The Holy One is good, and honorable, and merciful, and compassionate, and kind, and infinitely forgiving, gracious beyond the scope of human imagination. It should come as no surprise therefore that He is not generally, under most circumstances, either contentious of spirit or ‘spoiling for a fight’. To the contrary, it appears that in most situations He abhors – and does not lightly call his people to engage in – war. Remember if you will how He led our ancestors out of Egypt on a circuitous route specifically in order to avoid a confrontation with the warmongering Philistines. And recall also if you will how more recently in the course of our studies in the Book of Numbers that He had us bite our tongues, keep our cool, and back down submissively when the king of the Edomi played the bully and refused our overtures of peace and cooperation. Suddenly in parsha Matot, however, the God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov shows us a totally different side of Himself, telling Moshe in no uncertain terms that he should choose an army and lead His covenant people to war against a particular group of people - the Midyani. Please note that this is the first time the Holy One has ever instructed His Am Segulah to wage an offensive military campaign against anyone. Usually other nations and peoples attack us, and we just defend ourselves - and He miraculously intervenes, and enables us to come out victorious. This time it is different. This is our first ever Divinely mandated ‘first strike’ campaign. For the first time ever our Wise King is instructing His Covenant nation – not a bunch of self-appointed vigilantes, extremists, jihadists, arrogant expansionists, or self-righteous bigots – to take the role of an aggressor in a struggle. It is not like there is no provocation, of course. Midyan has conspired with other nations – and the prophet of the new world order – to destroy us, and has implemented at least two separate strategic plans to do just that. But why are we to take on the role of the aggressors at this particular time? His Arm is not too short to defend us against their conspiracies - quite without our help. He has shown that very clearly already, in parsha Balak. Why has the Holy One ordained that our usual defensive-response was not the appropriate way to deal with the Midyani? What makes this particular moment in history a time for war instead of a time for peace? Hmmmn. I believe that this warrants some further inquiry, don’t you? Read all about it in the Rabbis sons study for Tuesday of the week of parsha #42, Mattot. The link to this study is: regionschristiancenter.org/uploads/bill/pdfs/42-43-Matttot.Massei/42Sh%27lishi74.pdf
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 03:19:48 +0000
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