to others that this man is a tzadik! In this pasuk, Hashem issues a command to choose righteous men to fight for Klal Yisroel. It is certain that such tzadikim are all very humble, so when asked to step forward, they would certainly say that they are not tzadikim and are not worthy of being chosen. Therefore, Hashem commanded that they be “given over”, meaning that their neighbors should inform on them and let everyone know that they are tzadikim.
וּמִ קְנֶה רַ ב הָיָה לִבְנֵי רְ אוּבֵן וְלִבְנֵי גָד עָצוּם מְ אֹד וגו' (לב, א)
And the children of Reuven and Gad had an abundance of livestock very numerous... (32:1)
Only Wealth That Comes From Hashem Will Last:
The Medrash Rabbah (22:7) states on this pasuk that Hashem created three “matanos” (gifts), and if one merits receiving one of them, he has all of the goodness of this world. These three gifts are wisdom, strength and wealth. If one is granted any one of the three, he has it all. The Medrash continues: “When is this true? When the gifts are given from Heaven in the merit of the Torah. But strength and wealth obtained by a person are worthless and nothing will last from them.”
The Medrash continues to say the story of two wise men who lived in this world, one who was a Jew and one who was not. The wise man of the Jewish people was Achitofel, and the wise man of the non-Jews was Bilaam. And both of these men were destroyed in this world. There also were two strong men in this world, one from the Jewish people and one from the gentiles. The strong man of the Jews was Shimshon, while the strong man of the non-Jews was Golias. And both of these men were lost from the world. Finally, there also were two wealthy men in this world, one who was Jewish and one who was not. The wealthy Jewish man was Korach, while the wealthy gentile was Haman. And both of these men were lost from the world. Why did all these men suffer a downfall? Because they “grabbed” their matanos, which were not given to them by Hashem.
The Medrash says that the children of Gad and Reuven were also very wealthy. They had a lot of cattle and livestock, and they had a passion for money. Therefore, they chose to live outside of Eretz Yisroel and, as a result, they were the first tribes to be exiled (as is stated in 1 Divrei Hayamim 5:26). The cause of their downfall was the fact that they separated from the rest of Klal Yisroel because of their love of their possessions.
Hashem Grants Wealth:
The Medrash continues by citing the verse (Tehillim 75:7): “For it is not from the east or from the west, neither from the desert does elevation come. But G-d judges; He humbles this one and elevates that one.” It explains the words “the east and the west” to mean that one doesn’t become rich by traveling in all directions in order to do business and make money. Even if one travels all around the world, he cannot become rich on his own. The pasuk continues to say that one cannot “elevate” himself. Only Hashem decides who will be lifted up and who will be lowered, who will be granted wealthy and honor, and who will not be.
We also find that Chana said (1 Shmuel 2:6): “Hashem kills and makes grants life. He brings down to the grave and raises up. He impoverishes and makes rich. He humbles and He also uplifts.” He lowers some people and uplifts others according to His will.
The Medrash relates the story of a non-Jewish woman who asked Rav Shimon ben Chalafta how many days Hashem spent creating the world. He answered her that He created the world in six days. She asked, “What has He been doing since then?” Rav Shimon answered, “He is sitting and making ladders, which He uses to uplift some people and lower others.”
The Medrash concludes by saying that because the children of Gad and Reuven wanted wealth, Hashem caused the downfall of Midyan and gave their possessions to these tribes. For this reason, the Torah first says that Klal Yisroel defeated Midyan, and then says that Gad and Reuven had much livestock. He took from Midyan and gave to the tribes of Gad and Reuven.
ם אֶל מְ קוֹמָם וגו'
וַאֲנַחְנוּ נֵחָלֵץ חֻשִׁ ים לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂ רָ אֵל עַד אֲשֶׁר אִ ם הֲבִיאֹנ
(לב, יז)
We will arm ourselves quickly and go before the children of Yisroel until we have brought them to their place. (32:17)
Mussar from Moshe Rabenu:
The Chidushei Harim zy”a asks if the tribes of Gad and Reuven originally wanted to join the war, why didn’t they say so in the first place? Why did they only tell Moshe that they planned to do this after he chastised them?
He answers that they didn’t want to interrupt Moshe Rabneu because they knew that they could benefit greatly from his mussar. They didn’t want to lose their opportunity to hear words of mussar from Moshe Rabenu.
