Author: Kollel of Greater Boston

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

In Chapter 32:1, the Torah introduces us to the discussion between Moshe Rabeinu, משה רבינו , and the tribes of Gad and Reuvain in the following manner: ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן“ , And to the sons of Reuvain…” The question is, why does the Torah introduce the section with a “vav”, “and”; there must be a connection to the preceding chapter. Moreso, why didn’t they come immediately after the conquest of the lands they seeked as it took place earlier as we learned at the end of chapter 21?

The Alshich HaKodesh explains that only at this juncture after the spoils of war from the war against Midian were divided, did the tribes of Gad an Reuvain approach Moshe Rabeinu to allow them to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan River. For at this point the number of their cattle became so large that they felt that it would be impossible to have enough grazing pasture on the western side of the river.

It is possible there is a subtle message also being taught. When we study/learn chapter 31:25-54, we are startled at how much the Torah elaborates, detailing the spoils of war with Midian exactly how much each group received. We could have done the math ourselves! And what difference does it make exactly how many sheep, donkeys, cattle, etc. there were? Furthermore, why were Moshe Rabeinu, Elazar HaKohen, and ראשי אבות העדה involved in the counting and distribution; designate a group of cattle merchants to do this tedious, mundane task?

The Ramban 31:36 answers that the Torah is relating a miracle that despite the time it took to divide the spoils not one animal died.

In פ‘ חיי שרה , the Medrash asks why is it that the Torah spends “so much space” to relate the purchase of the מערת המכפלה , the burial place of the patriarchs and matriarchs (and אדם וחוה , Adam and Eve), whereas so many mitzvos are only a couple of words? “How many quills are broken, how much ink is spilled!”

The Medrash, בראשית רבה נח:ח , answers to teach us כל שהוא מברר מקחו של צדיק כאילו מקיים את העשרת הדברות (כולה (שנאמר בני חת עשרה פעמי

Whoever clarifies a sale to a righteous person (every blade of grass, every bush, rock is specifically designated to the rightful owner) is analagous to observing the עשרת הדברות , the Ten Utterances (Commandments). This being inferred from the fact that the sellers, the “children of חת , Cheis” are repeated ten times.

The fundamental, unequivocal foundation of all of positivity in עבודת ה‘י , life, is the absolute adherence to integrity and honesty. If one conducts oneself in such a manner, it is the segue to all of Torah, for the most honest questions are, where do I come from and what is the purpose of my creation?

When one divides 675,500 sheep, it is an arduous task. To do it correctly demands that one ascertain the worth of every sheep; it depending on the health, weight, and milk production. Yes, it would be expedient to just say to one another, “Well, we are getting it for free anyway, let’s just divide it in half without all the bother.”

The Torah emphatically teaches that’s not proper; one has to be absolutely honest and tedious in the division for every person wants to fairly gain the same as another. This idea of integrity is so fundamental that the leaders of Klal Yisroel were appointed by Hashem, in order to inculcate Klal Yisroel with this monumental message. The miracle (Ramban) took place as a testimony to their impeccable honesty.

The juxtaposition of the request of tribes of Gad and Reuvain can be understood in the following manner: Recognizing the essentiality of אמת , “truth” as the founding principle of all of Torah, they selflessly offered to not cross the Jordan River, in order to establish a paradigm for absolute honesty in business dealings. Being the owners of large herds of cattle necessitated adequate grazing lands, which they asserted can only be on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

Moshe Rabeinu perceived flaws in their intentions and reasoning. Though outwardly it seemed very selfless and spiritual on their part, they were lacking in perfection of not having any emotional, intellectual, or financial bias in their arguments.

A formidable challenge in our daily living is to relentlessly question ourselves if our actions are pure. The Torah teaches us that if we conduct ourselves in our financial affairs with consummate integrity, we will be developing an ability to truly accomplish genuine objectivity in all of one’s actions. Rav Yaakov M’Lisa in his commentary on שיר השירים , Song of Songs, 3:2 explains that שלמה המלך teaches us that if Hashem would find an individual who is perfectly honest, He would bring Moshiach due to this achievement!

