In this week’s Parsha, we delve into the request of Shevet Gad and Shevet Reuven for a portion of land on the other side of the Jordan River. Before analyzing this topic deeper, let's first provide a few brief introductions.
Parshat Matot is divided into three topics: The first topic is the section on vows, to which the Torah dedicates 17 Pesukim. Immediately following, the Torah discusses the war against Midyan, which contains 54 Pesukim. The third topic is the request of the tribes of Gad and Reuven, to which the Torah dedicates 40 Pesukim.
If Parshat Matot includes these three topics, we need to find the connection between them. Chazal interpret the Pasuk שִׁנַּיִך כְּעֵדֶר הַקְּצוּבוֹת שֶׁעָלוּ מִן הָרַחְצָה שֶׁכֻּלָּה מַתְאִימוֹת וְשֶׁכֻּלָּה אֵין בָּהֶם שַׁכּוּלוֹת – Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and none is bereaved among them, in relation to the war against Midyan (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 4:4). The Midrash says:
אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנַנְיָה בַּר יִצְחָק said that twelve thousand went to the war against Midyan. רַבִּי הוּנָא said that none of them put on the head tefillin before the hand tefillin. If one of them had put on the head tefillin before the hand tefillin, Moshe would not have praised them, and they would not have returned in peace. This indicates they were exceedingly righteous.
The question arises: What is the connection between the war against Midyan and the practice of not putting on the Tefillin Shel Rosh before the Tefillin Shel Yad? What is the greatness of people who follow this practice? It's known that if a person reaches into their Tefillin bag and mistakenly takes out the Tefillin Shel Rosh first, they do not put it on but set it aside and first put on the Tefillin Shel Yad, because one should not bypass Mitzvot, as it says: וְהָיָה לְךָ לְאוֹת עַל־יָדְךָ וּלְזִכָּרוֹן בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ – It shall be to you as a sign on your hand, and for a reminder between your eyes.
The one who asks this question is the author of the Netivot Shalom from Slonim, who asks: What did the Midrash find in Shevet Gad and Shevet Reuven that they did not put on the Tefillin Shel Rosh before the Tefillin Shel Yad?
The Netivot Shalom explains that every Jew has two fortresses in their body that govern them: one fortress is the head, where the brain is located, and the other fortress is the heart. Therefore, before putting on the Tefillin, we say in the L'shem Yichud prayer:
וְצִוָּנוּ לְהָנִיחַ עַל הַיָּד לְזִכָּרוֹן זְרוֹעַ הַנְּטוּיָה. וְשֶׁהִיא נֶגֶד הַלֵב לְשַׁעְבֵּד תַּאֲוַת וּמַחְשְׁבוֹת לִבֵּנוּ לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ. וְעַל הָרֹאשׁ נֶגֶד הַמֹּחַ. שֶׁהַנְּשָׁמָה שֶׁבְּמֹחִי עִם שְׁאָר חוּשַׁי וְכֹחוֹתַי יִהְיוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ
A Jew must subdue these two fortresses to Hakadosh Baruch Hu so that He may govern their limbs. The heart includes all desires and passions, which the Jew subdues and dedicates to Hashem. Similarly, the soul, which resides in the brain with all its senses and powers, must be subjugated. The order of action is to first subdue one's desires, and only then can one subdue the soul in the brain. For if one corrupts their desires, the brain becomes dull and insensitive, and they cannot have clarity in their spiritual beliefs and perspectives.
Bilaam wanted to corrupt the desires of Bnei Yisrael and therefore advised the immorality with the daughters of Moav. Only afterward was there a corruption of the intellect, and the people who were trapped in desires also clung to Ba’al Pe’or, which is a form of belief in other opinions and perspectives. Therefore, the people who fought against him needed to prioritize the Avodah of the Tefillin Shel Yad, subjugating their desires first and enabling them to overcome this impurity.
The Netivot Shalom explains that immorality affects the heart, as found with Tzitzit: וְלֹא תָתוּרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם – And do not follow after your own heart and your own eyes. When one looks with their eyes, the eyes wander and see things, causing a desire to sin, and from this comes the harm to the heart. The second point is idolatry, which raises questions of faith in a person's heart. Bilaam sought to harm Bnei Yisrael both in the mind and in the heart. The first harm was immorality, and the second was the idolatry of Pe’or. Therefore, if the harm was first to the heart and then to the mind, the correction must be first to the heart and then to the mind — first the Tefillin Shel Yad to subjugate the heart, and then the Tefillin Shel Rosh to subjugate the mind. This served as a correction for the sin at Shittim, which included both the sin of immorality and the sin of idolatry.
