Torah Trivia for Parashah 42. Mattot (Questions Only)
1.) Can you describe how Parashah Mattot begins:
a.) “Adonai
spoke to Moshe…”;
b.)
“Adonai spoke to Moshe and Aaron…”;
c.)
“Adonai spoke to Moshe and Eleazor…”;
d.)
“Adonai spoke to the Israelis…”;
e.)
“Moshe spoke to the Israeli leaders…”;
f.)
“Moshe spoke to Eleazar…”;
g.)
“Yoshua spoke to the Israelis…”;
or,
h.)
“Moshe spoke to Adonai…”?
2.) Can you describe in which of the proceeding
circumstances a woman is absolved from upholding a promise that she previously
makes?
a.)
She is absolved when her far (father) hears of her vow, and he abstains
from doing anything;
b.)
She is absolved when her far hears of her vow, and he objects;
c.)
She is absolved when her husband hears of her vow, and he abstains from
reacting;
d.)
She is absolved when her husband hears of her vow, and he objects;
e.)
She is absolved because she is a divorcee;
f.)
She is absolved because she is a widow;
and/or,
g.)
She is absolved when her husband hears of her vow, and he waits for a
few days, and then objects?
3.) Can you describe what command Adonai places
upon Moshe (within this Parashah), as a “final act” before Moshe is supposed to
pass from life?
4.) Can you describe who leads the Israeli army
against the Midianis, and how many soldiers volunteer to fight?
a.)
Phinechas;
b.)
Yoshua;
c.)
Eleazar;
d.)
Moshe;
e.)
Caleb; and/or
f.)
Aaron?
5.) Can you describe who is older: a.)
Eleazar, the High Priest and far of the general, Phinechas; or b.)
Yoshua, the son of Nun, and heir of Moshe’s command?
6.) Can you describe the 1 distinguishing
characteristic between the spelling of the name of the deity that the Midianis
worship, and the spelling of the name of Balaam’s far?
7.) Can you describe the immediate command that
Moshe makes to the Israeli army after the soldiers return victorious from
battle against Midian, and after destroying the Midiani army and setting fire
to the Midiani cities:
a.) Moshe
orders all the captives to be released to other cities, with a treaty for the
captives to abstain from traveling to Eretz Israel;
b.)
Moshe orders all captives to be released within the במדבר;
c.) Moshe
orders the killing all women without virginity, and all male children;
d.)
Moshe orders social welfare and education programmes to “retrain” the
captive Midianis;
e.)
Moshe commands 1/10 of all captives and treasures to be provided to the כהנים; and/or,
f.)
Moshe orders the burning of all cattle, fruit, and resources from the
land of Midianis?
8.) Can you describe the required process of
cleansing prescribed for a.) soldiers
after committing war; and for b.) items gained through war?
9.) From all of the spoils gained from the
Midianis, can you describe: a.) how much is contributed to the entire Israeli
community; b.) how much is retained by the soldiers; c.)
how much is given to Adonai, via Eleazar; d.)
how much is given to the Levis;
and, e.) what is the total count
of the spoils?
10.) Can you describe: 1.)
which of these specific articles are described as being contributed by
the Israeli commanders, generals, and captains to Moshe, as a gift to Adonai,
to perform atonement; and 2.) how much all these gifts weigh?
a.) gold anklets;
b.)
gold bracelets;
c.)
gold finger rings;
d.)
gold earrings;
e.)
gold body ornaments;
f.)
gold hair clips;
g.)
gold bowls;
h.)
gold silverware;
i.)
gold necklaces;
j.)
gold cufflinks;
k.)
gold teeth;
l.)
gold nose rings;
m.)
gold cups; and/or
n.)
gold plates?
11.) Can you describe which 2 tribes are
explicitly described as petitioning Moshe to be able to settle within the lands
of Jazer and Gilead, outside of Eretz Israel?
12.) Can you describe what 3rd tribe is
provided permission to also settle outside of Eretz Israel?
