Numbers Matot Mas'ei (Double Portion)

Matot Mas’ei (Double Portion)
Numbers 30:2−36:13

I. Summary of Matot (30:2 - 32:42)

A. Matot = (Moses spoke to) “the heads” (of the Israelite tribes …).

B. Moses explains to the Israelites the laws concerning vows made by women (who may have the vows invalidated by their father or their new husband if the father and/or new husband objects) and men. Independent women (widows/divorcees) are bound to vows in same way as men. (30:2-17)

C. At God’s request, Moses dispatches Israelite militia to “wreak the Eternal’s vengeance on Midian.” Led by Pinchas (priest), Israelites successfully wage war against the Midianites, killing every male including the five kings of Midian and Balaam (“curser” hired by Balak … Num 22:2-6), taking women/other dependents captive and seizing all Midianite wealth. Moses is upset with army commanders for not killing every Midianite female so then commands Israelites to kill all Midianite male dependents and those Midianite women who engaged in sexual idolatry with Israelites. Moses instructs Israelites on how to then purify themselves. (31:1-24)

D. God instructs Moses on distributing spoils of war among combatants, Eleazar (as contribution to God) and Levites (“who attend to the duties of the Eternal’s Tabernacle”). (31:25-54)

E. Tribes of Reuben and Gad request permission to stay on the east bank of the Jordan River (“cattle country and your servants have cattle”) rather than entering Promised Land. Fearing that the tribes of Reuben and Gad will weaken resolve of those entering Promised Land, Moses criticizes those tribes for not going to war with others. Tribes then offer to enter Promised Land as shock troops and return to east bank after Canaan is conquered by Israelites. Moses relents and grants tribes their request. (32:1-42)

II. Summary of Mas’ei (Num 33:1 - 36:13)

A. Mas’ei = (These were the) “marches” (of the Israelites)

B. The itinerary of the Israelites through the wilderness from Egypt to Jordan is delineated (42 stops during 40 years). Aaron dies in the 40th year of journey at age of 123. (33:1-49)

C. At God’s request, Moses tells Israel to dispossess the inhabitants of Canaan, destroy their gods and allot their lands (by ancestral tribes). (33:50-56)

D. God tells Moses of the boundaries of the Land of Israel, the six Levitical cities (places of refuge) and an additional 42 towns. (34:1-35:15)

E. God makes a precise distinction re: intent and punishment between murder (intentional) and manslaughter (accidental). God sets out requirement of testimony of two witnesses to murder required for capital punishment. (35:16-34)

F. Moses instructs Israelites on the laws of inheritance as they apply to Israelite women (relying on mandates from God growing out of requests of Zelophedad’s five daughters to be able to inherit land from their father). If a woman marries a man from another tribe, her share of inherited property goes with her; however, women are mandated to marry within their tribe in order to prevent inherited land passing from one tribe to another (thereby maintaining original allocation among tribes). (36:1-13)

III. Commentary (Plaut, various websites, Jewish Study Bible, Hevreh discussions)

A. Vows v. oaths – A vow is conditional in that it binds an individual only after God fulfils a requested blessing. An oath is unconditional. A vow also “represents a promise to do” which means that silent intent is not sufficient . . . what one says must correspond to what one means.

B. Making and breaking vows - When unforeseen circumstances arise, letting go of a vow does not constitute betrayal. If engaged in thoughtfully, it may actually be a process that can usher us into growth, into new and better ways of being. Note connection to release from vows on Kol Nidre.

C. Explaining massacre of Midianites – Rationalized (poorly) by 1) interpreting narrative as schematic reconstruction of events rather than actual history (what should have happened rather than what did happen), 2) viewing Torah’s words within context of their times, 3) it was responsibility of Moses rather than God (perhaps knowing that this conquest will be his last (“Avenge the Israelite people on the Midianites; then you shall be gathered to your kin" … Num 31:1-2) twists thinking of Moses, i.e. maybe Moses thinks that if his acts respond beyond God's command, he might prove to be such a worthy servant that God will grant him a reprieve from his own death sentence and 4) God's rule had to be proven and maintained in eyes of Israelites, i.e. war was about God's power and predominance over other gods that were then being worshiped in region (further evidenced by campaign being led by Pinchas (priest) rather than Joshua which suggests it was a religious war).