After this wonderful idea, we can connect to another found in Vezot Haberachah. There, Moshe Rabbeinu says to Shevet Gad: וּלְגָד אָמַר בָּרוּךְ מַרְחִיב גָד כְּלָבִיא שָׁכֵן וְטָרַף זְרוֹעַ אַף קָדְקֹד – And of Gad he said: Blessed be He who enlarges Gad; he dwells as a lioness, and tears the arm, even the crown of the head.
Rashi explains: This teaches that the territory of Gad expanded eastward; because he was near the border, therefore he’s compared to lions, for all those near the border must be mighty.
The question arises: How do we know that the tribe of Gad were mighty warriors? The Bechor Shor explains: When the sons of Gad would strike, they would strike the neck and deepen the blow down through the chest to under the right armpit, cutting the head and arm together, and killing with one blow. The Vilna Gaon (Kol Eliyahu) explains why Gad merited such might. The significance of being able to battle and kill in such a manner is a hint to a lesson taught by the Gemara (Menachot 36a): A lapse of attention or interruption between donning the Tefillin Shel Yad and Shel Rosh is a sin, and due to it, one returns from the ranks of soldiers waging war. Therefore, it is mentioned here as a hint that in their hands, there was not even this sin, so Shevet Gad had middah k’neged middah – to tear the arm and even the crown of the head in one blow without interruption. Therefore, it is said about Gad: גָּד גְּדוּד יְגוּדֶנּוּ וְהוּא יָגוּד עָקֵב – Gad will be an assailing troop; he will be a troop at their heels. They would return from war with all their troops bound together.
Based on these ideas, we can understand why the war against Midyan is juxtaposed with the request of Shevet Gad and Shevet Reuven. Just as in the war against Midyan, they did not put on the Tefillin Shel Rosh before the Shel Yad, so too did Shevet Gad have this uniqueness.
The Torah dedicates five Pesukim to the request for a portion of land on the other side of the Jordan River for the tribes of Gad and Reuven. The Torah states:
וּמִקְנֶה רַב הָיָה לִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן וְלִבְנֵי גָד עָצוּם מְאֹד וַיִּרְאוּ אֶת אֶרֶץ יַעְזֵר וְאֶת אֶרֶץ גִלְעָד וְהִנֵּה הַמָּקוֹם מְקוֹם מִקְנֶה: וַיָּבֹאוּ בְנֵי גָד וּבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן וְאֶל נְשִׂיאֵי הָעֵדָה לֵאמֹר: עֲטָרוֹת וְדִיבֹן וְיַעְזֵר וְנִמְרָה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְאֶלְעָלֵה וּשְׂבָם וּנְבוֹ וּבְעֹן: הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הִכָּה ה' לִפְנֵי עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶרֶץ מִקְנֶה הִוא וְלַעֲבָדֶיךָ מִקְנֶה: וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִם מָצָאנוּ חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ יֻתַּן אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לַעֲבָדֶיךָ לַאֲחֻזָּה אַל תַּעֲבִרֵנוּ אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן
Very large herds belonged to the tribes of Reuven and Gad – an extremely large number; and they saw the lands of Yazer and Gilad, and behold, the region was an area for livestock. The tribes of Reuven and Gad came and spoke to Moshe and to Elazar HaKohen, and to the princes, saying: “Atarot, Divon, Yazeir, Nimrah, Cheshbon, Elalei, Sevam, Nevo and Be’on; the land that Hakadosh Baruch Hu struck down before Bnei Yisrael is an area for livestock; and your servants have livestock.” They said: “If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not bring us over the Yarden.”
The Abarbanel asks: If the purpose of their words was to say, "Let this land be given to your servants as a possession," why interrupt – with a paragraph mark {ס} – between the final two Pesukim? Why is "The land which Hakadosh Baruch Hu struck" one narrative, and "They said, if we have found favor etc.” a separate narrative? And why does it say "They said" a second time, when the purpose of that statement should have been connected to what preceded it?
Another question arises: What does it mean that Reuven and Gad had a very large number of livestock? Did only they have a lot of livestock, and not Zevulun or Yissachar or Shimon?!
The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh explains these according to their simple meaning. He writes that the reason for this notification is to justify the reason found in their words for requesting the land of Sichon and Og, as it is true. The reason they had more than all the tribes is because they were mighty warriors who plundered a larger portion than all the tribes. This refers to the war with Midyan, where hundreds of thousands of animals were taken captive. Therefore, since the children of Gad and Reuven were stronger, they naturally took more spoils! Hence, the Parsha of Midyan is also connected to the request of the children of Gad — to tell you that since in this war the children of Gad and Reuven fought, therefore the main request was from them, as they took more spoils and naturally needed more space for the livestock.
Rabbotai, why does the Pasuk mention Reuven before Gad? The Ramban says, this is proper because Reuven is the firstborn and the son of Yaakov’s main wife. However, throughout this parsha, the children of Gad are mentioned first because they proposed this idea; they were the first to speak to Moshe about this inheritance, and they were mightier than the children of Reuven.
