or old, who had been with a man intimately. I know this seems very cruel to us today. But remember, there is only a good seed and a bad seed in the earth. If these males were carriers of the bad seed, young or old, what would happen to people on down the line when they multiplied? We have to trust that YHVH knows what He is doing when he gave this order through Moshe. The next thing that comes to mind is, how did they know which women had laid with a man? Was it the sparkle in their eye, or the way they walked, or what:? Well I'm going to tell you what the sages teach is the answer to that question. They teach the Kohen Gadol's (High Priest) Headplate identified the women whom the Divine One condemned to death. The women were made to pass before the Headplate and the guilty women's faces miraculously took on a greenish complexion. (Rashi) Another way could have been from having them drink the waters of purification (the Sotah), as did the adulteress woman. The only other way it could have been we won't go into.
But let's say they never worried about making a woman taken captive 'embarrassed' about going through 'anything'. One way or another, there had to be a specific way to determine the guilty from the innocent. Afterwards, they were to reside outside the camp for seven days and purify both themselves and their captives on the third and seventh days. Not only were they to purify themselves, but their raiment and anything that was used in the raid. Things that could withstand the fire had to be put through the fire, other things had to be immersed in water. Then the spoils of the war were divided in half between the men who had actually gone out to fight and the rest of the people. Of course a portion was offered up to YHVH. The captains of thousands and hundreds offered up all the gold and jewels they had acquired in battle. It was an offering to YHVH in Thanksgiving for not allowing any of them to perish in the war. The time has come for them to be getting ready to enter the land. So what happens with Reuben and Gad? They have lots and lots of cattle and they see the land of Yazer and Gilead has great pastures for cattle. They arrive at the idea they would like to reside on that side of the Jordan. But that didn't set well with Moshe in the least! He didn't want all the rest of the tribes going to war while Reuben and Gad sat back enjoying the good life in their new place. He even informs them that YHVH will be angry with the entire nation and 'keep all of them back' if they refuse to go into the land.
So he makes a deal with them. They go and fight with their brothers and then when all is said and done, they can return here to their family and their livestock. Also, it says half the tribe of Manasseh stayed behind in that land. Actually, the word used there for half, can mean simply a portion of. It's believed this is the correct term in this case, as only two of Manasseh's eight families settled on the East Bank. It is said it took seven years before everything was done and these men were able to return back home. Seven, YHVH'S number for completion, makes perfect sense! Of course to me this seems like a long time to be away from your family. Maybe they went back and visited once in a while:. I believe I forgot to mention the death of someone famous in this parasha, Balam. He was killed by the Israelites, ran through with the sword during the fight with the Midianites. Sometimes, being in the wrong place with the wrong people can cost you dearly! Balam spent too many starry nights with the Midianites! Hey, that last sentence rhymes, just in case you didn't notice:. Next time we'll wrap up the book of Numbers, see you then. Shalom
He was to carry the set apart instruments, the trumpets. So they killed all the men and the five kings of Midian. They took all the women captive and kids captive. They also took their stock. Upon returning, we find Moshe highly upset with the officers of the war. These men allowed the women to live who had been involved in making the Israelites sin back in the incident with Balam. So Moshe instructed his men to kill every male child and every woman, young or old, who had been with a man intimately. I know this seems very cruel to us today. But remember, there is only a good seed and a bad seed in the earth. If these males were carriers of the bad seed, young or old, what would happen to people on down the line when they multiplied? We have to trust that YHVH knows what He is doing when he gave this order through Moshe. The next thing that comes to mind is, how did they know which women had laid with a man? Was it the sparkle in their eye, or the way they walked, or what:? Well I'm going to tell you what the sages teach is the answer to that question. They teach the Kohen Gadol's (High Priest) Headplate identified the women whom the Divine One condemned to death. The women were made to pass before the Headplate and the guilty women's faces miraculously took on a greenish complexion. (Rashi) Another way could have been from having them drink the waters of purification (the Sotah), as did the adulteress woman. The only other way it could have been we won't go into.
But let's say they never worried about making a woman taken captive 'embarrassed' about going through 'anything'. One way or another, there had to be a specific way to determine the guilty from the innocent. Afterwards, they were to reside outside the camp for seven days and purify both themselves and their captives on the third and seventh days. Not only were they to purify themselves, but their raiment and anything that was used in the raid. Things that could withstand the fire had to be put through the fire, other things had to be immersed in water. Then the spoils of the war were divided in half between the men who had actually gone out to fight and the rest of the people. Of course a portion was offered up to YHVH. The captains of thousands and hundreds offered up all the gold and jewels they had acquired in battle. It was an offering to YHVH in Thanksgiving for not allowing any of them to perish in the war. The time has come for them to be getting ready to enter the land. So what happens with Reuben and Gad? They have lots and lots of cattle and they see the land of Yazer and Gilead has great pastures for cattle. They arrive at the idea they would like to reside on that side of the Jordan. But that didn't set well with Moshe in the least! He didn't want all the rest of the tribes going to war while Reuben and Gad sat back enjoying the good life in their new place. He even informs them that YHVH will be angry with the entire nation and 'keep all of them back' if they refuse to go into the land.
So he makes a deal with them. They go and fight with their brothers and then when all is said and done, they can return here to their family and their livestock. Also, it says half the tribe of Manasseh stayed behind in that land. Actually, the word used there for half, can mean simply a portion of. It's believed this is the correct term in this case, as only two of Manasseh's eight families settled on the East Bank. It is said it took seven years before everything was done and these men were able to return back home. Seven, YHVH'S number for completion, makes perfect sense! Of course to me this seems like a long time to be away from your family. Maybe they went back and visited once in a while:. I believe I forgot to mention the death of someone famous in this parasha, Balam. He was killed by the Israelites, ran through with the sword during the fight with the Midianites. Sometimes, being in the wrong place with the wrong people can cost you dearly! Balam spent too many starry nights with the Midianites! Hey, that last sentence rhymes, just in case you didn't notice:. Next time we'll wrap up the book of Numbers, see you then. Shalom