At the end of parshas Matos the
tribes of Reuven and Gad ask Moshe to permit them to settle in the lands seized
from the Amorite kings Sichon and Og. They explain that this territory is good
for raising livestock and they have a lot of livestock. The lands are outside
the Holy Land, adjacent to its eastern boundary on the Jordan
River . Moshe does not like the request and asks them, "Are
your brothers going to go to war while you sit here?" He then compares them
to the spies who did not wholeheartedly follow Hashem and disheartened the
children of Israel
from entering into the Promised Land, bringing disaster upon the nation.
In a sincere reply the two tribes
propose that they be the ones to spearhead the attack on Canaan
and remain there until every man has received his portion. After the
disposition of all issues concerning warfare and settlement, they will return
they will return to the Transjordan , which
will be their permanent heritage. Moshe accepts their proposal and even
includes half the tribe of Menasha in it.
In his final discourses Moshe
greatly praises the land
of Israel
What we have here is an exercise in damage control. It
foreshadows Moshe's address to the nation shortly before he perishes, starting
with thinly disguised rebuke. Rashi explains (Devarim 1:3) that this is like
Ya'akov avinu who only Reuven, because he laid with Bilah, on the day of his
death chastised out of fear that he would join Esav if reprimanded earlier.
Reuven the son of Ya'akov and the
two and a half tribes did in fact remain committed to the faith, even though
there were flaws. In the case of the two tribes there was an inordinate
emphasis on money. In addition they only wanted to be close to the land of Israel Israel and were willing to go out
of their way to show their devotion. Plus they accepted Moshe's leadership and
were willing to accept his advice. As a result it was appropriate to
accommodate them in this issue.
We learn a number of lessons from
this. How to graceful concede an issue is one of them. In dealing with matters
of religion it is important to recognize that people are on various levels and
in some situations a widely accepted precept may be very difficult for a
segment of people. In a potential crisis things must be kept in perspective and
one should recognize where concessions can be made and where they can not. It is
important to have an honest dialogue; however overwhelming intellectual
pressure should not be applied. It is not worth losing everything by clinging
to a precept where there is room to be lenient. Rather, it is better to accept
a situation that is less than ideal, so as to preserve much, including the hope
that in the future things will improve.
לע"נ שמואל בן נח ז"ל
15 Av 5769 טו באב תשס"ט
To view on YouTube click:
A discussion how to gracefully make concessions so as to
preserve a proper relationship
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