A Midrash in this week's Parsha (Bamidbar Rabbah, 22:8) seemingly brings proof to the words of the Ohr HaChaim:
זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: כִּי לֹא מִמּוֹצָא וּמִמַּעֲרָב וְלֹא מִמִּדְבַּר הָרִים, כִּי אֱ-לֹהִים שֹׁפֵט זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל וְזֶה יָרִים... תֵּדַע לְךָ כְּשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ לַעֲשִׁירוּ בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן וּבְנֵי גָד הִפִּיל אֶת הַמִּדְיָנִים לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשִׁירוּ בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן וּבְנֵי גָד
This is what the verse said: “For it is neither from the east nor from the west, nor from the wilderness or the mountains, but it is G-d who is the Judge; He humbles this one and exalts that one.” ... Know that when He sought for the children of Reuven and the children of Gad to become wealthy, He toppled the Midianites before Bnei Yisrael so the children of Reuven and Gad would become wealthy.
It is implied from this Midrash, as the Ohr HaChaim states, that the children of Gad and Reuven became wealthy from the inheritance of the Midianites!
On this question of the source of their wealth and abundance, Rav Yonatan Eybeschutz, in Tiferet Yonatan, writes: It is stated that Moshe needed to be buried opposite the idolatry of Pe’or because they sinned there and defiled themselves, and they needed to eat other things besides the manna, as the manna conflicted because it was absorbed into the limbs; and the manna was in the merit of Moshe. Therefore, Moshe subdued the sin of Pe’or, and these two tribes – Reuven and Gad – cherished the manna, and therefore they had much livestock from what they brought from Egypt, unlike the other tribes who slaughtered the animals and did not cherish the manna to eat it every time. Or as stated in the Zohar, Shevet Gad cherished the manna, hence their abundance of livestock, while Reuven acquired many servants by selling his unusually fruitful sheep at high prices; a prosperity that traces back to Yaakov Avinu's sheep, which multiplied beyond nature, making them highly sought after.
The Siftei Kohen addresses the question of their source of wealth and brings a completely different opinion. The Torah says: וַיֵּלֶךְ רְאוּבֵן בִּימֵי קְצִיר חִטִּים וַיִּמְצָא דוּדָאִים בַּשָּׂדֶה – Reuven went in the days of the wheat harvest, and found jasmine flowers in the field. Reuven finds dudaim (mandrakes), and Chazal say, that a woman who struggles to conceive – if she eats these dudaim, she immediately conceives. The Siftei Kohen writes that the reason Reuven had an abundance of livestock is because he found the dudaim and showed them to the livestock, and they were fruitful and multiplied. As for Gad, they chose the land of Sichon, because their intention was to distance themselves from the tribe of Shimon – who were responsible for the sins in Shitim – fearing that when they would come to Eretz Yisrael, perhaps the lot of Shimon would also be in their neighborhood, and אוֹי לָרָשָׁע אוֹי לִשְׁכֵנוֹ – woe to the wicked, woe to his neighbor.
The Kli Yakar makes a distinction between the livestock of Gad and the livestock of Reuven, explaining that since it does not combine רַב and עָצוּם מְאֹד together in the opening Pasuk, it shows that each is a matter in itself, because the children of Reuven had much livestock in number, whereas the children of Gad had great livestock in strength – their goats would even kill wolves!
With this in hand, I would like to focus on another point from which we can advance. Chazal point out that "polar opposites" are found in the requests of Shevet Gad and Shevet Reuven, and apparently, the same disagreement can be found in the story of Noach. What exactly does this mean?
When the Torah writes נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו, some interpret it to his credit, and some interpret it to his detriment. Some interpret הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו to mean that only in his particular generation was he considered righteous, relatively speaking. Others say הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו means even if you placed him in the generation of Avraham Avinu, he would still be considered a great righteous person.
The same model was present with the tribes of Gad and Reuven. On the one hand, Chazal speak with great admiration about them; but on the other hand, we find a contrasting view that Gad and Reuven were excessively eager for wealth in an inexplicable way. At first glance, these two perspectives seem contradictory, so let's clarify and try to integrate them.
First and foremost, everyone asks: Why were Bnei Yisrael in the desert for forty years? Because the spies brought back a negative report about the Land, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu decreed that those who spread the negative report would not enter Eretz Yisrael. Now, the tribes of Gad and Reuven come and want an inheritance on the other side of the Jordan? Why?! They say it is because “We have much livestock” – wonderful! And who said there’s no suitable place in Eretz Yisrael? Did you go there and check it out?! Enter the Land, live there for a few months, and then see if there’s sufficient room or not; if you find there isn't enough space for your livestock, go to Yehoshua and say, "Yehoshua, we checked and we need 750 dunams for our sheep, but there isn't enough real estate here in Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, please give us an inheritance on the other side of the Jordan." They don't even try to check if there’s space but immediately request an inheritance on the other side of the Jordan. And this is without even mentioning that they requested the inheritance as a pre-condition! They come to Moshe Rabbeinu and say, "If you don't give us the other side of the Jordan, we won't go in to fight!" – and Moshe was of the opinion that it was forbidden to give them land on the other side of the Jordan until after the war. But nevertheless, in the end, Moshe conceded and gave it to them even before they went to war. Rabbotai, how can this sugya be understood?!