Torah Trivia for Parashah 42. Mattot (with Answers)
1.) Can you describe how Parashah Mattot begins:
a.) “Adonai
spoke to Moshe…”;
b.)
“Adonai spoke to Moshe and Aaron…”;
c.)
“Adonai spoke to Moshe and Eleazor…”;
d.)
“Adonai spoke to the Israelis…”;
e.)
“Moshe spoke to the Israeli leaders…”;
f.)
“Moshe spoke to Eleazar…”;
g.)
“Yoshua spoke to the Israelis…”;
or,
h.)
“Moshe spoke to Adonai…”?
Answer: The answer is: e.) Moshe
spoke to the Israeli leaders:
“Moshe spoke to the heads of the Israelite
tribes, saying…” (B’midbar 30:2)
2.) Can you describe in which of the proceeding
circumstances a woman is absolved from upholding a promise that she previously makes?
a.)
She is absolved when her far (father) hears of her vow, and he abstains
from doing anything;
b.)
She is absolved when her far hears of her vow, and he objects;
c.)
She is absolved when her husband hears of her vow, and he abstains from
reacting;
d.)
She is absolved when her husband hears of her vow, and he objects;
e.)
She is absolved because she is a divorcee;
f.)
She is absolved because she is a widow;
and/or,
g.)
She is absolved when her husband hears of her vow, and he waits for a
few days, and then objects?
Answer: A
woman is absolved from her vow only when:
b.) her far hears of her vow and
he objects; and, d.) her husband hears of her vow and he objects:
“If a woman makes a vow to the LORD or assumes an
obligation while still in her father’s household by reason of her youth, and
her father learns of her vow or her self-imposed obligation and offers no
objection, all her vows shall stand and every self-imposed obligation shall
stand. But if her father restrains her on
the day he finds out, none of her vows or self-imposed obligations shall
stand; and the LORD will forgive her,
since her father restrained her.
“If she should marry while her vow or the
commitment to which she bound herself is still in force, and her husband learns
of it and offers no objection on the day he finds out, her vows shall stand and
her self-imposed obligations shall stand.
But if her husband restrains her on the day that he learns of it, he
thereby annuls her vow which was in force or the commitment to which she bound
herself; and the LORD will forgive
her.—The vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, however, whatever she has
imposed on herself, shall be binding upon her.-- So to, if, while in her husband’s household,
she makes a vow or imposes an obligation on herself by an oath, and her husband
learns of it, yet offers no objection—thus failing to restrain her—all he vows
shall stand and all her self-imposed obligations shall stand. But if her husband does annul them on the day
he finds out, then nothing that has crossed her lips shall stand, whether vows
or self-imposed obligations. Her husband
has annulled them, and the LORD will forgive her. Every vow and every sworn obligation of
self-denial may be upheld by her husband or annulled by her husband. If her husband offers no objection from that
day to the next, he has upheld all the vows or obligations she has
assumed: he has upheld them by offering
no objection on the day he found out.
But if he annuls them after the day he finds out, he shall bear her
guilt.” (B’midbar 30:4 – 17)
3.) Can you describe what command Adonai places
upon Moshe (within this Parashah), as a “final act” before Moshe is supposed to
pass from life?
Answer: Adonai commands Moshe to destroy the
Midianis:
“The LORD spoke to (Moshe), saying, Avenge the
Israelite people on the Midianites; then
you shall be gathered to your
kin.” (B’midbar 31:1 – 2).
4.) Can you describe who leads the Israeli army
against the Midianis, and how many soldiers volunteer to fight?
a.)
Phinechas;
b.)
Yoshua;
c.)
Eleazar;
d.)
Moshe;
e.)
Caleb; and/or
f.)
Aaron?
Answer:
The answer is: a.) Phinechas leads the Israeli army, and 12,000
soldiers volunteer (1,000 from each of the 12 prescribed tribes):
“(Moshe) spoke to the people, saying, “Let men be
picked out from among you for a campaign, and let them fall upon Midian to
wreak the LORD’s vengeance on Midian.
