Words From Rabbi White

Dear all,

This Shabbat is Rosh Hodesh. From Rosh Hodesh until after the fast we don’t eat meat or drink wine/grape juice (except on Shabbat.)

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DAUGHTERS OF TSELOFHAD REVISITED. Last week, we read how the daughters of Mr. Tselofhad came to Moshe, asking if they could receive a portion of the Land of Israel. [Jewish tradition sees this as a classic example of how the women loved the Land.] Moshe asked HaShem. It seems that the answer that HaShem had given Moshe must have been on people's minds, for the tribe of Menashe discussed the implications of HaShem's answer in parashat Mas`ei that we read this week.

Commentators had raised the question, in last week's parashat Pinchas: why did Moshe have to consult with HaShem, even though it was known that Moshe was final authority on legal problems during the march through the Wilderness.

There is an interesting answer from Ramban: the daughters, in asking their question, spoke about their father: they stressed that their father had not been one of Korach’s groups, who had rebelled against Moses. Now perhaps, they had said that as any child would, to show respect to their deceased father, that he was a good guy. But people might have thought that they had mentioned Korach because they had felt that Moshe had a personal hatred for Korach, because of all the bad people during the 40 years in the desert, he was the one who most strongly denigrated Moses. Korah was a rasha!! So, even though Moses had known the proper answer to give to the daughters, he did not want anyone to think that the daughters had influenced him by stressing that their father had not been pro-Korach. So, therefore, he did not “pasken”, i.e. say the answer on his own authority, but had to show that this was HaShem’s wish.

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JEREMIAH GOES ON THE ATTACK

Last week, we were introduced to Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) in the haftarah. This week, we see how difficult his task was. He speaks to the people of Israel, and he tells it like it was. They have forgotten how HaShem took them out of Egypt, and had guided them through the wilderness, and brought them to the beautiful Land of Canaan; yet they have defiled the land. He castigates the priests, the teachers, the false prophets, all the people. He says sarcastically: go travel anyplace outside of Israel: they would see that no other nation has acted as foolishly. Not only have the people of Israel forsaken HaShem, they have adopted foreign religious practices that bring them no value. Their sin is so ingrained in them, they could not, so to speak, wash the sin away. He concluded the chapter by mocking the people: calamity will befall you because of your actions: go cry to your false gods, see if they will help you!!

THE “LEINING”

The double Torah portion has a total of 244 verses. Since we finish this week the Book of BAMIDBAR, we shall say “hazaq ve-nithazeq” meaning “be strong, and let us be strong.” We should give a special wish of strength to the Torah reader, for managing to read so many verses!

Actually, the source for this expression are the words of David’s General Yoav, concerning the combined enemy Aram (north of Israel) and Ammon (east of the Jordan) in the Book of II Samuel, chapter 12: “let us be strong for the sake of our people and the cities of our God, and HaShem the Good will do what is right. ”

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Mariam Mintz and Stanley Goldstein observe for their grandmother Mania bat Gedalia, next Shabbat, 8 Av. May the neshama have aliya.

Shabbat shalom and HAZAQ to all, shalom `al Yisrael, Rabbi Menahem White