Talya On Jewish Unity

Hi guys!

This week we conclude Sefer Bamidbar with parshiot, Matos and Maasei, in which we read about the last moments before the Jews finally enter the land. During this time in the Jewish calendar, as we mourn the exile of the Jewish people from our land, it is of utmost importance that we try to internalize the lessons the Jewish people had to learn before the very first conquests and entry into the land. Parshat Matos begins with the very detailed laws of nedarim, vows. Immediately thereafter, the Torah tells us about the fulfillment of Moshe’s promise to wage war against Midian, as well as the request of Reuven, Gad and half of Minasheh to settle on the opposite end of the Jordan River.

At first glance, the first verses seem to be unrelated, even random in their juxtaposition to the rest of the prasha. Many commentaries ask why the parsha begins with the seemingly random set of laws. Rabbi Avraham Gordimer suggests that the openings verses regarding nedarim come to set the tone for the remainder of the parsha. The underlying theme throughout the parsha, he suggests, is the importance of honoring one’s commitments and being true to one’s words. Perhaps on an even deeper level, this week’s parshiot are about loyalty and commitment, not only to Hashem, but also to each other. Let us try to understand how the other instances we find in the parsha relate to this theme. Immediately after Moshe is commanded to wage war against Midian, the Torah tells us: So Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm from among you men for the army, that they can be against Midian, and carry out the revenge of the Lord against Midian" (31:3) Moshe knew that once the Jews were victorious against Midian, they would conquer the land and his death would follow shortly thereafter (as this would mark the last of his missions in leading the people into the land). Nonetheless, being a man of his word and with extreme dedication to follow the will of Hashem and to the Jewish people, Moshe quickly and valiantly led the nation to battle and ultimately to victory against Midian. Understood from this perspective, Moshe essentially sacrificed his life for the sake of the Jewish people.

Given Moshe’s character of loyalty and dedication, it is easier to understand his response to Reuven, Gad, and part of Menasheh when they asked to remain on the other end of the Jordan River: And Moshe said to the people of Gad and Reuven, "Your brothers will go to war and you will remain here?" (32:6) Moshe could not understand that these tribes would consider not assisting their brethren in the conquest of the land! Moshe therefore demands of these tribes that they first help the other tribes conquer the land. Rav Goldvicht points out that Moshe repeats this condition twice before acquiescing to their request. Again, we see the value Moshe places on the responsibility each person has for the rest of the Klal.Given this emphasis on loyalty, responsibility and unity among the Jewish people at this time, it is puzzling that there seems to be such an emphasis on the individual tribes within the Jewish nation. As Rav Binny Friedman asks: why suddenly, as the Jews prepare for war, is there an emphasis on tribalism—rather than unification? Rav Binny explains that in the word mateh, meaning tribe in our parshiot, can also be translated as a staff—a stick that is often used for support (or in modern Hebrew a staff of individuals who work together). From here we learn an important lesson about unity within Klal Yisrael. In Judaism, neither tribalism nor individualism is the antithesis of unity. On the contrary, so long as each individual or tribe views itself as part of the whole, as responsible for the whole nation, then the entire nation can be successful.

As we read Parshat Maasei, which deals with the inheritance each tribe will receive when they settle in the land, we see the Jewish people modeling this type of unity. We know that one of the greatest sources of conflict throughout history is battle for land—we see, however, that among the Jewish people at this time, there was no jealously and certainly no violence between the tribes as they each accepted their portion in the land. In their division and separation from each other, the tribes actually demonstrated perhaps the greatest unity they had throughout the desert experience. As the Jewish people settled into the land, each mateh, or tribe, was on its own but was also part of the greater whole. The tribes understood that they each had a unique role within the Jewish nation and in the land of Israel. Moshe taught the Jewish people that each tribe can be, and must be, reliant on the others and responsible for one another. They could appreciate that each of the other tribes had a different, but perhaps equally significant place within the land. In this way they were united not in spite of their differences, but because of them. Rav Binny writes that while Judaism values the individual and promotes tribalism to an extent, there is a time and a place in which we must each serve a greater good and be willing to make sacrifices even for the sake of our extended family—klal Yisrael. This was the lesson Moshe Rabbeinu not only taught, but also modeled for the Jewish people in leading them in battle against Midian so that the Jews could enter the land as quickly as possible. As Rosh Chodesh Av approaches, we, too, must internalize this message whole-heartedly. We know that the Jewish exile from Eretz Yisrael was caused by sinaat chinam—baseless hatred. Chazal explain that the ultimate redemption and return to the land, therefore, must come when we collectively rid ourselves of this baseless hatred, by demonstrating love and kindness to one another.

In his recent book Future Tense: Jews, Judaism, and the State of Israel, in the Twenty-First Century, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes the following poignant words: Jews have been conquered by some of the greatest empires ever to have appeared on the stage of history, yet each has disappeared, to be remembered today only in museums. The Jewish people outlived them all. They could not be destroyed by others, but three times they almost destroyed themselves. The only people capable of threatening the future of the Jewish people are the Jewish people. It is often easier to ridicule and resent others for being different from us, be it in our religious practices or otherwise. I hope that in light of what we learn this week as we conclude Sefer Bamidbar, we can try to understand and appreciate that Judaism is comprised of individuals and groups that may be different and separated from one another either in ideology, practice or even geographically speaking. It is these differences and divisions that actually allow for the true unity of the Jewish people. I hope that we can all appreciate and internalize the lesson Moshe Rabbeinu taught us. As we will recite upon finishing the Sefer this shabbat, CHAZAK CHAZAK VE'NITCHAZEK - Be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened!

May we find that through our achdus (unity) we can come together to depend on each other, to grow from one another, and to strengthen as individuals and as a nation!

SHABBAT SHALOM!