Av 1, 5781 / July 9-10, 2021
Parashat Mattot - Mas'ei
Torah: Numbers 30:2 - 32:42 (Chazak!)
Maftir: Shabbat Rosh Chodesh: Numbers 28:9-15
Second Haftarah of Rebuke: (Ashkenazim) Jeremiah 2:4-28; 3:4. (Sephardim) Jeremiah 2:4-28; 4:1-2
This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah
for Chanah Elisheva bat Minnie Leah, Feigel bat Kreina, and D'vorah
bat Feigel.
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the
source.
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KOSHER WORDS, KOSHER THINGS
"If a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath
prohibiting something to himself, he shall not profane his word; all that has
come from his mouth he must do." Numbers 30:3
”Any articles that can withstand fire, you shall pass through
the fire, and they shall be pure, except that they shall be purified with the
water of sprinkling (water imbued with red heifer ashes); and that which
cannot withstand fire you shall pass through the water." Numbers 31:23
Vows and oaths have extraordinary power - they can turn ordinary
objects into things of holiness or prohibition. "I hereby vow to donate
this silver cup to the synagogue"; "By my oath, I will not eat meat
for six months" - these words have transformative effect over mundane
things. This is why Jewish tradition frowns on the recitation of vows
and oaths.
Changing the (ritual) nature of objects is accomplished either by
words, according to the first verse, or by kashering, making them fit to
use, as stated in the later verse. What about the converse? What
happens if you profane your word?
If an object is kosher, and is used only for kosher purposes, it
remains kosher. If it is defiled, it requires an elaborate process of
kashering. Similarly, if you want to retract a vow, the rabbis devised a ritual
for doing so. If you have already violated your word, you must do teshuvah -
the steps of repentance. Just as it is far easier to maintain the kashrut
of an object by not defiling it, so is it easier to maintain the purity of our
words by fulfilling them (or not uttering them in the first place!).
So perhaps it is not coincidental that the Hebrew word for
"things" and the Hebrew word for "words" is the same word -
"devarim". Our words have meaning and power
that are tangible. Be a person of your word.
Peace and blessings. Shabbat Shalom!
Richard A. Flom, Rabbi Emeritus
TBH/CBM
Sherman Oaks, CA
הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם
Who is wise? The one who learns from every person.
Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1
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Parashat Mattot - Mas'ei
Torah: Numbers 30:2 - 32:42 (Chazak!)
Maftir: Shabbat Rosh Chodesh: Numbers 28:9-15
Second Haftarah of Rebuke: (Ashkenazim) Jeremiah 2:4-28; 3:4. (Sephardim) Jeremiah 2:4-28; 4:1-2
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KOSHER WORDS, KOSHER THINGS
TBH/CBM
Sherman Oaks, CA
הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם
Who is wise? The one who learns from every person.
Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1
--------------------------------------------------
Cyber Torah list management:
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, and receive Cyber Torah every week in your mailbox, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
Send requests for dedications of Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
