A Thought on Parshios Matos-Masei
A Thought on Parshios Matos-Masei
"...va'yichtov Moshe es motza'ei'hem l'ma'asei'hem al pi HaShem..."
"...and Moshe recorded their travels as HaShem had said..." (33:2)
The Torah identifies for us the encampments and locations which our nation traversed in crossing the wilderness.
With the passage of time, writes the Rambam (Moreh HaNevuchim 3:50), people tend to cast doubt on historical events. They minimize and revise the significance of great moments. They concoct alternative explanations and invent "facts" to explain away the wondrous miracles which only our forefathers experienced on their desert journey.
It is for this reason, he suggests, that our parsha details the places which we passed through. Lest someone claim that we stuck to the main roads on the fringe of inhabited areas, or that we camped in cultivated fields, or frolicked with the nomad Arabs in their oases, the Torah describes the desolate badlands in which we trekked. Lest someone allege that manna is native to those wastelands or that wells of sweet water abound in those parched plateaus, the Torah maps out the terrain so that anyone who sets foot there and retraces our route will grasp the reality. Life in the desert was based on miracles.
Our travels and our survival were al pi HaShem. It is by the word of HaShem that we live and this existence is one of wonders and miracles.
* * * * *
The Rosh focuses on a verse in Tehillim (77:21): nachisa ka'tzon am'cha b'yad Moshe v'Aharon - You led Your nation like sheep under the care of Moshe and Aharon.
He offers a midrashic angle to the verse's imagery: just as sheep do not enter a building, Your nation survived out of doors for forty years. Just as sheep are not fed from stored food but must forage in the wild, Your nation was nourished without a reliable food source, but rather from the Divine gift of manna. Just as sheep will follow their shepherd wherever they are led, Your nation followed their two faithful shepherds for forty years in the desert.
Our verse draws attention to the profound and the sublime realities which sustained us during the generation of the exodus. The Rambam interprets the verse's role as a reminder of the constant caring focus which HaShem showed us despite the inhospitable locale. The Rosh interprets the verse's role as highlighting the devotion of HaShem to His nation, and the nation's devotion to Him. Both messages are for the ages. We need to remember that HaShem watches over us, and that our ideal is to reciprocate that dedication and trust in Him.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
"...va'yichtov Moshe es motza'ei'hem l'ma'asei'hem al pi HaShem..."
"...and Moshe recorded their travels as HaShem had said..." (33:2)
The Torah identifies for us the encampments and locations which our nation traversed in crossing the wilderness.
With the passage of time, writes the Rambam (Moreh HaNevuchim 3:50), people tend to cast doubt on historical events. They minimize and revise the significance of great moments. They concoct alternative explanations and invent "facts" to explain away the wondrous miracles which only our forefathers experienced on their desert journey.
It is for this reason, he suggests, that our parsha details the places which we passed through. Lest someone claim that we stuck to the main roads on the fringe of inhabited areas, or that we camped in cultivated fields, or frolicked with the nomad Arabs in their oases, the Torah describes the desolate badlands in which we trekked. Lest someone allege that manna is native to those wastelands or that wells of sweet water abound in those parched plateaus, the Torah maps out the terrain so that anyone who sets foot there and retraces our route will grasp the reality. Life in the desert was based on miracles.
Our travels and our survival were al pi HaShem. It is by the word of HaShem that we live and this existence is one of wonders and miracles.
* * * * *
The Rosh focuses on a verse in Tehillim (77:21): nachisa ka'tzon am'cha b'yad Moshe v'Aharon - You led Your nation like sheep under the care of Moshe and Aharon.
He offers a midrashic angle to the verse's imagery: just as sheep do not enter a building, Your nation survived out of doors for forty years. Just as sheep are not fed from stored food but must forage in the wild, Your nation was nourished without a reliable food source, but rather from the Divine gift of manna. Just as sheep will follow their shepherd wherever they are led, Your nation followed their two faithful shepherds for forty years in the desert.
Our verse draws attention to the profound and the sublime realities which sustained us during the generation of the exodus. The Rambam interprets the verse's role as a reminder of the constant caring focus which HaShem showed us despite the inhospitable locale. The Rosh interprets the verse's role as highlighting the devotion of HaShem to His nation, and the nation's devotion to Him. Both messages are for the ages. We need to remember that HaShem watches over us, and that our ideal is to reciprocate that dedication and trust in Him.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 7:19 PM
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