http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/parashah/jp...
Haftorah: Jer 1-2:3 JPS
http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/parashah/jp...
Aliyot:
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1. Nr 30:2-17
2. Nr 31:1-12
3. Nr 31:13-24
4. Nr 31:25-41
5. Nr. 31:42-54
6. Nr 32:1-19
7. Nr 32: 20-42
OVERVIEW:
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Mattos is presented as a double portion with Massei. Mattos opens with the affirmation of vows: if a man; if a woman make a vow... The parasha shifts to the description of the attack against the tribes of Midian led by the Phinehas (Pinchus) with a thousand men chosen from each tribe. Balaam is captured and killed. The Kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba were slaughtered along with all the men; but they brought the women and children back to the camp of Israelites as booty along with the animals and gold they found. Moses is angered by the sight of the women and orders them slaughtered along with all the male children. It becomes genocide. The soldiers and booty must be purified before being accepted into the camp where a levy is taken and given to the priests. Moses then prepares for attack on Gilead against Sihon the King of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.
IN FOCUS
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"If a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not break his pledge; he must carry out all that has crossed his lips..."
Nr 30:2
"And Jepthah made the following vow to the Lord: "If You deliver the Ammonites into my hands, then whatever comes out of my house to meet me on my safe return from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's and shall be offered by me as a burnt offering." ..."When Jepthah arrived at his home in Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him, with timbrel and dance!"
Judges 11:30, 32 JPS
"Jacob then made a vow, saying, "If God remains with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am making, and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return safe to my father's house-the Lord shall be my God. And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall be God's abode; and all that you give me, I will set a tithe for You." GOOD AS YOUR WORD Mattos opens with instructions regarding vows. Unlike most laws given to the Israelites, the passage is not addressed to the general public, but to the heads of the Israelite tribes, emphasizing the solemnity of personal pledges. Perhaps this is so that anyone wishing to make a vow would first have to inquire with a leader before assuming personal responsibility of a commitment alone. Oftentimes, we are tempted to commit that which we cannot fulfil or guarantee as a result of peer pressure or emotinal desires. Accustomed to signing the dotted line for contracts and financial commitments, we often disregard the implicit trust until we are faced with a crisis of theft or fraud. Then, we recognize that all transactions are dependent on inherent trust among men. Once trust is broken, it is not easily re-established. Oftentimes, lives are destroyed as a consequence of betrayal and deception.
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