VOLUME 116 NUMBER 9
Tamuz 29, 5785
July 25, 2025
Parshas Mattos-Massei
Candlelighting Time 8:01
Two and a half tribes opted to stay in Transjordan and not inherit land in Israel proper. And they did so with tremendous sacrifice. They were away from their families for 14 years until the conquest of Israel and the apportioning of the land was completed. In the exchange between Moshe and the leaders of those tribes there seems to be repetition. They committed themselves for the long haul and they were very clear that their obligation did not contain any loopholes. And indeed, history proved that they kept their pledge without any wavering. Yet Moshe responded to them in a very lengthy discourse stating that if they actually fulfill their end of the deal they will merit land in Transjordan. Why was there a need to repeat what they had said and reinforce it?
K’sav V’Kaballah cites from Bina L’etem a most significant and powerful insight into how we perform mitzvos. Moshe’s response to the leaders of the tribes differs from their statement in a very important fashion. He mentions recurrently that they must execute their responsibility ‘in front of Hashem.’ And then they will merit their portion that they desire ‘in front of Hashem.’ What was Moshe stressing that the leaders of those tribes had omitted. He explains that of course the tribes remaining outside the mainland of Israel wanted to assist their brethren in the conquest of the Land of Israel. The question is what defined their attitude. Was it simply to help others in this case their fellow tribesmen or was this an example of serving Hashem in the vogue of helping others. It seemed to Moshe that their intent, although worthy and exemplary was not in order to fulfill what Hashem requested of them. Rather, it was an act of extraordinary kindness and brotherly love which drove them to this remarkable accomplishment. Although very impressive but it was not the way we do our mitzvos. We achieve with every mitzvah a closer and better relationship with Hashem and this should have been their raison d’etre, their reason for what they did.
There are two more points that he makes with this assertive explanation. Firstly, when we do a mitzvah because Hashem has commanded so, then we also develop a sense of humility realizing in front of whom we are performing the mitzvah. Chofetz Chaim in his sefer Ahavas Chesed stresses this concept that when we perform an act of kindness for others we should do so understanding that we are serving Hashem when we help others. Furthermore, in the situation of the tribes wanting to settle in Transjordan, their merit to access the land there would increase with the intent to serve Hashem by helping the other tribes in their conquest of the Land of Israel. They would have been given the land there anyway but this gave their request an added boost more so guaranteeing that they would continue to have this gift for many years to come.
Since this attitudinal theme to their assistance would not be visible rather it would be within their hearts they responded to Moshe clearly stating that even though the action would not speak for itself, they were ensuring that they were going to do their mission appropriately and with the correct protocol as established by Moshe. He concludes with an interesting Rashi that says when one returns a lost item to a non-Jew he has sinned. Since one is exempt from returning a lost item in that case and he does it anyway he is equating the mitzvah to return a lost item to a Jew to returning a lost item to a non-Jew thereby degrading that which is a mitzvah into a simple act of kindness which does not relate to serving Hashem.
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS
The mainstay of a vow is through one’s power of speech which is a Heavenly gift that was afforded to man. Therefore, when a vow is transgressed it is a sin of great severity since it abused that unusual resource only accorded to mankind from Hashem Himself. S’FAS EMES
GOOD SHABB0S
