At the end of Matos, the Tribes of Reuven and Gad approach Moshe and the elders, asking to take their portion in Eretz Yisrael from OUTSIDE Eretz Yisrael, namely the captured land of Sichon and Og.
They offer the rationale, “This land is very good for pasturing animals, and we have a lot of animals.”
Why did they need to state the obvious? If you’re saying you want the land because it’s good pasture, doesn’t it stand to reason that you have cattle and sheep and want it for that reason? Besides, certainly Moshe knew they had a lot of animals.
Most likely, they were offering a different insight. They said, “Hashem gave Klal Yisrael the land of these two nations, and it is good grazing land. He also gave us lots of sheep and cattle which need to graze.
Since nothing is coincidence, Hashem likely intended for us to remain in this land and populate it.”
This message is echoed in recounting the travels of the Jews. We weren’t wandering in the desert. We were going to various places with a specific agenda, even though we weren’t privy to it.
Each of the 42 stops was crucial to our development as a nation, as is everything we encounter in our lives intentional, for us to learn from.
Thought of the week:
Coincidence is G-d’s way of remaining anonymous.
– Albert Einstein
