THIS ’S PORTION NUMBERS 30:2-36:13 תשרפ טמ ו עסמ־ת י / Parashat Mattot-

In this week’s guide…

WARNING: Jason’s COMMENTARY takes the “journey deeper” theme seriously this week! It’s obviously meaningful to study WHAT the content of a given Torah portion means, but this week we’re going to learn the significance of WHEN we read it (on the calendar). Torah portions are profound on many levels and this week we get a deeper understanding of this reality. More specifically, we discover the power of remembering (even the worst things) as a pathway to hope!...... 1

Our NEW TESTAMENT TIE-IN continues our study of the events surrounding Phineas and the conflict with the Midianites. Another character from our recent readings——is still lurking in this week’s Torah portion, as well. The tragedy involving Balaam and the Midianite women came to a violent conclusion and in its aftermath, ritual purification was required. This small detail ties into a central New Testament reality, one that is vital to our life in Messiah...... 2

In BY THE NUMBERS we note the conclusion of our journey through Numbers by leaning into its Hebrew name: Bamidbar (which means, “in the wilderness”). There were a specific number of stops during Israel’s wandering “in the wilderness.” What might we learn from this number? What does it connect to in the larger scope of Scripture? And how do we find its significance for our personal journeys? Join us as we journey deeper...By the Numbers...... 3

______OVERVIEW This double Torah portion brings us to the end of the . means “tribes” and is derived from the words of Numbers 30:1, “ spoke to the princes of the tribes of Bnei-Yisrael.” We read about the laws of vows and oaths as well as the story of Israel's war with . This portion also details the tense process of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Mannaseh settling on the east side ofthe . Massei means “journeys” and is taken from Numbers 33:1, “These are the journeys of Bnei-Yisrael when they came out of by their divisions under the hand of Moses and .” In it we find a list of the encampments from Egypt to the plains of . While explaining the land and its borders, Moses introduces the laws of the and more inheritance laws. FUSION GLOBAL WITH RABBI JASON תשרפ טמ ו עסמ־ת י / – Parashat Mattot-Masei Numbers 30:2-36:13

COMMENTARY by Rabbi Jason Sobel

Why do we always read Torah portion Mas'ei during one of the three preceding Tisha B'Av, a day of national tragedies on the for the Jewish people (including the destruction of the First and Second Temples in )? What comfort and hope does it provide for us during these days of mourning historical tragedies?

After the Egyptian exile, Israel suffered four additional exiles. They include the Edom-Rome (Edom), the Media-Persian (Media), the Babylonian (Bavel), and the Grecian-Syrian (Yavan) exiles. On the hermeneuticali level of sod (or hidden meaning), these four exiles are alluded to by the first letter of each of the four opening words of this week's Torah portion: elleh mas'ei benei Yisrael—"These are the journeys of the Children of Israel." Thus, this week's Torah portion ( in Hebrew) hints at the four future exiles that the people of Israel would have to endure. (1) The Aleph of Elleh / "These" is the first letter of Edom in Hebrew (2) The Mem of mas'ei / "journeys" stands for Media-Persia, Madai in Hebrew (3) The Beit of benei / "children" points to Babylon, Bavel in Hebrew (4) The Yud of Yisrael / "Israel" alludes to Yavan, Greece Furthermore, Rabbi Chaim Yosef Dovid Azulai taught that the two opening words of this portion also allude to the individuals who would redeem Israel from each of these exiles. I. The redemption from Egypt came through Aaron (his name begins with Aleph) and Moses (his name starts with Mem). II. In the days of Haman, God delivered the Jewish people through Esther (her name begins with Aleph) and Mordechai (his name begins with Mem). III. Ultimately, our redemption from our current "Edom-Rome exile" will come through Messiah (which begins with Mem), whose predecessor will be Elijah the (his name begins with Aleph). These connections allude to the truth that Israel's wilderness wanderings and the four exiles are pregnant with the promise of redemption.

In light of this information, it makes sense that this Torah portion is always read sometime during Ben HaMetzarim ("The Narrow Straights"), the three weeks that precede Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. This arrangement reminds us that both our exile and redemption were a part of God's plan from the very beginning. The fact that God controls the destiny and fate of His people is so vital. Even in the Messianic Age, there will continue to be celebrations of Tisha B'Av and the three other biblical fast days as a memorial to God's faithfulness.

