Long Island Torah Network
  • Home
  • Locations
    • East Northport
    • Huntington
    • Merrick
  • Programs
    • LITN Purim Celebration
    • Seder Box Event
    • Beis Medrash Night
    • Women's Programming
    • Remote Learning
    • Catalog >
      • Hebrew
      • Jewish Values
      • Holidays
      • Jewish Living
      • Jewish History
      • Text Study
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Our Mission
    • Photo Gallery >
      • Challah Bake at the Library
      • Dinner 2019
      • Huntington Torah Retreat
    • L.I.T.N. Video
  • Publications/Media
    • LITN Video
    • Audio Library >
      • Pathways Archives
      • Mishneh Berurah Archives
      • Torah Minute >
        • Shabbos Hagadol - Why So Many Rituals?
        • Vayakhel - Pekudei - But I have a good Reason!
        • Ki Sisa - Relationship With God - Look What I've Got!
        • Tetzaveh - Purim - Always With Gentleness
        • Mishpatim - Choosing Our Influencers
        • Beshalach - Mitzvos - Just How Priceless Are They?
        • Shemos - Mitzvos With Joy
        • Vayechi - Our Relationships with People - Our Relationship with G-D
        • Toldos - The Power Within Us
        • Chayei Sarah - Through Someone Else's Eyes
        • Vayeirah - Every Spiritual Success - A Priceless Treasure
        • Lech Lecha - Influenced By My Surroundings? Not Me!
        • Noach - The Two Deeds Look The Same, But Are They?
        • Sukkos - Key to Happiness
        • Vayeilech - Shabbos Shuva - One Small Step in Man's Eyes - One Giant Leap in Hashem's
        • Nitzavim - Rosh Hashana - My Relationship With Hashem
        • Devarim-Tisha B'Av - Dignity - Key To Growth
        • Matos-Masei Past Misdeeds - A Source of Encouragement?
        • Pinchas - Seeing is Believing
        • Chukas - Torah-A Gift for All of Us
        • Korach- Strength of Unity
        • Shlach- The Power of Speech
        • Naso - The Path to Internal Peace
        • Shavuos - Our Purpose - The World's Purpose
        • Balak - The Greatness of Torah Study
        • Korach- Capacity for Growth
        • Beha'aloscha - Mitzvos - The Greatest Gift and Opportunity
        • Naso -New Stage - New Opportunities
        • Tzav / Pesach - From Generation to Generation
        • Chayei Sarah - Kindness and Respect
        • Yom Kippur - Take the First Step to Greatness
        • Naso - Every Mitzvah is a Big Mitzvah
        • Yisro - Finding Happiness with what we Have
        • Vayechi - Seeking Advice
        • Bereishis - Greatness of Humanity
        • Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement- A Time to Thank
        • Vayeilech - Shabbos Shuva - The Impact on Others
        • Ki Savo - The Future of Judaism
        • Ki Savo - My Idea or Yours?
        • Ki Savo - Every Day a New Opportunity
        • Va'eschanan-Nachamu - Hashem is Always with Us
        • Tisha B'Av - A Day of Mourning, A Day of Hope
        • Matos-Masei- It's Not "Just Words"
        • Korach - The Power of Community
        • Bo - Appreciating Every Detail
        • Ki Seitzei - Working Together with Sensitivity
        • Pinchas - The Impact of an Experience
        • Tetzaveh - Purim - Seize the Moment
        • Torah Inspirations - Parshas B'Shalach
        • Nitzavim-Vayeilech - Change-We Could Do It
        • The Situation in Israel - How We Can Help
    • Text Library >
      • Snapshot >
        • Parshas Vayechi
        • Parshas Vayigash
        • Parshas Vayeishev
        • Parshas Vayishlach
        • Parshas Vayeitzei
        • Parshas Toldos
        • Parshas Chayei Sarah
        • Parshas Vayeirah
        • Parshas Lech Lecha
        • Parshas Noach
        • Parshas Ha'azinu
        • Parshas Vayeilech
        • Parshas Nitzavim
        • Parshas Ki Savo
        • Parshas Va'Eschanan
        • Parshas Devarim
        • Parshas Matos-Masei
        • Parshas Pinchas
        • Parshas Chukas
        • Parshas Korach
        • Parshas Shlach
        • Beha'aloscha
        • Parshas Naso
        • Parshas Behar
        • Parshas Behar-Bechukosai
        • Parshas Emor
        • Parshas Kedoshim
        • Parshas Acharei Mos
        • Achrei Mos-Kedoshim
        • Parshas Tazria-Metzorah
        • Parshas Shmini
        • Parshas Vayikra
        • Parshas Pekudei
        • Parshas Vayakhel
        • Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei
        • Parshas Ki Sisa
        • Parshas Tetzaveh
        • Parshas Terumah
        • Parshas Mishpatim
        • Parshas Yisro
        • Parshas Beshalach
        • Parshas Bo
        • Parshas Va'eirah
        • Parshas Shemos
        • Parshas Balak
        • Beha'aloscha
        • Parshas Vayeitzei
        • Parshas Vayechi
      • A Closer Look >
        • Beha'aloscha
        • Parshas Ki Savo
        • Parshas Tazria-Metzora
        • Parshas Vayikra CL
        • Parshas Vayakhel CL
        • Parshas Noach CL
        • Parshas Ki Sisa CL
        • Parshas Pekudei CL
        • Parshas Tetzaveh
        • Parshas Terumah
        • Parshas Mishpatim CL
        • Parshas Beshalach CL
        • Parshas Yisro CL
        • Parshas Vayechi CL
        • Parshas Vayigash CL
        • Parshas Shemos CL
        • Parshas Vayeisheiv CL
        • Parshas Vayeitzei CL
        • Parshas Vayishlach CL
        • Parshas Chayei Sarah CL
        • Parshas Toldos CL
        • Parshas Vayeirah CL
        • Parshas Korach
        • Parshas Yisro
        • Parshas B'shalach
        • Sh'lach
        • Haazinu
        • Beha'aloscha
        • Parshas Vayakhel
        • Parshas Shemos
        • Parshas Vayechi
        • Parshas Vayigash
        • Parshas Vayaishev
        • Vayishlach
        • Parshas Behar-Bechukosai
        • Parshas Emor
        • Achrei Mos-Kedoshim
        • Parshas Shmini
        • Parshas Vayeitzei
        • Parshas Noach
        • Thoughts and Perspectives on the Coronavirus situation
      • Month of Elul
      • Rosh Hashana - One By One
      • Relationships Seminar
      • Thoughts for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
      • Sukkos - Meanings, Observances and Traditions
      • Yom Kippur Overview
      • Chanukah - History, Meaning, and Observance >
        • Laws of Chanukah Candle Lighting
    • Seder Box Event
    • The Tenth of Teveth
    • Purim
    • Pesach - Passover
    • Shavuos
    • Three Weeks and Nine Days
    • Tisha B'Av
    • Trivia
  • Donate
  • Contact
    • Ask the Rabbi
Picture

