Questions tagged [mattos]
The weekly Torah portion of Mattos (Numbers 30:2–32:42)
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Why kill the young male children in Bamidbar 31:17?
In the pesukim before, Moshe was angry that they didn't kill all of the females because they were the ones that caused the Bnei Yisrael to sin, so why did he start off by telling them to kill the ...
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Names of cities given by Onkelos east of Jordan
There seem to be several changes that Targum Onkelos makes when giving names of the 9 cities east of Jordan.
The city Atarot. Bamidbar 32:3: מכללתא; Bamidbar 32:35: עטרות
The city Dibon. Bamidbar 32:...
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"Of every tribe a thousand" - serving G-d being of one heart
In parshas Matos (Bamidbar 31:3-4), we read:
"And Moshe spoke to the people, saying, Arm from yourselves men for the army, and let them go against Midyan and avenge the L-rd on Midyan. Of every ...
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Delayed commandment for immersion of vessels?
In parshas Mattos, Bemidbar 31:19-20 we learn about ritual immersions for people and vessels who went to a war. These laws are taught after the war with Midian. Why did the Torah delay teaching these ...
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Did all the midyanim die? [duplicate]
In the war with Midyon, the Torah infers all of their men were killed, and girls not of mature age were spared
Now if they were all killed, how do they appear in Shoftim as being the oppressors of ...
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Why did Menashe want the city of Gilead?
The Torah describes how Shevet Gad and Reuven built various cities (Bamidbar 32:34-38) then says the family of Menashe's son Machir captured Gilead (32:39), which Moshe then gave to them (32:40).
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Parallel between Gad/Reuven approaching Moshe and 10 brothers approaching Yosef
There are some parallels between two stories:
In Miketz/Vayigash, 10 of the 12 brothers/tribes approach ("vayigash", Beresheit 42:18) Yosef (the Hebrew leader) as servants ("avadecha&...
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Why does the Torah give so much detail in the War on Midyan?
Moshe Rabbeinu and Israel fought a number of wars. Maybe starting with Egypt at the Yam Suf, but certainly against Amalek, Melech Arad, Sichon, and Og. Only by Midyan, apparently the last war ...
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Why does the Torah repeat itself in Matos?
במדבר לא יא says:
וַיִּקְחוּ֙ אֶת־כׇּל־הַשָּׁלָ֔ל וְאֵ֖ת כׇּל־הַמַּלְק֑וֹחַ בָּאָדָ֖ם וּבַבְּהֵמָֽה
They gathered all the spoil and all the booty, man and beast,
במדבר לא יב says:
וַיָּבִ֡אוּ אֶל־...
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Why specifically mention Yosef?
When listing who will settle in land on the east of the Jordan river, Moshe adds in part of the tribe of Menashe, but Bamidbar 32:33 identifies the group as coming from the tribe of "Menashe ben ...
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Did Moses ask to spare Yitroh in his war on Midyan?
To continue why-didnt-moses-argue-to-spare-lives-of-midianites:
We know that Moses was very מכיר טובה (grateful) even to inanimate objects: he didn't want to hit the dirt or Nile, etc.
Yitroh took ...
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Order of Reuven and Gad
It caught my attention that in Parashat Matot the first time Reuven and Gad asks for permission to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan they are mentioned in their order of birth (Bemidbar 32:1):
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Were the Jews commanded to go into the Promised Land?
In this week's portion, Matot, we learn that the tribes of Gad and Reuben wanted to remain on land on the east side of the Jordan, and not settle in the Promised Land. (Moses granted that, with ...
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Kavana or Ma’aseh? What Matters?
Ohr Hachaim explains Breishit 50:20 by way of a mashal: someone intended to give his fellow poison but ended up giving him wine. The perpetrator is not deemed to be chayav for what he intended to do.
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War of Sichon & Og Erev Shabbos?
The Talelei Oros (Bamidbar 31:23) quotes the Satmar Rav (Kuntros Chiddushei Torah on Avos) who says the war of Sichon & Og took place on Erev Shabbos and ended just before Shabbos in order to ...
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Please explain the difference in the order of naming Tzelafchad's daughters
When naming the daughters of Tzelafchad in Bemidbar 26:33 and when they approached Moshe with the inheritance question in Bemidbar 27:1 the order is:
Machla, Noah, Chaglah, Milka, Tirtzah
When they ...
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Annulment of women's nedarim
Can vows made by women nowadays still be annulled by father or husband (until sunset of the same day), as described in this week's parshah (mattos), or is this a practice of biblical/talmudic times ...
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How fast did the 2.5 tribes build their new cities?
I can't find a clear timeline of the events that preceded the conquest but in a short recap:
Gad and Reuben asked to settle in Transjordan
Moses agrees and offers them to build cities(?) and fences: "...