At first glance, this is a real mystery. On the one hand, we greatly praise the two tribes, noting that Shevet Gad never spoke between the Tefillin Shel Yad and Shel Rosh. Additionally, Chazal say they were part of Yehoshua's entourage, and only after fourteen years did he part from them and send them home: וַיְבָרְכֵם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם וַיֵּלְכוּ אֶל אָהֳלֵיהֶם. However, just one Pasuk later, it repeats these same words: וְגַם כִּי שִׁלְּחָם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל אָהֳלֵיהֶם וַיְבָרֲכֵם. The question arises – why does the Navi repeat the words twice? Chazal say (Yalkut Shimoni 31), this means the tribes of Gad and Reuven stayed in the Land for 14 years – seven years of war and seven years of dividing the land. When Yehoshua came to part from them, it turned out there was no one to accompany him, and the two tribes said, "The great leader returns to his tent alone?! Absolutely not!" They then went and accompanied him to his tent. When they finished accompanying him, Yehoshua said to them, "Come, and I will bless you again!"
This shows from Chazal's words here that the tribes of Gad and Reuven were closely attached to Yehoshua, the great leader! But on the other hand, Chazal say these two tribes “turned the secondary into the primary and the primary into the secondary.” How can this be?
Two Midrashim
Let's read two Midrashim. Chazal say (Bamidbar Rabbah 22:9):
לֵב חָכָם לִימִינוֹ, זֶה משֶׁה. וְלֵב כְּסִיל לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ, אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן וּבְנֵי גָד, שֶׁעָשׂוּ אֶת הָעִקָּר טָפֵל וְאֶת הַטָּפֵל עִקָּר, שֶׁחִבְּבוּ אֶת מָמוֹנָם יוֹתֵר מִן הַנְּפָשׁוֹת, שֶׁהֵן אוֹמְרִים לְמשֶׁה: גְּדֵרוֹת צֹאן נִבְנֶה לְמִקְנֵנוּ פֹּה וְעָרִים לְטַפֵּנוּ. אָמַר לָהֶם משֶׁה, אֵינָהּ כְּלוּם, אֶלָּא בְּנוּ לָכֶם עָרִים לְטַפְּכֶם, וְאַחַר כָּך: וּגְדֵרוֹת לְצֹנַאֲכֶם, הֱוֵי עִקָּר טָפֵל וְטָפֵל עִקָּר. לֵב חָכָם לִימִינוֹ זֶה משֶׁה, וְלֵב כְּסִיל לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן וּבְנֵי גָד. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אַתֶּם חִבַּבְתֶּם אֶת מִקְנֵיכֶם יוֹתֵר מִן הַנְּפָשׁוֹת, חַיֵיכֶם אֵין בּוֹ בְּרָכָה, עֲלֵיהֶם נֶאֱמַר: נַחֲלָה מְבֹהֶלֶת בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ לֹא תְבֹרָךְ: אַל תִּיגַע לְהַעֲשִׁיר מִבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָל. וְאֵיזֶה הוּא עָשִׁיר הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, this is Moshe. And the heart of the fool to the left, these are the children of Reuven and Gad, who made the primary secondary and the secondary primary, as they cherished their wealth more than lives, for they say to Moshe: "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our children." Moshe said to them, "This is nothing, rather, make the primary primary, first: 'Build cities for your children, and then sheepfolds for your livestock." Thus, the heart of the wise inclines to the right, this is Moshe, and the heart of the fool to the left, these are the children of Reuven and Gad. Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to them, "You cherished your livestock more than lives – your lives will not be blessed, as it is said: 'An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed in the end.' And so it says: 'Do not toil to become rich; cease from your own understanding.' And who is rich? He who is happy with his portion, as it is said: 'When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.'"
Another Midrash, Chazal say (Bamidbar Rabbah 22:6):
וּמִקְנֶה רַב הָיָה לִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן וְלִבְנֵי גָד ... וְכֵן יִרְמְיָה אוֹמֵר: כֹּה אָמַר ה' אַל יִתְהַלֵּל חָכָם בְּחָכְמָתוֹ וְאַל יִתְהַלֵּל הַגִּבּוֹר בִּגְבוּרָתוֹ אַל יִתְהַלֵּל