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

הנני נותן לו את בריתי שלום (פרק כה פסוק יב)

Hashem promises His covenant of peace as renumeration for Pinchas’s zealousness in avenging His honor. The מדרש comments that it was proper and befitting for Pinchas to receive a reward for his good deed. Why did this action specifically deserve a reward more than any other מצוה? The בעל שואל ומשיב explains that the general rule is that reward for מצוות is not given in this world. The רשב”א explains the reason, that one who performs a מצוה is testifying to the existence of Hashem and it is forbidden to take payment in exchange for עדות (testimony). The רמ”א (חו”מ סי’ פג) qualifies that the real issue of taking payment for testimony is only when the payment obligates one to testify. If, however, he is not required to testify because of the payment, for example if he is paid to witness the action even without testifying, then he would be permitted to testify afterwards. Therefore, by all מצוות it makes sense to not get rewarded for doing the מצוה, as this would be tantamount to receiving payment for an עדות. By Pinchas, though, he was not technically required to kill the sinners because it was considered a הלכה ואין מורין כן (a law that we do not tell people to do without their own initiative). Therefore, he would be allowed to take payment for this מצוה and it would not ruin his testimony to Hashem’s existence.

יפקד ה’…איש על העדה אשר יצא לפניהם וכו’ (פרק כז פסוק טז-יז)

Moshe beseeches Hashem to appoint a new leader for the Jewish people, someone who can lead after Moshe passes on. He continues to describe the qualities that should exist in the next leader- אשר יצא לפניהם ואשר יבוא לפניהם” (who shall go out before them and shall come in before them). R’ Eliyahu Lopian asks, why did Moshe need to tell Hashem what He should look for in a leader- of course Hashem knows what the Jewish people need? He answers that Rashi says that Moshe truly wanted one of his sons to replace him. Moshe was aware of his own inner desire and was nervous that he wouldn’t be able to clearly see if his sons were a good fit for the job. He was afraid that if he davens strongly enough that it should be his son then Hashem will listen to his תפלה. Therefore, Moshe asked Hashem to appoint a leader who is befitting for the Jews, and although he wants it to be his son, the priority should be that it will be the person who is most fit for the job.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

In שמות ו: כ”ה it states:”…ואלעזר בן אהרן לקח לו מבנות פוטיאל לו לאשה ותלד לו את פינחס”

“And Ahron’s son Elazar took as his wife one of Putiel’s daughters, and she bore him Pinchos…”

The רמב”ן, Nachmanides questions, why does the Torah mention Putiel- we don’t know who he
is; consequently; what difference does it make if we know his name?

The Ramban answers; herein lies the reason as to why Pinchos, פינחס was the person to bring
שלום, harmony between Hashem and Klal Yisroel, by killing the prince of the tribe of שמעון, זמרי
בן סלוא and the Moabite princess, כזבי בת צור. For this courageous, determined, selfless act, he
was rewarded by Hashem to be a כהן; and not only him but all his descendants eternally.

The name פוטיאל is a ‘title’ that describes the greatness of the ancestors from whom Pinchos
inherited the ‘spiritual genes’ to sanctify Hashem’s name, even earning Hashem’s covenant of
harmony. Most opinions are that he was blessed with eternal life; he being אליהו הנביא, Elijah the
Prophet, who never died.

Pinchos was a descendant of Yosef HaTzadik, יוסף הצדיק, who overcame the difficult test of
resisting the seductive advancements of the wife of Potiphar. Pituel, the word פיתו meaning
seduction, יוסף overcame it. A sign of one’s ability to selflessly conduct themselves with dignity
and nobility; Hashem being in their mind and ‘view’ constantly. Leadership is only sincere, true,
and real if one possesses the innate or acquired ability to have unadulterated control of one’s
desires and passions, totally focusing on the needs of his constituency.

He was also a descendant of יתרו, Jethro, the father-in-law of Moshe Rabeinu. Here the name
פוטיאל connotes the idea that he fattened cows to sacrifice to every idol that existed. יתרו was an
unequivocal, seeker of the true manner to worship The Almighty. He diligently, with great
sacrifice and dedication brought the choicest animals as sacrifices, testing if he felt a true sincere
connection to whichever idol he was worshipping. He was a paragon of honesty, integrity, and a
researcher of the undeniable truth.

These two traits; the ability to have complete control over oneself, pursuing what is proper and
the undiluted, absolute quest for veracity were the attributes that enabled פנחס to become the
‘giant’ he is, the leader of Klal Yisroel.

Moshe Rabeinu, after being told by Hashem that he won’t enter Eretz Yisroel, asks Hashem to
appoint a leader, one who can absorb the personality of each and every person.

The כלי יקר, authored by Rav Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz (1550-1690) who was the Rabbi of
Prague from 1604-1619, after serving as the Rosh Yeshiva in the yeshiva in Lvov, teaches us a
fascinating, profound lesson.

In דברים יא:י-יב, Deuteronomy, 11:10-12, it states: “For the land that you are about to enter and
possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come. There the grain had to be sowed
by your own labors (irrigation ditches from the Nile River). The land you will enter… is a land…
which soaks up its water from the rains of heaven. It’s a land which Hashem always keeps an eye
on throughout the year.”

