Parashat Matot and showing up for our people

Summertime Torah portions get short shrift. They aren’t exactly breezy beach reading and many concern Moses’ repetition of the Israelites journey from Egypt to the doorstep of the Promised Land. But, as with any piece of Torah, there is gold to mine. This year Parashat Matot was read on July 11, a week after the hoopla of America’s 250^th anniversary, and (as is often the case), it shared the billing with Parashat Masei. Matot poses an essential question, which rings even more powerfully today: when is each Jew compelled to join the fight for our people and the future of Israel?

Here’s the setting…

The Israelites are on the cusp of crossing the Jordan River to begin the divine conquest of the Land of Israel, establishing a Jewish State per Hashem’s decree. The tribes of Reuben and Gad had substantial herds of livestock. Their leaders approached Moses and essentially asked to inherit grazing lands east of the Jordan River instead of receiving their allotted share in the Land of Israel. From their perspective, this was a pragmatically driven economic proposal.

Moses reacts sharply, asking “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?” (Bamidbar/Numbers 32:6). In so doing, Moshe accuses the tribes of discouraging the rest of the Jewish people, comparing their proposal to the sin of the spies almost 40 years earlier. Recall that 10 of the 12 spies had caused the nation to lose heart before entering Canaan. Despite most of that generation dying in the wilderness, Moses fears Reuben and Gad are again undermining the new national resolve – on the eve of battle no less. To Moses, this was not primarily about property rights, it was a matter of national solidarity. His deepest concern is not where Reuben and Gad will live but whether they will share the burden of the Jewish people.

The good news is that the tribes quickly clarify their request to Moses, making plain that they intend to stick with the fledgling Jewish nation until the conquest is complete – after which they’d like to settle their families and livestock on the east bank of the Jordan. The tribes even emphasized that they will not return east of the Jordan until every other tribe successfully has received its respective portion of the new Jewish State. Moses agrees to the proposal, underlining the tribes’ affirmation of the national bond granting their request on the condition that they fight alongside their brothers and remain in Israel until the job is done – but if the tribes do not honor their solemn commitment, Moses warns they should “know that your sin will overtake you.” (Numbers 32:23).

Many commentators see this episode as establishing a bedrock Torah principle: individual or tribal interests are legitimate, but they cannot come at the expense of communal obligations.

Interestingly, Moses does not forbid Reuben and Gad from pursuing what is best for their families or livelihoods. But he insists that they first fulfill their national responsibility. Only once they share fully in the common burden may they enjoy the benefits of their chosen inheritance. In many respects, this negotiation is a model of leadership. The tribes earnestly articulate their economic needs and desires; Moses insists on national solidarity; and together they arrive at an agreement that accommodates both concerns without sacrificing the collective mission.

The Torah is teaching us that working together with our fellow Israelites is not merely patriotic—it was and remains a covenantal duty. It is not coincidental that this incident appears immediately after Parashat Matot kicks off, i.e., the Torah portion leads with this story to make a point.

Fast forward to the Book of Joshua, where it records that the tribes of Reuben and Gad indeed kept their promise. Joshua, who has taken the leadership reigns from Moses, commends the tribes, emphasizing that they “have not forsaken your brothers these many days.” (Joshua 22:3) Thus, the verse is remembered not because the tribes failed, but because they understood the seriousness of their sacred obligation and lived up to it.

Parashat Matot’s central question – “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?” – has resonated throughout Jewish history because it asks what mutual responsibility looks like when Jews have different circumstances, interests, or viewpoints. The tribes are not forbidden from pursuing what is best for their families, and Moses ultimately grants their request. But he insists that they first fulfill their obligations to the broader Jewish community. Disagreement is permitted; abandonment is not. Some commentators see this episode and its aftermath as an expression of arevut—the concept that all of Israel are responsible for one another (Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh; Shevuot 39a).

Similarly, today millions of diaspora Jews choose to live outside of the State of Israel (including me). American Jews are separated from Israel not by the Jordan River but by oceans and seas. Parashat Matot teaches that, while living in the comforts of America is an understandable choice, it does not absolve us of our responsibility to support our brothers and sisters on the front lines, shouldering our respective burdens of sustaining our people and ensuring our future.

The American Jewish community has grappled with serious post-October 7 debates over Israel. Thankfully, a strong majority of Jews understand support for Israel as an indispensable expression of Jewish solidarity and collective responsibility. Others tragically adopt anti-Zionist positions for pseudo-ethical, or politically convenient reasons. There is an important distinction between healthy debate within the Jewish people (which Rabbinic literature celebrates when done for the sake of heaven) and undermining the sense of shared responsibility for our people’s future.

Parashat Matot asks us to contemplate where the line is between productive disagreement and destructive disunity. As we prepare to turn the page toward a new year, my Matot-inspired prayer is that each diaspora Jew discharges their communal duty to emulate the tribes of Reuben and Gad – who showed up to fight when their people needed them. Let this new year be filled with Jewish strength through solidarity and pride. Shana tova.