Jul 14/07 - Parashat Matot / Masei: "Count Me In, Count Me Out"

Commentary by Rabbi Lawrence M. Pinsker

 

In Bemidbar (Numbers) chapter 32 we read about a surprising request made by the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and Manasseh to settle on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, outside the boundary of what will become the kingdom of ancient Israel. Moses does not respond with kindness or understanding; his rejection is strongly-worded and uncompromisingly stern. Their intentions are as sinful as the action of the spies that directly led to God’s decision that the entire generation that had left Egypt would perish in the wilderness and never be permitted to enter the Promised Land. Moses tells them: “If you turn away from Him and He abandons them once more in the wilderness, you will bring calamity upon all His people.” (Numbers 32:15) In other words, Moses accuses them of endangering the entire Jewish people.

But what have they done to warrant such a judgment and threat? Various commentaries say that by deciding to live in a land other than the one He had promised them, they were turning away from God. The reasons they cite are purely economic and materialistic. In the exchange between the leaders of the two tribes and Moses, we see that their first concern is materialistic—more important to them than the well-being of their own children.

They were separating themselves from the community of Israel by choosing to live outside the land that was sanctified. We see later on that this was indeed a real problem. In the book of Joshua we read that these tribes subsequently built an altar on the other side of the Jordan. Since sacrifices were permitted only within the borders of the Holy Land on the western side of the Jordan, they were accused of treachery and rebelliousness. They explained that they had no intention of offering sacrifices. The altar was only a symbol and not intended for use since “in time to come, your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?’ … So we decided to provide [a witness] between you and us …” (Joshua 22:24-27).

A second explanation for Moses’ anger is that in making their plans not to enter the Promised Land, they show contempt for the fate of the rest of the Israelite community. Because of its priority in Moses’ reply to the tribes’ request, it seems clear that this is his first concern: “Are your brothers to go to war while you remain here?” (Numbers 32:7) Their reply is “And we will hasten as advance troops in advance of the Israelites until we have established them in their home.” (Numbers 32:17). This assurance satisfies Moses.

The message of this text is astonishingly important for our own time: In a time of terrorism and an as-yet unacknowledged war of ideas between religious systems, everyone must be a participant in establishing collective security, whether it be in Israel, Canada, or elsewhere in the world. There are no havens from terrorism.

The tribes’ appeal ends with Moses granting them the land they desire if they will participate in helping their brothers and sisters to settle within Canaan.

In our own time, Jews are not forbidden to live outside of Israel. Each time we were robbed of our homeland by invading armies—Assyrian, Babylonian, and Roman, our longing to reclaim it remained strong enough to ensure a significant population returned whenever there was the opportunity to live there, even under humiliating and dangerous conditions. Aliyah in our own time, sadly, has gone from being an ideal to being what some people consider to be a risk.

That’s understandable in some respects, even though living in Toronto, Winnipeg, Los Angeles, London, New York, or Paris is statistically as dangerous as living in Israel. What isn’t so understandable is the way Diaspora Jews have dropped the ball on ensuring that the Jewish homeland, the spiritual centre of our people and of Jewish life, remains strong and secure. We haven’t done all that we could to strengthen connections between the Land of Israel and our brothers and sisters living there.

Numbers chapter 32 shows us that the idea of a Jewish Diaspora actually precedes our entry into Canaan. Knowing whom we can count on and knowing who wants to be “counted out” has been a challenge since we left Egypt. The importance of minimizing the “Diaspora mentality” of the three tribes and of educating our fellow Jews to understand the importance of solidarity is essential to our people’s survival. 

Shabbat Shalom.