The כלי יקר explains based on his understanding of the ילקוט שמוני that the
Torah is admonishing us to be vigilant to give a share of one’s crops in Eretz Yisroel- notably
חלה. To give a portion of dough and תרומה, the first portion of grain to the כהן, the priest.

Though these amounts of gifts that are given to the כהן are minimal, they are only required in
Eretz Yisroel. Why? For outside the land, a farmer’s labor is much more extensive due to the
lack of the natural feeder-rain showering on the field, (and even if there is rain, it doesn’t rain at
the same exact time as it was when we abided to keep all the Mitzvos).

Since one has to expend intense labor in one’s fields; the Torah did not obligate one to give
תרומות ומעשרות to the כהן ולוי, for it isn’t proper for one who has strained, struggled, and sweated
to produce one’s crop to give it to another who didn’t exert any effort. In Eretz Yisroel, despite
the need to seed, plow, and harvest, nevertheless, our partner, Hashem provides the rain in its
‘right time.’ Therefore, our Partner demands us to give from ‘the part’ to the priests.

Let us ask; the amount of חלה is minimal, the mitzvah of חלה is one of three that a woman teaches
the world a fundamental of life, that being that all we have is a ברכה, blessing from Hashem. Its
not me, it’s Hashem who gifted one’s ability and also allows one’s effort to be actualized
successfully. If so, why would the Torah free us from the obligation and remove this life lesson
from those outside Eretz Yisroel?

Sensitivity! A person relentlessly diligently dedicates all their time and thought to produce a
product. It’s their constant focus from morning to evening, always ensuring that all their work is
done with complete responsibility, never slackening in their difficult labor. When the product is
finally realized, it represents the total implacable, unflinching commitment and devotion. The
Torah honors the person by recognizing their commitment to judiciously utilizing the talents
given by Hashem. “Your crop is a manifestation of who you are, it’s difficult to share it with
another, and it’s not correct to obligate you”

That is כביכול, “the leadership of Hashem”. One always has to with honesty and effort, selflessly
inquire, examine, absorb, and feel another’s emotional state and makeup. What applies to one,
doesn’t apply to another. Rather, one has to reflect on every situation another is in, spending time
and effort to truly comprehend what ones reaction should be- be it what to say! What to do!

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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum

ויאמר ה’ אל משה אל תירא אותו (פרק כא פסוק לד)

As the Jewish nation prepares for battle with Og and his nation, Bashan, Hashem encourages Moshe and tells him not to be afraid of them. Rashi explains (as expounded on by R’ Bachya) that Moshe certainly had no reason to fear any flesh and blood, after all, he had Hashem on his side. Rather, he was afraid that Og had a spiritual merit in his favor because many years earlier he had informed Avraham of Lot’s capture. In response Hashem was comforting Moshe that the merits of the Jews would outweigh that of Og’s. This, says R’ Bachya, is what Chazal mean when they say that Moshe struck Og at his ankle. He targeted the merit of Og’s steps that he took with his feet to inform Avraham. We can learn a tremendous lesson from here. Og did not have good intentions when informing Avraham of Lot’s capture, rather he wanted Avraham to go fight, get killed, and then Og would marry Sarah. Even so, his merit was enough to frighten Moshe many years later. We should not hesitate to perform mitzvos and learn Torah because of ulterior personal motives that we may have, rather we should do what Hashem wants of us and eventually we will grow into better people.

קח את כל ראשי העם והוקע אותם לה’ נגד השמש וישב חרון אף ה'(פרק כה פסוק ד)

After the Jews sinned with the Moabite women and the idol Peor, Hashem told Moshe that he should gather all the leaders to judge the sinners and have them hanged. The Gemara in Sanhedrin explains that really, they could have had one trial for all the people because it was regarding one sin but to abate Hashem’s anger (ישב חרון אף ה’) they had many trials with many judges. Rashi explains that through many people involving themselves in Hashem’s mitzva of judging and avenging His besmirched honor, Hashem’s wrath would subside. R’ Aharon Leib Shteinman deduces from here that there is a special סגולה when many Jews are involved in spreading the glory of Hashem. Even a job that could be done by a handful of people should preferably be done by many. This is a useful tool especially in times of trouble when there is a clear increase in Hashem’s anger. Through public involvement in mitzvos we can turn the tide.

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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier

בלעם, Bilaam, we are taught was gifted by Hashem with the extraordinary perception of the makeup of the spiritual world, of the upper spheres, a prophet on the same level as  משה רבינו, Moshe, our leader. The פסוק says that no prophet will arise akin to Moshe Rabeinu amongst the Jewish nation- but it infers that from the gentiles one will arise- who? Bilaam. We can’t imagine his exceptional phenomenal powers!

