Are You a Spectator to Your People’s Story?

Parashat Matot-Masei presents us with profound themes of collective responsibility, military service, and Jewish unity, just before the Israelites enter the Land of Israel. Before diving into the parashah, I want to ask a simple yet profound question:

Who bears the responsibility for protecting Israel?
Who bears the responsibility for safeguarding the Jewish people?
Is it the responsibility of soldiers alone?
The government of Israel?
Or perhaps… ours too—those of us sitting here today, in the Diaspora? And if it is our responsibility as well, how is it expressed?
In words?
In actions?
In a sense of belonging?
Are we just watching from afar?
Or are we, like the tribes of Reuben and Gad, also crossing the Jordan River on our way to Israel to be part of the front lines during times of war?

Among the many themes in this parashah, we find the tribes of Reuben and Gad requesting to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Moses rebukes them sharply, saying, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here? – הַאַחֵיכֶם יָבֹאוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה וְאַתֶּם תֵּשְׁבוּ פֹה? 

In other words, how can they leave their siblings behind and rest safely, tending to their cattle, while everyone else goes to war?

Military service is not the domain of select tribes or groups.
Even the tribe of Levi, dedicated to sacred service, was not exempt from this requirement.

Moses’ criticism emphasizes a central principle: The participation and responsibility of all parts of the nation in our shared security and survival. The demand for justice and equal burden-sharing in military service is directly reflected in the command: “And we will hasten as shock-troops in the van of the Israelites until we have established them in their home, while our children stay in the fortified towns because of the inhabitants of the land: We will not return to our homes until the Israelites; every one of them; are in possession of their portion. But we will not have a share with them in the territory beyond the Jordan, for we have received our share on the east side of the Jordan.” (Num. 32:17-19)

The parashah teaches us another crucial principle:
Military service is not the domain of select tribes or groups.
Even the tribe of Levi, dedicated to sacred service, was not exempt from this requirement. As it is written:
“You shall dispatch on the campaign a thousand from every one of the tribes of Israel.” אֶ֚לֶף לַמַּטֶּ֔ה אֶ֖לֶף לַמַּטֶּ֑ה לְכֹל֙ מַטּ֣וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל תִּשְׁלְח֖וּ לַצָּבָֽא׃  (Numbers 31:4).

And as Rashi elaborates: ‘From all the tribes of Israel’—including, therefore, the tribe of Levi”.

Today, the State of Israel continues to grapple with this fundamental question: how to balance social justice and an equitable distribution of national responsibilities. The issue of not having all factions of the Israeli society shoulder the responsibility of military service, for example, is a modern expression of this ancient tension, as the Levite. Just as Moses demanded in his time, we too must demand that everyone take part in this responsibility, contributing according to their ability.

Zionism is not a political movement—it reflects a profound Jewish faith in shared responsibility

Yet the parashah teaches us another important lesson: the unity of Israel does not depend solely on those within the land but also on those who choose to live beyond its borders. The tribes of Reuben and Gad ultimately agree to send their warriors into battle alongside their brothers,
We, the Jews of the Diaspora, must also ask ourselves: how, like Reuben and Gad who lived beyond the physical boundaries of Israel, are we engaging with and sharing in this responsibility?

Today, following the events of October 7th, we have a deep understanding of the heavy cost and the crucial importance of Jewish unity and Zionism as a profound spiritual value. Zionism is not a political movement; it reflects a profound Jewish faith in shared responsibility.

Moses’ challenge is still relevant:
We must not leave our siblings to fight alone.
We must not leave the Land of Israel to others.
We must not leave the responsibility for the survival of the Jewish people to just one segment of us.
Only through unity and shared responsibility can we realize the vision of Torah and Zionism.

I want to conclude by returning to the word that begins our parashah: “Matot.” This word has multiple meanings: a staff, a tribe, and the verb “to incline” or “to shift,” meaning to change the balance or to influence the outcome.

This is not just an address about an ancient parashah; it is a call to take responsibility in our own time. 

Indeed, the two-and-a-half tribes shifted the balance; they turned a situation of critique and even anger toward them into one of appreciation and understanding. They showed that it is possible to sit outside the physical borders of the Land of Israel and still be deeply and fully part of the collective responsibility of the Jewish people.

This week falls within the period of “Bein HaMetzarim”, the Three Weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, a time of national introspection and remembrance of destruction.  The Haftarah from Jeremiah, which begins with the words “Hear the word of  GOD – שמעו דבר ה׳”, continues with a warning about forgetting God, reminding us that destruction did not start from the outside; it started from within, when we lost our sense of mutual partnership and covenant.

This is not just an address about an ancient parashah; it is a call to take responsibility in our own time.
Amid mourning,
Amid the struggle,
Amid our complicated reality, we can and must shift the balance.

In these days of sorrow, we build hope.
And in brokenness, we choose covenant again!

Matot-Masei Sermon. Sinai Congregation of SJ, CA.