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Parshat Matot-Masei 1 Av 5776 5 August 2016
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Minchah, Seudah & Ma’ariv
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Thought For The Week
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The name of the first of this week’s
tral source. In our case, the Twelve Tribes
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parshiyot - Matot - refers to the Twelve
emanate from Jacob, who came from
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Tribes, which are discussed at the begin-
Isaac, who came from Abraham. These
ning. But why is a Tribe called a ‘Mateh’?
‘offshoots’ were all tasked with remain-
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* At Bowdon ** Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat
Chayim Arukim
All Hebrew words are rooted in three-
to Alan Segal on the loss of his mother, and to all those who have Yahrzeit this week as follows Sun
7 August 3 Av
Mon
8 August 4 Av
Tues
9 August 5 Av
Wed 10 August 6 Av
Thurs
11 August 6 Av
שבת
13 August 9 Av
To Be Continued
letter combinations. Any word that shares a three-letter root is always connected, even if their meanings seem vastly dif-
Leonard Morris Steven Morris Rochelle Miller
Mother Mother Brother
Dr Brian Freeman Marcelle Abrams Caroline Levine Diane Sterling
Father Mother Father Father
Barry Newgrosh Marian Dobkin
Father Mother
These three words refer to things which
Father
are offshoots of a central source. A branch
Amanda Kaye
ferent. So what connects the Hebrew word for Tribe (Mateh), a branch or staff (also mateh), and a bed (mitah)?
is an offshoot of its source; a tree. A staff Adam Wiseberg Howard Klass
Kiddushim
Father Father
serves as an extension to the body which requires its support. According to the Talmud, the primary purpose of a bed,
ing connected to their source through the challenges of slavery in Egypt, wandering in the desert, settling in the Land of Israel, and everything since. We, as continuations of these branches, are also responsible for maintaining and preserving our lineage, our traditions, and our heritage. History has thrown a lot our way, and yet, the chain still continues unbroken to this day. We are all connected to the same original source, which is quite an empowering and thought-provoking idea. However, it also beckons us to examine our role in its preservation.
Rabbi Nick Kett
aside from sleeping, is to facilitate pro-
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creation, in order to create a continuation in a family lineage; a lineage which is
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Shabbat Weather
connected to the generations before it.
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Finally, a Tribe is an offshoot of one cen-
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Parsha
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First Aliyah - 28 verses Discusses vows. 12,000 Jews, led by Pinchas, fight against Midian. All adult Midianite males are killed, along with Bilaam and Midian’s five kings. The women, children, and battle spoils were brought back alive. Second Aliyah - 42 verses Anyone who could have been involved in the campaign of seduction is killed. Tithes from the spoils are given. To show gratitude to G-d for not losing any soldiers, the officers donate all the gold jewelry which they personally plundered to the Mishkan. Third Aliyah - 19 verses The tribes of Reuben and Gad ask to settle on the eastern bank of the Jordan. They offer to leave their cattle and families behind, and all the men will proceed into battle with their brethren. Only after all the land has been conquered would they return to the other side of the Jordan. Fourth Aliyah - 72 verses Moses accepts the offer. These two tribes, along with half of the tribe of Menashe settle on the eastern bank of the Jordan, and conquer many of the areas. Parshat Masei recounts the journeys of the Jews in the desert; the 42 journeys which took them from Egypt to the banks of the Jordan. Fifth Aliyah - 22 verses G-d instructs the eradication of all Canaan’s inhabitants and the destruction of their idols. The borders of the land of Israel are delineated. The land was to be divided by lottery amongst the nine and a half tribes. Sixth Aliyah - 22 verses The Jews are commanded to provide the Levites with 48 cities where they would dwell. Seventh Aliyah - 39 verses Six cities are designated as cities of refuge. The daughters of Zelophchad are advised to marry men from their own tribe, so that their portions of land will be protected when inherited.
When there is a the double parsha, will fourth portion e always act as th the bridge between two parhsiyot.
