SEDRA : Masei Hertz Chumash P.702 Numbers Chap 30

This week's Sedra is generously sponsored by Graeme Berkovitvh.

SYNOPSIS:

The subject of vows and the manner in which they were binding is discussed. Special reference is also made to the vows made by women before, during and after marriage and the nature and extent to which they are bound by them.

The attack on the Midianites was made by twelve thousand Israelite warriors, one thousand men from each tribe. They were accompanied by Pinchas, who had played a pivotal role in halting the plague and the incidents which led to the war.
As the MASHUACH MILCHAMA - war chaplain - he took with him the holy vessels, and trumpets for sounding the battle alarm. During the war, every male Midianite was slain, including the five kings of Midian and the soothsayer Bilam ben Beor. The victors took the women, children, cattle and other possessions of the Midianites with them as spoil. Moses though, reprimanded them for keeping alive the women, who had been the cause of the plague on Bnei Yisrael. The soldiers, having become defiled by contact with the dead, were required to stay outside the camp for seven days to undergo the ceremony of purification. All their garments and utensils were purified in accordance with the rules laid down by Elazar the Kohein Gadol, which he had learned from Moses. The spoils were then divided equally between all those who had gone to war on the one hand, and the remainder of the congregation on the other. The cooking utensils which were part of the spoil were purified according to special rules which are the source of the laws of "KASHERING" vessels to this very day. The soldiers contributed one-five hundredth of their spoils to the Kohanim, while the non-combatants gave one-fiftieth of their share to the Levi'im. The returning warriors, thankful that not one them had perished during the battle, made an additional free-will offering to the Sanctuary consisting of the golden ornaments that they had captured.

The tribes of Reuven and Gad and half of Menashe possessed large herds of cattle and sought permission to settle in the pasture land of Gilad, on the east of the Jordan. Moses at first disapproved of this plan. He feared that if these two and a half tribes remained behind during the conquest of Canaan, the other tribes might lose heart. However, when the Reuvenites and Gadites explained that they intended to cross the Jordan and fight in the advance guard with their fellow Jews while their families remained in Gilad, Moses changed his mind. He charged Joshua with making sure that this promise be fulfilled. Otherwise these tribes would forfeit any claims they might have had to settling in Gilad. Joshua and Elazar the Kohein Gadol, were entrusted with the equitable allotment of the land. The Levites were not given separate territory but were instead granted forty-eight cities on both sides of the Jordan. The design of these cities represents an interesting excursus in town planning, particularly the "green belt" surrounding each city.

Six of these Levitical cities, three on each side of the Jordan, were designated as Arei Miklat (Cities of Refuge) besides the other forty-two minor Arei Miklat. They would provide asylum for whoever killed another person accidentally, allowing him to escape any vengeful acts of the dead man's relatives. Following an accidental murder, the perpetrator could flee to one of the Arei Miklat where he would be brought before a judicial tribunal. If the judges decided that this was a case of wilful premeditated murder the sentence was death. On the other hand, if the murder was unplanned and without evil intent, the perpetrator would have to stay in the City of Refuge until the death of the Kohein Gadol. Even a wilful murderer could not be condemned to death unless there were two eye witnesses to incriminate him. The wilful murderer could not have his death sentence commuted by means of monetary payment, nor could the accidental murderer escape exile in the City of Refuge through the payment of ransom money.

Leaders of the family of Gilad from the tribe of Menasheh raised the problem of land inherited by daughters, such as those of Zelophchad. If these daughters married into another tribe, their property would go with them rather than stay within the rights of their original tribe. This would lead to the reduction of that tribe's holdings. This problem was solved with the decision that, in such cases, an heiress should marry a member of her father's tribe. This is what occurred, in fact, in the case of the daughters of Zelophchad, who married within their own tribe. This law applies only for that generation.

HAPHTORAH HERTZ CHUMASH P 725 Jeremiah Chap 2.

This is the second of the three Haptorot of Rebuke preceding Tish'a B'av. It recounts Israel's ingratitude to G-d; Israel's faithlessness and reliance on alliances with foreigners which are of no benefit; Israel's continued idolatry. All these failures can be overlooked if Israel will only return to G-d.

TELL ME RABBI .... HAZAK ! HAZAK ! V'NITHAZEK !

When the last sentence of each of the Five Books of the Torah is about to be read, everyone rises in anticipation of proclaiming at the end of the reading:
"Hazak hazak v'nithazek !"
"Be strong! be strong! and let us be strengthened (in our efforts)".
This is a cry of encouragement to continue with the reading of the next Book, and to return to this one again in due course. The triple use of "hazak" may symbolize the past, present, and future.
The inspiration for saying these words in connection with finishing a section of the Torah may have come from the Talmudic dictum that "Four (elements) need to be strengthened (in Man): Torah, good deeds, prayer, and occupation (derekh eretz)" (Berakhot 32b).
The scriptural basis for this saying lies in the following verses :
To be strengthened in TORAH : "Only be strong and very brave so that you may observe all the Torah that Moses My servant commanded you". (Josh.1:7)
To be strengthened in PRAYER : "Be strong and let your heart be brave, and hope in the Lord". (Psalms 27:14 Penitential Psalm - Siddur p.90)
To be strengthened in GOOD DEEDS AND DEREKH ERETZ : "Be strong and let us strengthen ourselves for our people and for the cities of G-d". (Sam II 10:12)