‘Lose Yourself’ Parashat Mattot-Masaei 5785
Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted – one moment – would you capture it or just let it slip? (Eminem, “Lose Yourself”)
The answer should be trivial: Of course you would do everything you could to capture it. And, yet, surprisingly, this is not always the path chosen. The Jewish People have just defeated Sihon, King of the Amorites, and Og, King of Bashan, two of the greatest Transjordanian superpowers, capturing their land in the process. While the Land of the Amorites is nothing to write home about[1], the Land of Bashan is a livestock paradise. The volcanic soil from the Golan Heights, combined with water sources from streams and springs fed by Mount Hermon, created ideal conditions for abundant vegetation, making the Bashan a prime location for grazing and agriculture.
The Tribes of Reuben and Gad, who happen to own a copious amount of livestock, think this would be a perfect place to pitch their tents and so they ask Moshe to let them inherit the Transjordan. They tell him that these lands are a match made in heaven [Bemidbar 32:5]: “It would be a favour to us… if this land were given to your servants as an inheritance; do not move us across the Jordan.” Moshe is shocked, but he does not say what one would have expected him to say: You are only a few days from the Jordan River. Your destiny, a land created just for you, lies just a few kilometres down the road. Why in the world would you let it slip? Moshe says something else [Bemidbar 32:6]: “Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here?” He reprimands them, asserting that their actions will be interpreted as fear and will deter people from crossing the Jordan. Then he launches into a tirade, comparing them to the spies, who [Bemidbar 32:9] “turned the minds of the Israelites from invading the land that G-d had given them” and condemned them to forty years wandering in the desert. He tells them that they have learnt nothing, that they are going down the same path as the spies. Reuben and Gad respond by telling Moshe that any resemblance between them and the spies is coincidental. Of course we’ll participate in the war! We’ll even lead the charge! Only after the Land of Canaan has been captured will we return home to the Transjordan. Moshe seems satisfied. He makes them pinkie swear and then he gives them exactly what they ask for.
I am not certain whose actions are more difficult to explain – those of Reuben and Gad or those of Moshe. Reuben and Gad willingly relinquish their claim to the Land of Israel – the Holy Land, a land that G-d promised to their forefathers, a land they had dreamed about for nearly half a millennium – to live in a Jewish ghetto. They willingly secede from the rest of their brothers. They leave behind a Jewish country – with a Jewish army, Jewish firemen, Hebrew newspapers and a Jewish calendar – to live in a Jewish ghetto. And all this for “abundant vegetation”. Were they blinded by… grass?
And why is Moshe so accommodating? Has he not heard of the word “no”? What is most striking about his response is that he does not once consult with G-d. Every time the Jewish People make a poor decision – at the Golden Calf (Egel), the sin of the spies, Korach’s rebellion – Moshe consults with G-d. When the daughters of Zelofchad ask to inherit their late father, Moshe consults with G-d. But not here. Not even once. Even in the Torah’s recap of the story in the Book of Devarim, G-d is mentioned only after the fact [Devarim 3:20]: “Until G-d has granted your brothers a haven such as you have, and they too have taken possession of the land that G-d is assigning them, beyond the Jordan”. What is the source of Moshe’s newfound independence?
The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh[2] provides insight on the strategy implemented by the Tribes of Reuben and Gad to defuse any potential objections to their request. Their biggest hurdle was Moshe’s accusation that they were abandoning the other tribes by not joining them in battle. They answer[3] him by noting that Sihon and Og were defeated by miraculous means. Moshe tells Joshua [Devarim 3:21] “You have seen with your own eyes all that G-d has done to these two kings; so shall G-d do to all the kingdoms into which you shall cross over.” Reuben and Gad tell Moshe, “You don’t need us to fight – G-d is doing the fighting and it is a sight to be seen. We have Iron Dome and Arrow-3 that intercept missiles our enemies fire at us. We have JDAM guidance kits that bring a ton of TNT only centimetres from where it is needed. We have SPIKE NLOS tactical missiles with non-line-of-sight capability, real-time guidance, and precision targeting capabilities. You do not need more foot-soldiers”. As for their rejection of the Land of Israel, they remind Moshe that the wars against Sihon and Og paved their way into the Land of Israel. G-d had extended His protection to the Jewish People to help them conquer these lands such that the territory they wished to settle in was equal in sanctity to the territory yet to be conquered. They were already living in Israel[4]! The only question remaining was that if there was no need for infantry and they were already in Israel, why should specifically Reuben and Gad remain in the Transjordan? Their answer to this question was that none of the other tribes had as many heads of cattle as they did. Case closed.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, writing in “Likutei Sichot [8:189]”, adds a Hassidic bent to the edifice built by the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh. The Rebbe explains that because Reuben and Gad did not need to engage in battle, as G-d was doing the heavy lifting, they preferred to leave warfighting to others and live a quiet spiritual life tending their flocks in the Transjordan. They were convinced that their mission in life was to pursue, extract and elevate the sparks inherent in this more spiritually distant corner of creation. They argued that Moshe’s comparison with the spies was too general: The spies convinced everyone to reject Israel and turn around and head back to Egypt. Reuben and Gad, on the other hand, were only a small minority. Everyone else was encouraged to come on aliya. Nevertheless, teaches the Rebbe, Reuben and Gad had erred and were punished severely. They were the first tribes exiled to Assyria, where they disappeared forever.
With the explanations of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh and the Rebbe, we can now better understand Moshe’s reaction. Moshe sees through the smoke and mirrors. If you truly want to live here, says Moshe, I cannot stop you. He tells them [Devarim 3:18-20] “You must go as shock-troops, warriors all, at the head of your Israelite kin…Until G-d has granted [them] …possession of the land that G-d is assigning them… Then you may return each to the homestead that I have assigned to you”. Moshe is making two critical points. His first point is that even with Iron Dome’s miraculous performance, the Land of Israel will still be captured with blood and treasure. People will fight and people will die. Moshe’s second point is that while G-d has granted the Jewish People the Land of Israel, I am giving you the Transjordan. The Transjordan is not Israel. It does not share Israel’s sanctity and it certainly does not share Israel’s purpose. If you choose to stay in the Transjordan, you will be turning your back on your people and on your country. And by rejecting your people and your country, you are, by extension, rejecting G-d.
Reuben and Gad had that opportunity to seize everything they could have ever desired, but they let it slip. They lost – their land, their people, their G-d, and, eventually, themselves.
Ari Sacher, Moreshet, 5785
Please daven for a Refu’a Shelema for Iris bat Chana, Shlomo ben Esther, Sheindel Devora bat Rina, Esther Sharon bat Chana Raizel, Esther bat Hila, and Meir ben Drora.
[1] Much of the land is desert, but the lands near the Arnon and Jabbok Rivers include flat, fertile plains.
[2] Rabbi Chaim ben Atar, better known as the “Or HaChaim HaKadosh”, lived in Morocco and in Israel in the first half of the 17th century
[3] The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh shoehorns this explanation into the verses.
[4] My brother-in-law once told me that when he came on aliya, his classmates from Primary School told him that they would see him in Israel “when Moshiach comes”. Then one of them, in a stroke of genius, decided that when Moshiach comes, Israel will attain the sanctity of Jerusalem and the rest of the world will attain the sanctity of Israel, meaning that they could stay in Toronto forever.
