Matot | The Legitimacy of Living Outside of Israel
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In memory of Nathaniel H. Leiderman, Naftali Hertzke ben Mayer Eliezer v'Gitel whose seventh yahrtzeit was on 11 Tammuz. Dedicated by Ira Leiderman and Mindy Smith and their children Eric and Cara.
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This shiur is dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Aaron Wise z"l (whose yahrzeit is Tammuz 21),
by the Wise and Etshalom families. Yehi Zikhro Barukh.
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Adapted by Shaul Barth
Translated by Kaeren Fish
In this week's parasha, we read of the request by the tribes of Gad and Reuven to settle on the eastern bank of the
At first, we read that the two tribes see the eastern bank of the
Moshe's response is immediate and unequivocal. At first, he reproaches these tribes for even suggesting the idea: "Shall your brethren then go to war while you sit here?!" But then he goes on to rebuke them for the more general influence that they are going to have: "Why do you dishearten Bnei Yisrael from passing over to the land which God has given them?" In the first sentence, he speaks as a prophet and spiritual guide; in the second, he reacts as a political and military leader, who must consider not only the ethical nature of their request, but also its wider national ramifications.
But Moshe does not stop at these two admonitions. He goes on to challenge them in his capacity as Moshe Rabbeinu – the person who has led and accompanied them through the wilderness for forty years, for whom the request by these two tribes comes as a slap in the face in view of all that he has tried to teach and inculcate: "So your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to view the land… and behold, you have risen up in place of your fathers, a gang of sinful people, to stoke up God's anger again against Israel."
Following this first part of the story, we reach the second part, where the tribes of Gad and Reuven respond: "We shall build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our children, but we ourselves shall go up armed before Bnei Yisrael until we have brought them to their place… We shall inherit with them on the other side of the
The commentaries are divided as to whether this reaction is an elaboration of their original request, where Moshe did not at first understand their intention, or whether this represents an amendment to their original plan in light of Moshe's fierce response. The verses themselves leave both options open. Either way, when Moshe hears their explanation, he accepts their request and declares, "If you will do this thing… you shall be guiltless before God and
But we are left with an unanswered question: is the request by the tribes of Gad and Reuven now acceptable? Was Moshe's sole concern that these tribes would lend a hand in the conquest of the land? Is the very idea of leaving – or relinquishing their part of – the land not in itself problematic?
In Maskehet Bikkurim (1:10), R. Yossi states that bikkurim (first fruits) are not brought from the eastern bank of the
Now we have a better understanding of Moshe's rebuke, and the problem becomes even more acute: how can these tribes even suggest settling in a land that is spiritually inferior? Does the economic factor – "your servants have cattle" – justify their preference for a land that, while fertile, is impure?
The Talmud Yerushalmi offers another reason for the difference between Eretz Yisrael and other nearby areas: the former was given by God to
The picture is rounded out by the narrative in Sefer Yehoshua, describing how, following the conquest of the land, the two-and-a-half tribes who settled on the eastern bank build an altar. They declare that, in the event that in future generations people may suggest that the inhabitants of the eastern side of the
Once again, we must return to our question: is Moshe now satisfied with the request by the tribes of Gad and Reuven, following their explanation? Is his sole concern that they participate in the war of conquest? We must conclude that this is not the case. The turnaround in Moshe's attitude may be understood in light of the fact that at first, he believed that these tribes sought to sever themselves from the rest of the nation. This aspiration was worthy of the strongest opposition and rebuke. If this was what they were after, then they were indeed a "gang of sinful people."
But after their explanation, Moshe lowers his level of opposition: their proposal is still an unworthy one, but they are no longer sinners. Is their idea of making the eastern side of the
[This sicha was delivered on leil Shabbat parashot Matot-Masei 5762 (2002).]
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