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Why did the two tribes have significantly more livestock than others?
The sizes of Gad and Reuben tribes were pretty average, however, Torah states that their livestock was disproportionally big (Num 32):
וּמִקְנֶה רַב הָיָה לִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן וְלִבְנֵי־גָד עָצוּם מְאֹד׃
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How the areas of the tribes were possibly equally valued?
I base my question solely on the WIKI of the division of the Land of Israel between the 9.5 tribes (the final division by Yehoshua).
I'm not a big of a geographer, but I live in Israel, and I know ...
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How did Midyan survive the war? [duplicate]
According to the Torah, the Israelites killed all of the kings of Midian and all males and all but the youngest girls and took all of their possessions (Parashat Mattot - B'midbar 31:7-10).
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Weren't 2.5 tribes afraid that their families would be attacked? [duplicate]
The deal with Moses was that while all the men go conquer the land, the kids and families and cattle stay abroad.
Weren't they afraid that their cities: families and cattle and property would be ...
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Why fight the Midianites with such a huge army?
G-d promises the Israeli Nation that (Lev 26,6):
וְרָדְפוּ מִכֶּם חֲמִשָּׁה מֵאָה, וּמֵאָה מִכֶּם רְבָבָה יִרְדֹּפוּ
וְנָפְלוּ אֹיְבֵיכֶם לִפְנֵיכֶם לֶחָרֶב׃
Five of you shall give chase to ...
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Why didn't Moses argue to spare lives of Midianites?
IIRC Avraham was praised for arguing with G-d about the fate of pious Sodomites asking G-d to spare their fate. G-d spared Lot and his family but the two cities were destroyed. Some speculate whether ...
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When is it moral to line up and kill thousands of little girls? A question on the Torah's morality
I am bothered by an incident in the Torah that seems morally unacceptable.
After the incident with Pinchas, the Torah records that Klal Yisroel were commanded to attack Midian to avenge their attempt ...
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Gad and Reuven exiled eight years before everyone else
Bamidbar Rabbah 22:7, Eichah Rabbah Pesikta 5, Midrash Tanchumah Mattos 4, Tanchumah Yashan Mattos 8 all point out that the tribes of Gad and Reuven, because they chose to live outside the land of ...
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In Bamidbar 31:6 Pinchas is instructed by Moshe to take "the holy vessels" and the trumpets in his hand. What are the holy vessels?
When Moshe was sending the 12,000 man army to war against the Midianites, he instructs Pinchas to take the "holy vessels/articles" and the trumpets in his hand. What were the holy vessels? Could this ...
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Why does the Chumash wait until Mattos to discuss the laws of Kashering vessels?
The main place the Chumash discusses laws of Kashering is after the war with Midian. One of the explanations I've seen is that this was the first battle where they captured items from a country which ...
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Why did Machir have to conquer Gil'ad?
I'm trying to "coordinate" my understanding of various verses regarding what happened with Gil'ad as referenced in parshat Matot.
Bemidbar 32:1 The tribes of Gad and Re'uven see that the lands of Ya'...
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Fate of female captive children from Midian given to Elozor and the Leviim
Bamidbor 31 (18) allows the female captive children from the war with Midian to be kept alive. From them there had to be a 'tax' of one out of 500. One half of these was to be given to Elozor Hacohen ...
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When did the trans-Jordanian territories acquire kedusha?
Two-and-a-half tribes (Reuben, Gad and half of Menasseh) had land on "the other side" of the Jordan river, allocated to them by Moses in Bemidbar 32, and made conditional on their participation in the ...
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Mishkav/Mishkave... , Is there a difference?
I am new to "Mi Yodeya?" and this is my first time asking questions.
First, I have always heard that everything that is written in the Torah has a purposeful meaning; nothing in it is a coincidence ...
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Understanding an apparent conflict regarding Israel's Biblical eastern boundary
I'm trying to understand what appears (for me) to be a conflict regarding the Biblical eastern boundary of the "Promised land".
It seems that the land promised to the fathers went all the way as east ...
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Location of land for Gad, Reuven and 1/2 Menashe and randomness
In Bemidbar 26:55, G-d tells Moshe that the land should be apportioned by lottery. I.e., no tribe was to know or choose its section of land, in advance.
Yet, we see that Moshe gives the tribes of ...
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נַ֣חְנוּ נַעֲבֹ֧ר Is the Torah using slang
In Bamidbar 32:32, The Torah tells us in reference to Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuven that נַ֣חְנוּ נַעֲבֹ֧ר, we will cross over.
