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by Daneal Weiner
email: daneal@actcom.co.il
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Last week
the Midianites had sent their daughters out to whoredom (kind of like in
America where it's called a “university education”). In the first of this
week’s DDOOUUBBLLEE Parshas Matos/Masai
Hashem
tells Moshe to tell Israel to avenge themselves against the Midianites, to go
to war, and after this last command is fulfilled Moshe will die. When Moshe
tells Israel to ready themselves for war he says it’s in order to avenge
Hashem! Why does Moshe change G-d's wording and why is his life dependant on
this last mitsva? An answer
to the first question is that Moshe did not want Israel to forego going out
to war. If he told them to avenge themselves then they could have passed on
their honor in order to keep him alive. Now that it is Hashem's name they are
avenging they are ready to fight at once. A second answer (still the first
question) is that Moshe is saying that the Jews would be nothing were it not
for our relationship with Hashem. We represent Him. If a Jew does something
wrong, it's not "Shame on you!" It's, "Chilul Hashem!!!"
So, it is never our own honor on the line but the honor of Hashem. To answer
the second question we'll take the scenic route beginning with the Yad
Yechezkel by Rabbi Yechezkel Levinstein. He brings down a midrash which
states, "Moshe says to Hashem, 'The uncircumcised and the idolaters and
the heretics would not chase after us were it not for Your Torah and mitsvos
that You have given us.'" R. Levinstein notes that this midrash was used
by Maimonedes in his famous letter offering words of fortification to a
terribly oppressed Yemenite community. He uses it to say that the nations are
jealous of us! Incredible!! I always
understood that our enemies did not want the moral responsibility that we
represent in the world. Hitler, y"sh expressed that very idea himself.
That doesn't sound like a case of jealousy. Isn’t it that moral aspect of our
Torah and mitsvos which is the reason they chase us, meant by the midrash?
Wasn’t that what was meant when our Sages said ‘Sinai’ sounds like ‘Sina’ which means hate!? But if Maimonedes
say the midrash means their jealous it must be so. The Yad
Yechezkel is saying don't be fooled! Not by their words and not by their
actions. What appears on the surface is not what is at the root! It just
occured to me, Hitler y'sh, was also trying to creat a master race. How could
he if there already was one, le'havdil elef alfai havdalos? Wherever
there are Jews there will be non-Jews harboring a jealousy but how will it
emerge? It may emerge as hatred. R. Levenstein goes on to explain what this
awareness we need to take to heart as well. What actions will emanate from us
if we harbor jealousy within our own hearts of our fellow Jews? Rabbi Zev
Leff looks at the 10th Commandment, "You shall not covet your neighbors
wife, man servant, maidservant, ox or donkey." The Torah lists the wife
and the donkey in one fell swoop! Where's a feminist when you need one? What
nerve is that to equate a woman with donkey??? Rabbi Leff explains that the
Torah is teaching that jealousy isn’t because you want something to serve a
purpose or to fill a need. Then certainly there would be a difference between
a woman and an animal. The Torah is describing a jealousy of objects just
because their someone elses! That’s all that matters. He has them, I want
them! So who cares what it is, if it walks around the house or sits in the
barn! Why should he have it? From the perspective of the jealous one it
really doesn't matter if it’s his neighbor’s wife or his donkey. The want is
all the same want! And it's entirely destructive! More
frightening is a Gemorah in Pesachim which says that the hatred of an am
ha'arets- an ignorant Jew to a Talmid Chacham- Torah Scholar could
be far greater than that of a gentile to a Jew!!! A Rabbi Joung explains this
Gemorah with the following parable. If someone wants to catch a train and
they get to the station and find out that they're a half hour late, their
anger is tempered. What could they do? They really never had a chance. But if
he gets to the station and he is just a minute late... now he is mad! He was
so close! The soul of the gentile to the soul of the Jew is worlds apart.
Their jealous of our Torah but what will they do with it? The soul of the am
ha'arets is very close to the soul of a Talmid Chacham. A soul is
a potential. The greater the potential for achieving spiritual heights is
directly proportionate to the potential to sinking to animalistic lows. I
once read a survey of the 5 most famous people ‘in the world'. The results
were 1)Moses 2)Jesus 3)Freud 4)Marx 5)Einstein. Obviously, this survey wasn't
taken in Turkey or China. Still, all 5 individuals had major affects on world
history and all 5 were Jewish. Only Moses used his potential wholly and
totally to the side of good. Jesus and Marx killed countless millions.
Einstein ‘s brilliance was used for good and evil. And as for Freud... take a
look at California...'nuf said. No, wait... I once
heard Ms. Christy Hefner speak about her empire of shmuts (at a Jewish
function, of course). It was very amusing to hear her willingness to be a
vehicle for the moral decay of Western civilization as ‘good business'. It
was even more amusing when she commented that California was Playboy's
testing ground for new products. I thought to myself, with all the
rainstorms, mud slides, earthquakes and brush fires that California gets,
apparently Someone else is using it for a testing ground as well. Now ‘nuf
said. So a root
of all evil is jealousy. How it manifests itself is another story. When
Yaakov left Lavan and was about to meet Eisav he prayed to G-d for protection
(Breishis 32:12) "from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Eisav."