There will, however, be one significant difference. The Messiah's victory will transform the days of Israel's fasting and sadness into days of feasting and rejoicing. As the prophet Zechariah wrote concerning Israel four minor fasts days:

- 1 - This is what the LORD Almighty says: "The fasts of the fourth [the 17th of Tammuz, the days the Babylonians breached the walls of the First Temple], the fast of the fifth [Tisha B'Av, the Day both Temples were destroyed], the seventh [the fast of Gedaliah] and the fast of the tenth months [the fast of the 10th of Tevet, the day Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem leading to the First Temple's destruction] will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace." (Zech 8:19) Let us not forget: we worship the God who declares "the end from the beginning" (Isa 46:10). Even in the Temple's destruction and our people's exile, the Lord had already sown the seed of our final redemption through Messiah Yeshua. On a more personal level, we should recall the words of Rav Shaul, who taught that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Rom 8:28 CJB). The suffering and pain of God's people in exile is a reality, but it isn't the finality. This news should be a source of encouragement and hope when we go through our "personal" exiles. The Lord will wipe every tear from your eye, turn your mourning into dancing, and remove your sackcloth and gird you with joy!

NEW TESTAMENT TIE-IN is a tragic tale, no matter how you look at it. After unwittingly serving as a voice of prophetic blessing to the Children of Israel, the seer Balaam apparently led the “to be unfaithful to Adonai in the matter of Peor, so that the plague was on the community of Adonai!” (v. 16). That unfaithfulness was explicitly sexual in nature, and culminated with Phineas’ zealous execution of two of the offenders. That incident concluded with the following instructions from the Lord: “Attack the Midianites and strike them dead” (Num 25:17 CSB).

This week’s Torah portion picks up where that passage ended. Each of the twelve tribes mobilized one thousand soldiers and they attacked Midian to “carry out Adonai’s vengeance” (Num 31:3). The kings, all the men, and even Balaam were killed (vv. 7-8), but, “Bnei-Yisrael also captured women and sons of Midian, along with all their herds and flocks, and plundered all their goods…They seized all the plunder and all the spoil, both people and animals.” (Num 31:9,11) ancient tombs in Midian This decision to entangle themselves with unclean people and things angered Moses (v. 14) and necessitated ritual purification (v. 19). Fire was the primary method of cleansing. Of course, we no longer engage in these sorts of practices today, but this doesn’t mean that fire plays no part in our story. Fire is a fascinating topic of study in Scripture, but for the scope of this passage, let’s read the Apostle Peter’s words to early believers who endured hardship: “These trials are so that the true metal of your faith (far more valuable than , which perishes though refined by fire) may come to light in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua.” (1 Pet 1:7 emphasis added)

The first insight worth considering from this passage is that conditional impurity does not negate intrinsic value. We don’t throw away gold simply because it contains impurities. It’s easy for us to feel discouraged or unworthy as we go through the battles of life. Refiner’s fires aren’t kindled for the badness of impurities as much as the value of gold. God is not obsessed with our shortcomings but our value as image-bearers—His children.

- 2 - Another truth is that while hardship is never celebrated (like a birthday), it is appreciated because God uses it to bring out the authentic (purest) versions of ourselves. This idea seems to be the essence of what Yeshua’s brother Yakov (aka “James”) meant in his epistle: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:2-3).

Finally, the purification process is not an end in itself. The purification of the Israelites restored their ability to have fellowship with God. One evidence of this is that God created an alternative (water) for items that could not withstand the fire (“Anything that cannot stand the fire is to be put through the water” – v. 23). God intends the purification to move us forward into His purposes for us, not harm or destroy us. God knows what we can stand.

Perhaps this is why the Holy Spirit is typified by fire and water—He alone is capable of bringing forth our true, uncorrupted selves without losing ourselves in the process.