כְתֹּב משֶׁה אֶת מוֹצָאֵיהֶם לְמַסְ עֵיהֶם עַל פִּי ה' וְאֵלֶּה מַסְ עֵיהֶם לְמוֹצָאֵיהֶם
וַיִּ (לג, ב)
And Moshe wrote the starting points of their journeys according to the word of Hashem. And these were their travels according to their starting points. (33:2)
Parshas Masai
Everything is From Hashem:
Sefer Tiferes Shmuel writes that bnei Yisroel knew that they hadn’t left Mitzrayim due to their own strength. They knew it was because it was Hashem’s will. Moshe Rabenu wrote this for future generations to know that Hashem is the only One who has the power to save people from difficult situations and that everything depends on His will. He was teaching us that we cannot do anything on our own and we must rely on Hashem to provide for us. Once we accept this fact, we can merit salvation and we can experience the holiness of Eretz Yisroel.
This is as is stated in Zohar Hakadosh (Parshas Behar 110B) on the pasuk (Tehillim 37:3): “Trust in Hashem and do good, live in the land and see emunah.” If one wants to live in Eretz Yisroel, he must have strong emunah and bitachon, and he will then be able to benefit from the holiness of the land.
Avoiding Laziness and Embracing Enthusiasm:
The pasuk in Shemos (19:2) states: “And they traveled from Refidim and they came to the desert of Sinai...and Yisroel camped there opposite the mountain.” The Me’or Vashemesh quotes Sefarim Hakedoshim who write that this verse is a hint to the spiritual levels that Klal Yisroel rose to in the desert. He says that when the yeitzer hara attempts to persuade a person to veer from the proper path, it begins by convincing him to “take it easy”. It makes a person lazy, which causes him not to get up enthusiastically in the morning to begin a new day of serving Hashem. This leads to bitul Torah, and once one isn’t learning Torah, he is in danger of falling to severe transgressions.
Therefore, the most important way to combat the yeitzer hara is to embrace the middah of zerizus. One should push himself to learn Torah and serve Hashem enthusiastically, which will protect him for falling prey to desires to sin.
Accordingly, the pasuk that says that they traveled “from Refidim” can be understood to be saying that they went away from “ripui yadayim” – laziness. Once they did this, “they camped by Har Sinai”, meaning that they were able to immerse themselves in Torah.
סְ עוּ מֵאָלוּשׁ וַיַּחֲנוּ בִּרְ פִידִ ם וְלֹא הָיָה שָׁם מַיִם לָעָם לִשְׁ תּוֹת (לג, יד)
וַיִּ
And they traveled from Alosh and they camped in Refidim and there was no water there for the nation to drink. (33:14)
If There is No Torah, There is No Water:
The Shach (al Hatorah) writes that they camped in this place even though there was no water. One may ask why there was no water, as the be’er was traveling with them. He answers by quoting the Gemara (Bava Kama 17A) that states: “There is no water other than Torah.” Thus, the pasuk is saying that they were being lax in their Torah study and, as a result, they did not have water to quench their thirst.
This is hinted to from the words: “There was no water there.” This indicates that there was no water there, but there was water in other places. When the people did learn Torah properly, the be’er provided water, but when they did not learn enough, the be’er did not provide water.
One Can Learn 200 Words Every Minute:
The Chofetz Chaim writes (Sefer Toras Habayis 2:3) that in one minute, a person can say 200 words. This means that one can say several thousand words of Torah every day, and each word is a mitzvah in and of itself. Through these words of Torah, one can create thousands of angels every day, which speak in his defense.
Therefore, he writes, how could anyone not learn with enthusiasm? Knowing how much one loses when he wastes time, how could one not properly use each day?
Legions of Angels Created by Each Mitzvah:
In a similar vein, the pasuk in Tehillim (91:7) states: “A thousand will be stationed at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand.” The Ye’aros Devash (Chelek 1, Drush 16) writes that “left” refers to learning Torah shelo l’shma, while “right” refers to learning Torah l’shma.
Accordingly, the pasuk is saying that even if one learns Torah shelo l’shma, he will still create thousands of good angels who stand on his “left side”, as even such Torah has the power to create malachim that defend a person from harm. But if one learns Torah and does mitzvos l’shma, he will have tens of thousands of angels stationed on his “right side”, as he will have even protection from harm. From doing just one mitzvah l’shma, one creates legions of tens of thousands of angels to defend him!