He didn't fear Eisav just as an ‘enemy' but first and foremost as a
‘brother'. Yaakov knew there were many nations and temptations waiting for
Israel and they could do damage either way. Demographically speaking, 5
million people over 50 years should grow into 14 million. There were 5
million Jews in the U.S. after the Holocaust. 50 years later there are 6
million. Our enemy Eisav killed 6 million. Our brother Eisav killed 8
million. Now Moshe
is just across the Jordan and he knows it’s his job to see that Israel is
prepared. Their final test would be the war against Midian. The Ohr HaChaim
explains that Midian represents physical lusting. They have to be seen as
that evil and be destroyed. Moshe would then know Israel is ready to cross
the Jordan and then his job as leader would be over. According
to the Midrash Tanchumah, Moshe rounded up 12000 soldiers to fight in the
foreground, 12000 more to guard the arms provisions in the middle ground and
another 12000 soldiers to pray in the background. Our Sages tell us that not
one single Jew was killed in this war. That's 12,000 Jews against every male
of Midian! Those 12000 who prayed did a great job!!! Pinchas
was appointed to lead the war against Midian. Usually this is the role of the
High Priest. Why Pinchas? One answer, the most simple; one who starts a
mitsva should finish it. Pinchas committed the first act of avenging G-d by
killing Zimri and Cozbi, the Midianite princess. Another answer brought by
the Sha'arei Aharon is that Moshe let Pinchas avenge his great grandfather
Yoseph! How so? The brothers sold Yoseph to Yishma'elim who then sold him to Midianites!
Although Rashi tells us these Midianites were selling fragrances because G-d
watches out for his righteous, I can assure you Yoseph was not enjoying the
fragrant ride. He was pleading for his life!, "You know who I am? I'm
the son of Ya'akov, the grandson of Abraham! Surely you heard about my
father's wealth!? Take me home and we'll buy your entire stock! He'll give
you 10x market value! We'll give you great rewards! You can all be
rich!!" Needless
to say, but I'll say it anyways, his pleading fell on deaf ears. These
Midianites had a Jew and they preferred to sell him into slavery rather then
be handsomely rewarded giving him his freedom. Yoseph's descendant was given
the opportunity to avenge his grandfather’s honor. The
Maharal says to this, "Ancient history! Old news! Who remembers
it?" It had nothing to do with events around the man but the man
himself. Joseph, every day, 7 days a week, 4 weeks a month, 12 months a year,
for yeeeeeeears had to fight off the advances of Potiphars wife. Joseph stood
for morality. He stood for defeating ones physical desires which the Ohr
Hachaim said is exactly what Midian represents. We saw how well Pinchas
upheld his Grandpa's values. Pinchas was THE man for this job. And
speaking of advances, let's move on. In Parshas Ma'asai
is listed
the 42 camping sights of Israel while in the desert. Rashi says that even
though they were sentenced to 40 years of wandering, don't think all they did
was wander. One place they were in for 19 years! Another opinion says these
sights represent 42 stages in a persons life. (Don't ask, I don't know) Rav
Osher Reich points out that little paragraph everyone shmears just before
Lecha Dodi is 42 words long. The first letters of those 42 words make up a
42-letter name of G-d. (Don't ask, I don't know.) The Rabbeinu B'chayai who
says that there were sparks of holiness in those 42 locations in the desert
and Israel had to go get ‘em. The actions of the fathers are a portent for
the children. In exile, when the Jews will be scattered across the globe we
will be picking up sparks of holiness from all corners of the world. If you've
been on your toes, you probably have a question, not to mention a cramp. A
place deserted of all sanctity has sparks of holiness? Remember the city of
Sodom? It too was so evil and unholy that it had to be destroyed and yet it was the birthplace of the messianic
line! (On the mother's side.) Commentaries say that it is the incredible
holiness within which is the very attraction for the unholiness to converge
on it. As we said, the greater the potential for sanctity, the greater the
potential for evil. The
Rabbeinu B'chayai also says that just as we journeyed through the desert
after the first redemption, so too will we with the mashiach in the final
redemption. That will be the final test. Those who have the faith will drop
everything, wallets, car keys, insurance policies, 401K's,
e-v-e-r-y-t-h-I-n-g and follow the mashiach into the desert. A midrash on
Megillas Ruth says we will again receive the mon from Heaven and water from
the rock. (That's good because we just left everything behind.) The Midrash
Tana D'Vay Eliyahu says the mishkan was put in hiding and is being saved till
that future time. My chumash Rebbe, Rabbi Fox asks, "But isn't the
mashiach going to build the third Temple? Why do we need the Mishkan?"
Now the answer is clear. "It must be for this rendezvous in the
desert!" And since there will be a 3rd Temple as well, perhaps this is
why the Otser Acheres HaYamim who also says that the mishkan will again be
used, adds, it will only be a place of prayer and not for sacrifices. I love
it when all the pieces come together! Masai
opens that “Moshe wrote their goings forth according to their journey at
the bidding of Hashem, and these were their journeys according to their
goings forth." Why the repetition of journeys and going
forth and why is only the first "by the bidding of Hashem"? Even with
the 42 stops connoting the exile, the thrust of the parsha is talking about
redemption. This is the Matos-Masai combo. Matos is exile and Masai is
redemption. The first ‘going forth' and ‘journey' in the verse
is about the past redemption and the second is referring to the one which
will begin any day now. Why is only the first ‘by Hashem's bidding'?
Pesach was all G-d’s doing. We didn't deserve it. That won't be the case with
the final redemption. That's the final test. We are going to have to turn our
backs on our own modern day Egypt and head into the desert. For right now all
we have to do is head into Shabbos. Ideally,
when Shabbos comes, we are supposed to drop everything work related and enter
into Shabbos like we just quit our last job and are starting a new job on
Sunday. Now I see how that's good practice for the aforementioned test of
dropping everything and heading into the time that's yom shekulo Shabbos- when
every day is like Shabbos! I love it when all the pieces come together!
Especially a piece of chala, of chicken, of kugel, of kishke....Shabbot
Shalom! |
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