  Parsha
​Snapshot


Matos-Masei
Matos begins with the laws of neder and sh’vua, two distinct types of vows or oaths. As the Talmud explains, a neder is a statement about an object – food, a vessel or even a person – rendering that object “non-Kosher,” or forbidden. Sh’vua, by contrast, is a statement about oneself – obligating the person to do – or not to do– a given act. (A sh’vua can also speak about the past, as in legal oaths, which can be required in Jewish courts.)
G-d commands Moses to wage war on the Midianites, whose successful attempt to seduce the Jews resulted in the deaths of twenty-four thousand. [The Moabites, though equally responsible, are not attacked. The Moabites acted out of fear; the Midianites, who were not in the path of the Israelite armies, acted purely out of spite.] Only one thousand men from each tribe – twelve thousand in all – are selected to join the army. Miraculously, not a single Jewish solider is killed.
The Tribes of Reuven and Gad approach Moses with a request: given their large herds of livestock, it would be in their interest to retain the conquered territories in Transjordan, while relinquishing their rights to Israel proper. Moses accuses them of reiterating the sin of the Spies, whose reluctance to enter the Land discouraged the nation and resulted in forty years’ wandering in the desert. Reuven and Gad explain that they have no intention of shirking their national duty; they will go to war with the rest of their brethren, taking a leading role in the conquest of the entire Land. Only when all are settled will they return to their wives and children in Transjordan. Moses acquiesces to this arrangement, granting their request conditional on their fulfilment of the deal. The structure and phraseology of Moses’ declaration is used by the Talmud as the template for conditional contractual arrangements. 

Parshas Masei concludes the fourth book of the Torah and the journey of the Israelites to the Promised Land. The Torah summarizes the forty-year itinerary from the Land of Egypt to the banks of the Jordan River. Hashem’s kindness to the Jews is evident, for the entire journey consisted of only forty-two stops - more than half of them in the first or the fortieth year, and only twenty stops during the remaining thirty-eight years.
 
The Torah delineates the borders of Israel west of the Jordan River. The land will be divided into twelve sections, which  will be distributed by lottery among the Twelve Tribes. The Levites did not receive their own section, but were given a number of cities throughout the land. The Levite cities also served as Cities of Refuge for a man who accidentally kills another person. Six additional cities were also dedicated specifically as Cities of Refuge.
 
The Parsha concludes with special instructions for the daughters of Tzelofchad. As recounted in Parshas Pinchas, these five sisters had petitioned for the right to inherit their father’s portion of land. Hashem validated their request, declaring that their logic was correct. Now, Hashem instructs them to marry within their tribe, to ensure the integrity of the tribal borders. This command was temporary in nature, applicable only to the first generation entering the Land of Israel.