D. Bothersome values- Reinforcing inferior status on women, super-militaristic attitude attending war against Midianites, Moses ordering the death of lots of innocents, specifics on spoils of war and Moses getting angry at tribes not wanting to enter/invade Canaan all point to a disturbing Israelite value system (at the time).

E. Boundary motif – Reinforced by 1) recitation of specific geographic boundaries Promised Land, 2) limitations placed on intertribal marriages, 3) limitations on validity of vows made by women, 4) boundaries separating murder from manslaughter, 5) limitations on who a woman may marry (within tribe) and 6) boundaries separating cities of refuge. Suggests the need for conditions, limits or some other modifying influence on virtually all aspects of our existence (to give life some predictability and order).

F. Significance of itinerary - The forty-two stops recounted by Moses represent forty years of wandering. If the first and last years are omitted, when the Israelites were constantly on the move, there were only 20 stations visited during 38years. Thus, it is incorrect to think of Israel as constantly on the march. Rather during most of the forty years in the desert, the Israelites were living normally at one oasis or another for years at a time. Each stop along the way had a purpose and ultimately equipped the Israelites for the next stage of their sojourn. In addition, the short listing of the stages of their wanderings was designed as reading material for the people to recall what had befallen them at each place, after they had settled in their land. Also, the stages had to be recorded for subsequent generations, who might think that the Children of Israel traveled in a desert that was near to cultivated land and in which it was possible to grow or find food. Their subsistence in the real wilderness is confirmed by the list of actual places so that in the future the magnitude of the miracle of our survival could be seen.

G. Purpose of cities of refuge – Three suggested purposes: 1) protective measure to let passions cool, 2) punishment for accidental killer and 3) isolate sin since killing understood to contaminate entire community. Also serves to protect two diametrically opposed constituencies: the inadvertent manslayer and the victim's family and friends. Provides an inadvertent transgressor with the opportunity to retreat, heal, and reenter society with a clean slate at the appropriate time. The victim’s family and friends are also protected from the temptation of blood vengeance.

H. Daughters of Zelpohedad – They initially focus only on their rights of inheritance (“Give us a holding among our father’s kinsmen” … Num 27:4) but instance expanded to benefit all daughters. Also, the rules that fall out of this incident increases stability of land holdings among tribes which is important as Israelites prepare for occupation of Promised Land, i.e. reduces risk of internal strife which could get in way of achieving higher goal of successful entry into Promised Land.

IV. Lessons for today

A. Importance of keeping word – Discussion of laws concerning vows reinforces importance of keeping one’s word. Power of words also a function of who says them.

B. Everyone can play a role in their own way - In seeing how the Gadites and Reubenites pledged to serve as shock-troops, it can be noted that not all of us are fighters and risk takers. By providing temporary military support (balancing personal preference against needs of all Israelites – see next point), those tribes played a role.

C. Recognize and resolve conflict between what is good for individual and what is good for community – Evidenced by compromise … tribes of Gad and Reuben function as temporary shock troops and then return to land outside of Canaan east of Jordan River v. need for those tribes to fight along side other Israelites to totally conquer Canaan.

D. Appreciate the journey towards a goal – God intentionally gave Israelites an indirect route to Promised Land in order to allow them to evolve and get ready. Similarly, we should learn from our journeys and not get fixated on goals.

E. Don’t blame God for our misfortunes – One can view the death of Balaam as the death of an innocent bystander who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whether he lingered in Midian or whether he went back, this pagan prophet (who was asked to curse Israelites by Balak but blessed them instead … Num 22:36-24:25) gave up his life under unfortunate circumstances. Suggests that we should not blame God for supposedly causing our misfortunes. God operates through the laws of nature, which we do not always understand (cop-out?) and is not the direct source of our adverse fates (contra, consider free will and personal responsibility for intentional/unintentional acts).

(revised 7/18/09)