But we can ask, how then is it possible for one who understands the makeups of Hashem could lead himself astray? Hashem repeatedly let him know of his displeasure concerning his involvement with Balak’s desire to join him. Finally, when he was travelling to join him, a remarkable miracle takes place. His donkey rebukes him for his terrible behavior. Nevertheless, he still feels he can convince Hashem to allow him to curse them, despite that due to his supreme prophetic power, he was aware that Hashem had not allowed Himself to become “angry”– to invoke the metaphysical domain of punishment.

In Tractate Shabbos 153a it states; “Rav Eliezer taught ‘Repent one day before your death’. His students asked him “Does a person know the day on which he will die?’ He said to them ‘All the more so (this is good advice) one should repent today lest he die tomorrow, in this manner one will spend their whole life in a state of repentance!’” This is what שלמה המלך, King Solomon taught, “At all times your clothes should be white and oil shall not be absent from your head.” (קהלת ט,ח)

Bilaam stated the opposite, “תמת נפשי מות ישרים ותהי אחריתי כמהו” (בלק כג,י)  “May I die the death of the upright, may my fate be like theirs” . Bilaam acutely recognized the achievements of those who followed the Torah, their selfless compassion even towards the nations of the world (Netziv). He expressed his desire to  1) gain that purity the last day of his life, 2) thereby gaining for him that after his death he would be embraced by Hashem.

Unfortunately for him, he was not honestly cognizant of human nature. Rav Eliezer was demonstrating that the only viable way to develop a spiritual, selfless, honest living experience. One has to steadfastly, persistently, with resolution always perceive that one is standing on front of Hashem. The idea of the need to repent every day is exactly that; how can one not have remorse for their actions that are not appropriate? After all, Hashem is my benefactor, how can one act in a contrary manner?

Bilaam was a manifestation of one who clearly knows what is expected and required but shoves it aside, by claiming that one can do what they want, and rectify all at the end.  “It’s my life, and it’s my desire to gain wealth, acclaim, and power. In this world its about me, in the next world it’s about G-d.”

Balak was in some manner the opposite. The Torah starts off in Numbers: 22, 2 “And Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites (They had defeated a most powerful nation). And Moav was alarmed… they dreaded the Israelites. And Moav said to the elders of Midian… They will lick clean all that is about us… And Balak the son of Zippor was the king of Moav at that time.”

Why does the Torah wait till the third verse to relate to us that Balak was the king? It should state it in the first verse, when ‘introducing’ him. Rav Yerucham Levovitz זצ”ל explains that the Torah is teaching us the reason he was the king. Many times, one can witness a battle, war, or any event and walk away knowledgeable about the story and its conclusion. To actually take the time to analyze, perceive and with clarity understand the myriad of factors and causations of an event is time consuming and laborious.

Balak investigated. He concluded that the Israelites are a nation that exists on a metaphysical plane, one where the laws of nature don’t govern, but rather they are under the guidance and governance of G-d. They left the world’s empire (Egypt), they were saved at the Reed Sea, G-d spoke to them and sustained them miraculously in the desert for forty years. Their king, Moshe Rabeinu is not a warrior, a five-star general, but rather a person gifted with the ability to converse with G-d and to beseech Him to protect His people. Therefore, he seeked a person who had the same gifted qualities in order to neutralize Moshe Rabeinu. Who? Bilaam, who was blessed by G-d to be the same. He even joined Bilaam in sacrificing seven bulls and seven rams s a means of connecting to Hashem, hoping to gain His providential assistance in defeating the Jewish nation.

Yes, one can be fully understanding of G-d’s interaction with humanity. But it must be totally selfless; recognizing what Hashem demands and desires, not telling Him how to act!

Bilaam said; “They are people that rises like a lioness, leaps like a lion, rests not till it has feasted on its prey and drank the blood of the slain.” (Number 23:24) The Netziv explains; why is the lion given the title, king of the animal kingdom? A lion is one that will never allow another animal to be superior to it. It will with ‘adrenalin’ force itself to raise itself beyond its natural strength and power to defeat or best another.

In the same manner, Klal Yisrael will exert every effort to find superhuman strength to be on time to davening, learning or whatever; to declare what has to get done will have to be accomplished no matter all obstacles!

That strength is a consequence of relentless, selfless obligation to engender what is beneficial to one and all, to facilitate that the ‘wishes’ of hashem are actualized. Hashem tells us ,“Open for me a small door, and I will open a palace door” Hashem’s desire has to take place, he just demands that one truly, selflessly desire it to become a reality.