A Controversial Request

Matot and Masei—the final two portions in the Book of Numbers—are usually combined and read together. Matot contains the narrative of an extraordinary request by two of the Twelve Tribes—Reuben and Gad—to settle in the land east of the Jordan River, outside of the Holy Land. Rich in livestock, they approached Moses and presented their case:

The land that the L-rd struck down before the congregation of Israel is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock. If it pleases you, let this land be given to your servants as a heritage; do not take us across the Jordan.1

Their logic seemed sound. They had considerably more livestock than the other tribes, and the Jewish people had just conquered the mountainous and fertile land of the Emorites—perfect for cattle-raising. Why cross the Jordan into Israel proper when this land suited their needs so well?

Moses, for his part, was none too pleased. This request indicated that the tribes of Reuben and Gad were not interested in entering the Holy Land, and it was uncomfortably reminiscent of the sin of the Spies—the tragic episode that led to the Jewish people wandering the desert for 40 years as a punishment.

Additionally, Moses was troubled by the notion that two tribes might comfortably tend to their livestock while the other ten tribes waged battle to conquer the land of Canaan:

Shall your brethren go to war while you stay here? Why do you discourage the children of Israel from crossing over to the land which the L-rd has given them?2

The tribes of Reuben and Gad allayed Moses’ concerns, however, assuring him that they would not sit by while their brothers waged war with the Canaanites; nor would they discourage anyone from conquering and settling the land. Instead, they would build fortified cities for their wives and children, ensuring their safety, and then they would join the battle in the Holy Land, remaining until the conquest was complete.

Moses was relieved:

If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves for battle before the L-rd … you shall be freed of your obligation from the L-rd and from Israel, and this land will become your heritage before the L-rd.3

Moses then made it official, granting the former land of the Emorites to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and, curiously, to half of the tribe of Manasseh as well.

Mistaken Priorities

During the dialogue with Moses, the representatives of the tribes of Reuben and Gad make a slight but significant error. Moses immediately noticed it and pointed it out to them, teaching them—and all of us—a tremendous life lesson.

The men said to Moses:

We will build sheepfolds for our livestock here and cities for our children, and we will then arm ourselves quickly [and go] before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place.4

Rashi, quoting the Midrash,5 explains that Moses heard mistaken priorities in their words. “We will build sheepfolds for our livestock,” and only then “cities for our children.” Since they mentioned sheepfolds before cities, it appeared that their wealth was more important to them than their families. They were more concerned about their possessions—their cattle and sheep—than their sons and daughters!

Reading into Moses’ response, in which the cities are mentioned first, we see how he is teaching them, “It sounds like it’s all about the money. We will go with your idea, but get your priorities straight. Build homes and cities for your children. When you are sure your families are well taken care of, then—and only then—build sheepfolds for your livestock.”

This lesson is timeless. To put it into a contemporary context, we live in a time when sending our children to Jewish schools can be quite challenging because of the expense. And yet, we need to prioritize that. Do not care for your sheep first and put your children’s wellbeing second. We need to say, “I’m going to send my child to a Jewish school; I’m going to find a way to pay the tuition. I may need to negotiate, I may need to cut down on my vacations, I may need to cut down on my luxuries—but we have to put our children before our sheepfolds.”

Many years ago, the community in a particular shtetl in Eastern Europe was looking to hire a new shochet (ritual slaughterer). One day, a fellow showed up and applied for the job. He did well in the interview process, but before hiring him, they asked him for references in order to ascertain that he was a G‑d-fearing person.

Emails were not yet a thing, and they said to the shochet, “We mailed letters to your references, and we expect to hear back from them in a few months. In the interim, the melamed (teacher) in our school just recently left town to tend to some personal matters, and we need a substitute teacher. Would you agree to fill in for him for a few weeks and teach our children?”

“Actually,” said the shochet, utterly disappointed, “I withdraw my application. I am no longer interested in being the shochet in this town.”

Shocked, the town elders waited for his explanation.

“Do you understand the implication of your offer to me?” he continued. “You want to wait to hear from my references whether you should trust me with your animals, but for your children I’m good enough?! This is not the type of community I want to live in.”

Priorities. We must put our children first.

Farmers vs. Shepherds

The Rebbe spoke at length about the similarity between the Spies and the members of the tribes of Reuben and Gad.6

Spiritually, the Spies meant well. “If we enter the land, we will be busy with agriculture and we will have no time for Torah study; if we remain in the desert, we will continue to be free to study Torah all day and night!” They believed that a life of farming—waking up early to milk cows and work the land—was not worth giving up their desert life of spiritual bliss, with all their needs miraculously taken care of by G‑d.

The members of the tribe of Reuben and Gad ostensibly held a similar view: “Why should we enter the land where we will need to fight wars, settle the land, and then get busy being farmers from dawn to dusk? We are very spiritual people. It would be best if we could remain shepherds and sit, study, and meditate upon spiritual matters all day.” And they had good role models for their chosen profession—the Patriarchs, Jacob’s 12 sons—progenitors of the Twelve Tribes, and Moses were all shepherds.

Why did they not make a good case? The Rebbe explains that this does not align with G‑d’s plan for creation. G‑d does not want us to be hermits, hiding in caves and avoiding materialism. G‑d’s world is about engaging with materialism! G‑d’s plan for us includes becoming part of the world, marrying, having children, having credit cards, having mortgages, and yet serving G‑d—planting, tilling, and harvesting, all the while transforming the material world.

It’s all about becoming one with physicality and elevating materialism into the service of G‑d.

What was the difference between the Spies, whose ideas were rejected outright, and Reuben and Gad, whose request was ultimately granted?

The difference lies in the fact that Reuben and Gad didn’t say, “This is the only way.” They said, “This is a way for certain people. This works for us. The Jewish people need Torah scholars, but not everybody will be a Torah scholar. We want to be that select group of people, but there will still be ten other tribes. We support the plan of Israel and the Holy Land and connecting to the material world. But we would like to be the scholars.”

A Perpetually Positive Influence

Ultimately, Moses not only agreed to grant the tribes of Reuben and Gad their request, but also added half of the tribe of Manasseh, giving them a portion of the land east of the Jordan River.

While Moses appreciated the logic behind the desire to settle in the newly conquered Emorite lands, he also detected a lack of appreciation for the sanctity of the Land of Israel. And so he decided to include half of a tribe that had clearly demonstrated a passionate love and appreciation for the land of Israel: Manasseh.

Why Manasseh? The five daughters of a man named Zelophehad, of the tribe of Manasseh, approached Moses with a deep concern regarding their connection to the Holy Land. Zelophehad died in the desert and his daughters were worried that they would not receive a share in the Land of Israel. They therefore turned to Moses and requested that they be granted the land that would have otherwise been given to their father. Stumped, Moses turned to G‑d, who agreed! Henceforth, daughters were to inherit when there were no sons.

Since this tribe demonstrated such a passionate love for the Land of Israel, Moses opted to strategically place them next to Reuben and Gad, to perpetually be a positive influence and to serve as a constant reminder of the love that every Jew must have for the Land of Israel.