S L E W
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Delve into the deeper side of Judaism This week we examine the motives of the two Tribes to not settle in the Land
Priorities The Tribes of Gad and Reuven had become very wealthy in the war against Midyan since they had collected gold, silver, and precious jewels from the Midianite women. With these, they bought large herds of cattle. The members of Gad needed spacious pasture grounds for their herds, as could be found on the Eastern side of the Jordan, which the Jews had conquered from Sichon and Og. The heroic Gadites were not afraid to live by themselves in the vicinity of gentile nations. They therefore asked Moshe for permission to settle on the Eastern side of the Jordan. The members of Reuven, whho were Gad’s neighbours in the desert, joined them in the request. The Two Tribes requested to settle on the Eastern side, as they feared they would not be allotted sufficient pasturing land for their large herds in the Land of Israel. Moreover, they feared that their animals would graze in the fields of others, or nibble from trees and roots that do not belong to them. By settling on large ranches,
they would avoid theft. They also wanted to remain near the place where Moshe would eventually be buried. Moshe had thought they did not want to participate in the conquest of the Land, which would lead people to think that they are afraid of their enemies. This could induce panic in the rest of the nation, like the Spies caused forty years prior.
Moshe rebuked the two Tribes for being more concerned about possesions, than their children. The Tribes of Gad and Reuven suggested that they settle their cattle and children, and the men would travel together with the rest of the nation, into the Land. They would even fight on the front lines. Moshe rebuked the two Tribes for being more concerned about possessions, than their children, because they prioritised their cattle in their request.
The Hebrew names relating to money indicate its mobility: ‘Nechasim’ - Possessions: The word ‘nechasim’ is linked to the word ‘mechaseh’, meaning concealed from him. This indicates that after a person’s passing his belongings are taken from him and given to another. ‘Zuzim’ - a type of coin: The word ‘zuz’ comes from the word meaning ‘to move’. This signifies that even while a person is alive, his money moves from one person to the next. ‘Mamon’ - Money: This is a contraction of ‘Ma atah Moneh?’ - What are you counting? This indicates its futility. ‘Ma’ot’ - Coins: This signifies ‘Ma La’et?’ - What about the future? Money is not an eternal possession, unlike Torah and Mitzvot. Money only remains with a person for a certain period ordained by Hashem. .Based on ‘The Midrash Says’ by Rabbi M. Weiss
If you would like to share your words of wisdom, please submit your article of no more than 500 words to nick@hale-community.org.uk
Parsha Stats Matot and Masei are the 42nd and 43rd of 54 sedras 9th and 10th of 10 in Bamidbar Written on 379 lines in a Torah 244 verses - ranks 1st (when joint) 2945 words - ranks 1st (when joint) 11425 letters - ranks 1st (when joint)
Did You Know Matot and Masei contain 8 of the 613 mitzvot. Three of them are positive, and five are prohibitions. The Tribes of Reuven and Gad had so many cattle because they tried hard to accumulate as much of the spoils as possible. Tradition tells us that Tzelophchad was the ‘wood-gatherer’ who was executed a few weeks ago for desecrating the Shabbat.
QA &
Read through the Parsha in English and find answers to the questions. LOLLIPOPS WILL BE AWARDED TO ANYONE WHO READS THROUGH IT, AND TELLS RABBI NICK THE CORRECT ANSWERS!
Who may cancel an oath made by an unmarried woman? What were the names of the five Midianite kings? Which Tribes wanted to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan? How many different places did the Jewish People camp in? How many cities of refuge were designated in the Land of Israel?
Parshat Pinchas is always the Shabbat before or after the fast of the 17th Tammuz. In fact, it has two different haftarah readings for both eventualities, although it is rare to read Pinchas before the start of the Three Weeks.
Just For Fun BREAKING NEWS:
What is the connection between Chanukah and the 25th place that the Jews travelled to?
Yorkshire Constabulary have had all their Sat-Navs stolen. Police are looking for Leeds.
LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: 1. Shimon. 2. Four. 3. Five. 4. Avarim. 5. Male lambs. BONUS: The Torah does not use the familiar month names.
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KING AHEAD
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In The Spotlight Mincha & Ma’ariv In order to ensure a Minyan for mid-week evening prayers during the summer holidays, we will be joining forces with Bowdon Shul, until Thursday 1st September. Mincha & Ma’ariv will still be at 7.30pm (Sundays-Thursdays), but each Shule will host on alternate weeks. Week Commencing: Sun 7th August: Bowdon Sun 14th August: Hale Sun 21st August: Bowdon Sun 28th August: Hale
Mazaltov to Caroline & Nicholas Herz on the occasion of Natalie’s engagement to Adam Regev.
If you would like to sponsor an edition of ‘Something For Everyone’, in honour of a simcha or for a yahrzeit, or for any reason, please contact the Shule office on 0161 980 8846 or admin@hale-community.org.uk