Also, the only other times that the Tanach uses the word נַ֣חְנוּ is in:
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Why didn't the tribes of Re'uven and Gad and 1/2 Menashe take up Moshe's suggestion?
In Bemidbar 32:18 the tribes of Gad and Re'uven tell Moshe that they will not return back to their land until all the other tribes have inherited their land portion (after conquering the land and ...
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Explanation of Gemara on why the Jews were only commanded to attack Midian and not Moav
In Bamidbar 25:16-18, Hashem commands Moshe to take revenge on Midian for having caused the Jews to sin at Shittim, discussed at the beginning of the chapter. Yet v. 1 seems to indicate that the Jews ...
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Explanation of Kli Yakar on why the Jews were only commanded to attack Midian and not Moav
In Bamidbar 25:16-18, Hashem commands Moshe to take revenge on Midian for having caused the Jews to sin at Shittim, discussed at the beginning of the chapter. Yet v. 1 seems to indicate that the Jews ...
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Why did God sanction killing everything that breathes against the 7 nations?
Why did God sanction killing everything that breathes against the 7 nations?
Why did God sanction such a thing? How is every single person of these nations to blame?
Deuteronomy 20:16 "However, of ...
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Spelling of צֹנַאֲכֶם
In Parshas Mattos, 32:24, there is an unusual construction for the plural possessive "your sheep" -
בְּנוּ-לָכֶם עָרִים לְטַפְּכֶם, וּגְדֵרֹת לְצֹנַאֲכֶם; וְהַיֹּצֵא מִפִּיכֶם, תַּעֲשׂוּ.
What is ...
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Command of the Eastern Tribes
Why is it that in Numbers 32:1–32 Moses only commands Reuben and Gad to cross the Jordan River, but then in Joshua 1:12–15 it has Joshua talking about how Moses commanded Manasseh to cross over as ...
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Did the half tribe of Menashe have the same conditions as the tribe of Re'uven and Gad?
Prior to giving Gad and Re'uven land on the East side of Jordan River, Moses makes them keep a condition:
Numbers 32:20-22:
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה
...
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Why did Moses add part of the tribe of Menashe to join Re'uven and Gad on the east of the Jordan?
In response to Reuven and Gad's request to settle on the east side of Jordan, Moses includes part of the tribe of Menashe to join them, as it says:
Numbers 32:33:
וַיִּתֵּ֣ן לָהֶ֣ם ׀ מֹשֶׁ֡ה לִבְנֵי־...
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B'midbar 32:17 - Why did the tribes of Re'uven and Gad need to build fortified cities?
Numbers 32:17:
וַאֲנַ֜חְנוּ נֵחָלֵ֣ץ חֻשִׁ֗ים לִפְנֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עַ֛ד
אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִם־הֲבִֽיאֹנֻ֖ם אֶל־מְקוֹמָ֑ם וְיָשַׁ֤ב טַפֵּ֙נוּ֙ בְּעָרֵ֣י
הַמִּבְצָ֔ר מִפְּנֵ֖י יֹשְׁבֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃
...
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Did Moshe give 1/50 of the donkeys, sheep and cattle to the Levi'im?
Numbers 31:30 says: (Sefaria.org translation), describing G-d's command to Moshe:
וּמִמַּחֲצִ֨ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל תִּקַּ֣ח ׀ אֶחָ֣ד ׀ אָחֻ֣ז מִן־הַחֲמִשִּׁ֗ים מִן־הָאָדָ֧ם מִן־הַבָּקָ֛ר מִן־...
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Why did Moshe insist on killing the Midianite babies?
After the Midianites enticed the Israelites to fornicate and worship their false deity (Baal of Peor), Moshe launched a surprise attack and slaughtered all the adults, but the warriors left the ...
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What was the nature of the tax of 32 people?
BeMidbar 31:40 states that, after the war with the Midyanim, in which Bnei Yisrael were instructed to take captives and booty, and to pay taxes to HaShem from this plunder, they "paid" a total of ...
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What is the significance of using shevet vs. mattot in Parshat Mattot?
In Parashat Mattot the word matteh is used in place of the more commonly found shevet? Why is that? They both mean tribes no?
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Who or what was Gilaad?
In parshas pinchas ch 26 vs 29 we find Menasheh had a son Machir who had a son Gilaad (גלעד). In fact this family group was called "Gilaadi" (גלעדי). At the end of parshas Matos ch 32 vs 39 - 40 we ...
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Do we know more about נבח?
The last verse of Parshas Mattos (Bamidbar 32:42) is about a fellow named Novach who conquered a city and named it after himself:
וְנֹבַח הָלַךְ וַיִּלְכֹּד אֶת קְנָת וְאֶת בְּנֹתֶיהָ וַיִּקְרָא ...
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