סְ עוּ מִ מִּ דְ בַּר סִ ינָי וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּקִבְרֹת הַתַּאֲוָה (לג, טז)
וַיִּ
And they traveled from the Sinai Desert and they camped in Kivros Hataavah. (33:16)
סְ עוּ מִ קִּבְרֹת הַתַּאֲוָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּחֲצֵרֹת (לג, יז)
וַיִּ
And they traveled from Kivros Hataavah and they camped in Chatzeros. (33:17)
When One Stops Learning, He is Beset by Desires:
Sefer Ma’agalei Tzedek writes that when one stops learning Torah, he is immediately beset by ta’avos. The pasuk can be read as saying that when one travels away from “Sinai” – i.e., from Torah study – he immediately travels to “Kivros Hataavah”, meaning that he falls prey to his desires.
He writes that one must always keep in mind that he should never listen to his yeitzer hara when it tries to draw him away from Torah.
This World is Like an Entranceway:
The pasuk continues with advice regarding how to avoid falling prey to taavos. It says that one should travel away from “the grave (kivros) of taavos” and go to “Chatzeros” (the courtyard). Rav Yitzchok of Vorka zy”a explains that ta’avos are akin to a grave, as is stated (Avos 4:21): “Jealousy, ta’avah and kavod remove a person from this world.” The way to avoid them is to travel away from them and go to “Chatzeros” (the courtyard), meaning to remember that this world is only an entranceway for the World to Come, just like a courtyard is merely an entranceway for a house, and its pleasures are, therefore, unimportant.
No Need to Hide:
Rav Chaim Palagi zt”l (Sefer Tenufah V’Chaim) explains this pasuk by quoting the Gemara (Pesachim 114A) that says that one who often eats delicacies will end up owing money to a lot of people and he will have to sleep in the attic of his home to hide from his creditors. But if one eats vegetables and simple foods, he can sleep out in the courtyard, as he has no one to fear.
Accordingly, the Gemara is saying that one should travel away from ta’avos, and he can then go to the courtyards (chatzeros) and live without fear.
כִּי אַתֶּם עֹבְרִ ים אֶת הַיַּרְ דֵּן אֶל אֶרֶ ץ כְּנָעַן וגו', וְאִ בַּדְ תֶּם אֵת כָּל מַשְׂ כִּיֹּתָם וְאֵת כָּל צַלְמֵי מַסֵּכֹתָם תְּ אַבֵּדוּ וגו' (לג, נא-נב)
For you are passing over the Jordan River to the land of Canaan... And you shall destroy all their temples, destroy their molten idols... (33:52)
If Moshe Had Entered the Land, They would Have Entered Gan Eden:
The Chida zt”l (Sefer Nachal Kedumim) explains this pasuk by quoting the Gemara (Eruchin 32B) that says that if Moshe Rabenu had entered Eretz Yisroel, he would have annulled the yeitzer hara for idol worship. Therefore, the Bais Hamikdosh would never have been destroyed and Klal Yisroel would never have gone into exile. He quotes the Rema M’Pano zt”l as adding that if Moshe Rabenu had entered Eretz Yisroel, he would have taken Klal Yisroel into Gan Eden on this world and we would have lived like Odom Harishon did when he was first created.
This means that the commandments to drive out the gentiles and remove their idols would have been unnecessary, as we would have had no desire to serve those idols. We would have lived in Gan Eden and everything would have come easily for us.
Thus, Moshe said that “you are crossing the Yarden”, but I am not; therefore, you need all of these warnings to destroy the idols. Had I crossed together with you, you would not have needed them.
סְ עוּ מִ מַּקְהֵלֹת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּתָחַת (לג, כה-כו)
סְ עוּ מֵחֲרָ דָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמַקְהֵלֹת, וַיִּ
And they traveled from Charada and they camped in Makhalos. And they traveled from Makhalos and they camped in Tachas. (33:25-26)
Unity Banishes Fear:
The Chasam Sofer (Toras Moshe) explains this pasuk by citing the verse (Hoshea 4:17): “Efraim is joined to idols; let him alone.” Chazal learn from this that when Yidden live together in peace and unity, no harm will befall them even if they serve idols. This is the reason why the Dor Hamabul was punished more than the Dor Haflagah. Even though the sin of the Dor Haflagah was worse, since they had achdus between them, they received a lesser punishment.
Accordingly, the pasuk can be understood as saying that one can travel away from fear (charada) by “camping in united groups” (makhalos). But when we travel away from united groups – meaning that we do not live with achdus – we will travel to “tachas” – the lowest level. And if we travel away from this lowly level of disunity, we will be able to camp in “sweetness” (miska).
