He must not break his word; he must do all that he expressed verbally (Num. 30:3)
When a person is faithful to his every utterance and lives up to his word, he merits that G-d will "do all that he expressed verbally," as the saying goes: "The righteous man decrees, and the Holy One fulfills it." (Kedushat Levi)
These are the journeys of the Children of Israel (Num. 33:1)
Moses documented all the journeys of the Children of Israel through the desert; this record then became part and parcel of the Torah. Similarly, all the wanderings and misfortunes of the Jewish people during the present exile are being recorded; when Moshiach comes, they will constitute a book from which all will learn. (Rabbi David of Lelov)
Aaron the Priest went up onto Mount Hor at the command of G-d and died there... in the fifth month on the first of the month. (Num. 33:38)
Our Sages said that "the death of the righteous is equal to the burning of G-d's house [the Holy Temple]." The fifth month is the month of Av, the month in which the Holy Temple was burned and destroyed. Another connection between Aaron's death and the burning of the Temple is as follows: The Second Temple, in particular, was destroyed because of causeless hatred. The remedy for causeless hatred is unwarranted love, which was exemplified by Aaron. Aaron "loved peace, pursued peace, loved all creatures and brought them closer to the Torah." (Likutei Sichot)
To execute the vengeance of G-d on Midian (Num. 31:3)
The name "Midian" comes from the root "madon," meaning quarrel and strife. Midian symbolizes contention and unwarranted hatred. The war against Midian is truly "the vengeance of G-d." For, there is nothing so opposed to G-d as dissention and hatred. (Sefer HaMaamarim)
Reprinted from the Mattos-Masei 5762/2002 edition of L’Chaim
