Jew, Jews, Jewish: A Vow to HaShem

"If a man makes a vow to HaShem or makes an oath to prohibit himself, he shall not violate his word... "
(Numbers 30:3)
Tammuz 26, 5770/July 7, 2010

The book of Numbers chronicles the many tumultuous events that occurred during Israel's forty year sojourn in the wilderness. It is worthwhile to note that each event was preceded or precipitated by the words uttered by one protagonist or another. Korach very skillfully chose his words with the intention of manipulating his fellow Israelites for the cynical purpose of self aggrandizement. By using his G-d given power of speech to try to lift himself up above others, he was justly rewarded with a deathless entombment deep within the bowels of the earth.

Bilaam, the heathen prophet, attempted with a persistence that otherwise might be deemed admirable, to use his power of speech in a grandiose ploy to manipulate G-d's wrath against the children of Israel. For his pernicious efforts, he was killed in the very war which he himself masterminded.

The tribal heads of Israel allowed themselves and their brethren to be tripped up by their own words, as they spoke evil against the land of Israel. Their careless words testified to their lack of faith in G-d, lack of love for the land of Israel, and lack of trust in themselves. Their reward? They, and the entire generation that they ensnared were to die in the desert, never setting foot in the land that G-d had promised them.

Even Miriam, the prophetess, spoke ill of her brother Moshe, and was duly punished with a case of the leprous tzarat. Despite the fact that Miriam's intentions were only for the betterment of Moshe, she too had to pay the price for her ill chosen words.

And, of course, Moshe himself was punished most poignantly for his own misappropriation of the gift of speech. First he hit the rock, when he was commanded by G-d to speak to the rock, and then he spoke harshly against Israel, calling his thirsty kinsmen "rebels."(ibid 20:10) Moshe, too, would never enter his beloved Israel.

It is only fitting that the final double Torah reading of the book of Numbers, Matot-Masei opens with the laws concerning any man or woman who utters a vow, or takes an oath. Our words cause and shape our actions and define who we truly are. Words spoken carelessly will in time catch up with us. We reap what we say. And we are in constant peril of being led astray by the words of others when we allow ourselves to fall under their influence.

Torah takes our words very seriously, and, this is to say, takes us very seriously. We are what we speak. The midnight exodus from Egypt, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, receiving Torah at Sinai, the building of the Tabernacle, and forty years in the wilderness later, and Torah's message to us all, as we are perched upon the banks of the Jordan, moments from entering the land, is crystal clear: Measure your words. Your word is your bond. Your word is sacred.

Entering the land of Israel marks the fulfillment of G-d's word, His promise to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. Now is the time for us to keep our word: To settle that same land, to love and to nurture it. To do all this, and to build the Holy Temple is not merely to fulfill G-d's aspirations for each of us. It is to keep our word with G-d, to state unequivocally that we are worthy of the gift of speech with which he bequeathed us, worthy of His love, worthy of being called G-d's children.

Tune in to this week's Temple Talk as Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven, reunited at last, discuss the Rabbi's experiences in America, and the incredible people he encountered on his travels. Traveling, and the things we all go through as we travel through this world, is also one of the themes of this week’s double Torah portion of Mattot and Masei, with which we conclude the book of Numbers. Parshat Masei opens with the concept of the power of a vow... ummm, like the one Prime Minister Netanyahu made to the people of Israel that he would not extend the draconian building freeze in Judea and Samaria past the deadline. But this week as he travels to Washington to meet with US President Obama, speculation abounds that Obama will pressure Netanyahu to break that promise.

The eternal boundaries of the Land of Israel are also featured in this week’s Torah reading, another subject that’s bound to come up on the agenda of our leaders. But who sets those boundaries… the G-d of Israel, or other elements?

The three week mourning period for the Holy Temple is once again upon us. How do we free ourselves from the seemingly endless cycle, year after year, of mourning for the Holy Temple? Does anyone actually think the situation could change?

This week features the new Light to the Nations teaching by Rabbi Chaim Richman, entitled, "True Service of G-d: We serve G-d by drawing near to Him, and making Him present in every aspect of our lives, from our most sublime moments to our most mundane. To do so, our relationship with G-d must be a living relationship, in accordance with Torah, and expressing the unique qualities of our own souls." Click here to view.

On the evening of June 17th, 2010, Rabbi Chaim Richman spoke to a standing-room-only crowd in Houston, Texas. For nearly two hours the Rabbi held the audience spellbound as he brought to them his unique message of the immediacy of Torah in every man's life, weaving together the timeless message of Torah with the prophetic events taking place today. If you couldn't be there, or if you want to hear it again, please click here: Part 1; Part 2

International See and Say Only Good Things about the People of Israel and The Land of Israel Month: Spiritual and Practical Goals for the Month of Tammuz, a message from Rabbi Chaim Richman. Click here.

The two Torah portions, Matot and Masei, which conclude the book of Numbers are read together as one. What is the true connection between Matot, which begins with the laws concerning the responsibility of taking upon oneself a vow, and the opening verses of Masei, which describe the journeys of Israel in the wilderness? Taken together, they provide for us a key and a map to our own life's journey. Click here to view Rabbi Richman's short teaching on parashat Matot-Masei (Numbers 30:2-36:13).

Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem,

Yitzchak Reuven

The Temple Institute