הְיֶה לָכֶם גְּבוּל צָפוֹן (לד, ט)
וְיָצָא הַגְּבֻל זִפְרֹנָה וְהָיוּ תוֹצְאֹתָיו חֲצַר עֵינָן זֶה יִּ
The border shall then extend to Zifron, and its ends shall be Chatzer Inan; this shall be your northern border. (34:9)
One Who Gives Tzedakah Merits Wealth:
Sefer Ateres Yehoshua explains that some people go above and beyond their capabilities and distribute more tzedakah than they are required to according to halacha. (The word “Zifron” connotes “pizur”, to distribute.) However, these same people do not behave in accordance with the Torah and do not study Torah. The solution for them is to go to “Chatzer Inan”. (The word “Inan” is a reference to Torah, which can be explained in ayin – 70 – ways.) This will be a “northern border” for them, as they will be granted wealth from the north (as the verse in Iyov 37:22 says that wealth comes from the north).
His Blessings are Fulfilled:
A man once came to the Baal Shem Tov zy”a and cried that he was suffering from many tzaros. He asked the Besh”t to daven for him to improve his plight.
The Besh”t was deeply saddened to hear about the man’s suffering and wanted to help him. However, he saw with his holy vision that there was no way for him to help the man. He walked over to his bookcase and took out a Gemara Bava Basra. He opened it at random to the Gemara (15B) that says that one who took money from Iyov was blessed. This was because he helped Iyov see success in the merit of his charity. He saw this as a sign that this was the way for the man to be saved, and he began to contemplate how to hint to him that this is what he must do.
In the city of Brod, there lived a man named R’ Shabsi Meir, who was both learned and wealthy. He gave a lot of tzedakah, and davened a lot to Hashem that his charity should end up in the right places and those who really needed help should get it. Although Hashem blessed him with much wealth, he lived a simple lifestyle and did not spend money on luxuries. Hashem accepted his prayers, and it was decreed that his tzedakah would always end up in good hands.
When the Besh”t remembered this Jew, he realized that he had been shown this Gemara in order to recall R’ Shabsi Meir of Brod, about whom it had been decreed that he would be successful in properly distributing tzedakah. He realized that the poor man’s salvation would come through him.
The Besh”t told the man to go to Brod and ask to spend Shabbos as a guest of R’ Shabsi Meir. After Shabbos, he was to thank R’ Shabsi Meir for his hospitality and ask for his bracha for salvation, and the blessing would be fulfilled in the merit of his tzedakah.
The man did as he was told. He spent Shabbos as a guest of R’ Shabsi Meir. On Motzoei Shabbos, he told him that the Baal Shem tov had sent him to obtain his blessing. R’ Shabsi Meir warmly blessed him, and, indeed, his situation improved and he found his yeshua.
Kol Yisroel Areivim:
When the Baal Hatanya zy”a returned home after his first trip to spend time with the Magid of Mezheritch zy”a, he was asked what he had learned in Mezheritch. He answered that the Magid had taught him three explanations of the words of Chazal: “Kol Yisroel Areivim Zeh Lazeh.”
1. The word “areiv” means a “cosigner”. Every Jew is responsible for every other Jew and cosigns on his actions. If one Jew sins, every other Jew is held responsible. Therefore, everyone must rebuke his friend when he sees him doing something wrong and try to help him improve in ruchnius.
2. The word “areiv” can mean “sweetness” (areivus). One must consider every Jew to be sweet and good, and to love him accordingly.
3. The word “areiv” can mean “a mixture” (m’urev). One should be mixed in with his fellow Jews by being united and joined as one. One should not live in solitude. Rather, one should live in achdus amongst his brethren.
Understanding the Neshama of a Jew:
The Riyatz of Lubavitch zy”a told the story of a Yid named R’ Manya Moneson who once paid a visit to the Rashab of Lubavitch zy”a. During their conversation the Rebbe greatly praised the simple Jews of their times. R’ Manya was very surprised that the Rebbe would praise simple people so much and he asked why he was doing so.
The Rebbe answered, “They have many good qualities!”
R’ Manya responded, “I don’t see that!”
The Rebbe asked R’ Manya, who made his living by selling precious gems, “Do you have any jewels with you?”
R’ Manya said that he did. He took some out of his bag and placed them on the table, saying that they were very beautiful and valuable. The Rebbe said, “I don’t see anything special about them?”
R’ Manya replied, “To see the value of a precious gem, one has to be an expert.”
The Rebbe said, “A Yid is priceless. But one has to be an expert on Yiddishe neshamos to see their value!”
