Torah Commentary - Mattot

The Torah Portion, Mattot, opens with God's commandment that: "A man who will make a vow to YHWH or has sworn an oath to make a restriction on himself shall not desecrate his word. He shall do it according to everything that comes out of his mouth." (Numbers 30:3)*

As with all Torah Portions, Mattot, raises a a number of "whys." Why is there an uncharacteristic focus on women's rights regarding their vows with God? Why do Moses and God exact such brutal vengeance against the Midianites, killing even Balaam who followed God's commandment to bless the Israelites? Why is Moses so angry with the tribes of Reuben and Gad when they ask to remain on the other side of the Jordan River and not cross into Canaan? These questions are central to the narrative of Mattot which is unified by the theme of "vows," as God instructs the Israelites in their final preparations to enter the Promised Land of Canaan.

While striving to act according to God's commandments during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness, it's natural that questions should arise among the Israelites, regarding the application of these commandments in various life circumstances. It makes practical sense to resolve these questions before the Israelites are caught up in the conquests, land divisions, and transition to Joshua's leadership which face them as they cross into Canaan.

In the verses about women's vows with God (Numbers 30: 4-17), it's acknowledged that a woman is often under the power of her father or husband. Therefore God will forgive her if her father or husband interferes with her fulfillment of a vow. Further, the husband who causes his wife to break her vow, "...he shall bear her crime." (Numbers 30:16)* - he will bear the responsibility for whatever consequences occur as a result of her broken vow.

In Chapter 31 of Mattot, God commands Moses, as Moses' last act of leadeship, to "Get revenge for the children of Israel from the Midianites. After that you'll be gathered to your people." (Numbers 31:2)* Moses orders a vicious war on the Midianites. Every male, including the kings of Midian and Balaam is killed. The text suggests that Balaam played a role in the Israelites' sin of idol worship at Peor. (Numbers 31:16)* Although he, himself, has a Midianite wife, Moses brutally orders all male Midianite infants and all other married Midianite women to be killed.
The text doesn't detail Moses' feelings, but one can imagine his fierce anger and humiliation that his wife's people, those in the land where his respected father-in-law is priest, seduced the Israelites and led them into idol worship. At the direction of God through a furious Moses, the Midianites suffer the horrific consequences of causing the Israelites to break the vow of vows - their promise to worship One God. Just as an Israelite husband must bear the consequences of causing his wife to break her vow with God, so the Midianites endure a similar fate.

Following the war with the Midianites, those Israelite men who killed or came in contact with the dead in battle undergo a purification ritual. The spoils of war with the Midianites are divided up with a share going to the priestly Levites.

No sooner does the violent episode of the Midianite war end, when Moses is confronted with yet another intense challenge. The Tribes of Gad and Reuben ask to remain on the eastern side of the Jordan River where the land is well suited to their herds of livestock. Moses is livid and demands, "Will your brothers go to war while you sit here?! And why do you hold back the heart of the children of Israel from crossing to the land that YHWH has given them?" (Numbers 32:6-7)* There is a sense that Moses is weary and wishes to finally see the end of his life that God has decreed with the fulfillment of God's commandment that the children of Israel settle in Canaan. And now, on the brink of crossing into the Promised Land, some Tribes don't want to go! The situation is resolved with another vow which brings the events of Mattot to a close. The Tribes of Gad and Reuben vow that they will build fortified cities for their families and flocks and then lead the Israelites into battle for the Land of Canaan, across the Jordan. "We won't go back to our houses until the children of Israel take possession, each of his legacy." (Numbers 32:18)*

The final verses of Mattot describe the land which Moses gave to the Tribes of Gad and Reuben (and half the Tribe of Manasseh) in return for the fulfillment of their vow.

The Israelites' arduous journey is coming to an end, while we continue on our way, working to fulfill our vows, once again made wiser by the "whys" of Torah Study.

*From Commentary on the Torah by Richard Elliott Friedman