“As for me, I immerse you in water for repentance. But the One coming after me is mightier than I am; I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will immerse you in the Ruach ha- Kodesh and fire.” – Matthew 3:11

“Messiah Yeshua is the One who came by water and blood— not by water only, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify— the Spirit, the water, and the blood— and these three are one.” – 1 John 5:6-8

BY THE NUMBERS This week’s Torah portion lists the 42 stops Israel made during their 40-year journey from Egypt to the . The number “42” is, therefore, representative of reaching an end goal. Interestingly, we read of Israel’s 42 journeys at the end of the Book of Bamidbar (Numbers), whose first two letters add up to 42 in Hebrew (Beit/2 + Mem/40 = 42).

The journey from Egypt to the Promised Land provides the pattern for spiritual growth and transformation. Every person must come out of their personal Egypt and make the journey from slavery to freedom, from Egypt to Israel. In the 42 stages of Israel’s journey, we see each leg of our journey. These 42 stops spiritually symbolize the journey that every soul who pursues the Lord must make over a lifetime in preparation for its end goal: the Promised Land of the World to Come. In other words, the 42 stops in the wilderness point to the 42 stages of every believer’s life. The biblical names of these 42 places are significant and point to the fact that the spiritual process of transformation is slow and has many ups and downs along the way. It’s sobering to think that not all who begin the journey will complete it. Some will lose faith and give up along the way. We must be diligent to run the race to completion (1 Cor. 9:24).

- 3 - The most foundational prayer and biblical declaration of faith is known as the Shema. The Shema comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and consists of 42 words in Hebrew: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words, which I am commanding you today, are to be on your heart. You are to teach them diligently to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. Bind them as a sign on your hand, they are to be as frontlets between your eyes, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

The goal and focus of our 42-stage journey is to love and serve the Lord alone with all our heart, soul, and strength.

But of course, there is more. In Hebrew, there are also 42 letters in the opening verses of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was chaos and waste” (Gen 1:1-2). This connection is significant because Israel’s 42 stops took place in the wilderness, a place of “chaos and waste.” When we make it our priority to love King Yeshua and live for His Kingdom, the 42 stages of our journey can transform the darkness into light, the chaos into order, and fill the void with blessing. When we pursue Yeshua-Jesus, we find abundant life, but when we fail to seek Him and His Kingdom first, our lives remain empty and chaotic.

But there is still something even more significant! The genealogy of Yeshua-Jesus contains 3 sets of 14 which total 42.

“So all the generations from to are fourteen generations, from David until the Babylonian exile are fourteen generations, and from the Babylonian exile until the Messiah are fourteen generations” (Matt 1:17).

The 42 stages of Israel’s journey prophetically point to the coming of the Messiah and find their culmination in the birth of the Messiah, Yeshua. He is the final stop on the journey of faith. All who place their faith in Yeshua, who is the greater than Moses, will not die in the desert like the generation that came out of Egypt. They will enter the New Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God, and inherit eternal life!

Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the Tree of Life Version.

- 4 - THOUGHTS for REFLECTION

Take some time this week to prayerfully consider and discuss with friends: § Rabbi Jason said something that deserves a second look: “The suffering and pain of God's people in exile is a reality, but it isn't the finality.” Perhaps you (or someone close to you) are enduring a “personal exile” right now. Make time to sit with this idea and prayerfully consider: how does God’s sovereignty factor in to your struggle? Can you praise Him in the exile, knowing rescue is coming?

§ It’s exciting to know God’s purposes and promises for your life. It’s frustrating to enter the process required to realize them. Have you ever found yourself in step #17 (of 42)? Maybe you’re there right now. What are the greatest challenges of entering the Promised Land in stages? What unexpected blessings have you received because God didn’t immediately drop you into your destiny?

- 5 - תשרפ רבד םי / NEXT WEEK’S READINGS: Parashat

TORAH Sunday / Deuteronomy 1:1-10 Monday / Deuteronomy 1:11-21 Tuesday / Deuteronomy 1:22-38 Wednesday / Deuteronomy 1:39-2:1 Thursday / Deuteronomy 2:2-30 Friday / Deuteronomy 2:31-3:14 Saturday / Deuteronomy 3:15-22

Prophetic Reading (): Isaiah 1:1-27

New Covenant Reading: Matthew 24:1-22

pronounced with a long O as in 'lore') is one of four tradition Jewish approaches to) (סוֹד) i Sod interpreting Scripture. It focuses on a "secret" ("mystery") or the esoteric/mystical meaning, as given through inspiration or revelation.

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