You shall dispatch on the campaign a thousand from every one of the
tribes of Israel.
“So a thousand from each tribe were furnished
from the divisions of Israel, twelve thousand picked for the campaign. (Moshe) dispatched them on the campaign, a
thousand from each tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar serving as a preist on
the campaign, equipped with the sacred utensils and the trumpets for sounding
the blasts.” (B’midbar 31:3 – 6).
5.) Can you describe who is older: a.) Eleazar,
the High Priest and far of the general, Phinechas; or b.) Yoshua,
the son of Nun, and heir of Moshe’s command?
Answer: Yoshua
is presumably older than Eleazar, because Yoshua is included within the 1st
census taken 40 years previously (of Israeli men over 20 years of age), and
thus is at least 60 years of age;
whereas Eleazar presumably is absent from the 1st census
taken 40 years previously (of Levi men over 1 month of age), and thus is at
most 39 years and 11 months of age;
(Yoshua’s exemption from the same fate of Israeli
men over 20 years old at the 1st census: B’midbar 32:10 – 12); (the duration of 40 years after the
census: B’midbar 32:13); (the age of inclusion for Levi’s within the 1st
census: B’midbar 3:15).
6.) Can you describe the 1 distinguishing characteristic
between the spelling of the name of the deity that the Midianis worship, and
the spelling of the name of Balaam’s far?
Answer:
The 1 spelling distinction are the letters, “P” and “B”: the name of the Midiani deity is: “Peor” (“פעור”) (B’midbar 25:3); and the name of Balaam’s far is: “Beor” (“בעור”) (B’midbar 31:8).
7.) Can you describe the immediate command that
Moshe makes to the Israeli army after the soldiers return victorious from
battle against Midian, and after destroying the Midiani army and setting fire
to the Midiani cities:
a.) Moshe
orders all the captives to be released to other cities, with a treaty for the
captives to abstain from traveling to Eretz Israel;
b.)
Moshe orders all captives to be released within the במדבר;
c.) Moshe
orders the killing all women without virginity, and all male children;
d.)
Moshe orders social welfare and education programmes to “retrain” the captive
Midianis;
e.)
Moshe commands 1/10 of all captives and treasures to be provided to the כהנים; and/or,
f.)
Moshe orders the burning of all cattle, fruit, and resources from the
land of Midianis?
Answer:
The answer is: c.) Moshe orders the killing of all women without
virginity, and all male children (although the soldiers are also eventually
commanded to contribute a portion of the virgin women captives and spoils to
the entire Israeli community and Eleazar):
“The Israelites took the women and children of
the Midianites captive, and seized as booty all their beasts, all their herds,
and all their wealth. And they destroyed
by fire all the towns in which they were settled, and their encampments. They gathered all the spoil and all the
booty, man and beast, and they brought the captives, the booty, and the spoil
to (Moshe), Eleazar the priest, and the whole Israelite community, at the camp
in the steppes of Moab, at the (Yordan) near Jericho.
“(Moshe), Eleazar the priest, and all the
chieftains of the community came out to meet them outside the camp. (Moshe) became angry with the commanders of
the army, the officers of thousands and the officers of hundreds, who had come
back from the military campaign. (Moshe)
said to them, ‘You have spared every female!
Yet they are the very ones who, at the bidding of Balaam, induced the
Israelites to trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so that the
LORD’s community was struck by the plague.
Now, therefore, slay every male among the children, and slay also every
woman who has known a man carnally; but
spare every young woman who has not had carnal relations with a man.” (B’midbar 31:9 – 18).
8.) Can you describe the required process of
cleansing prescribed for a.) soldiers
after committing war; and for b.) items gained through war?
Answer:
a.)
Soldiers are prescribed to be cleansed by water;
b.) Items
that can withstand fire are prescribed to be cleansed by fire and water; and items that are unable to withstand fire
are prescribed to be cleansed by water:
“Eleazar the priest said to the troops who had
taken part in the fighting, ‘This is the ritual law that the LORD has enjoined
upon (Moshe): Gold and silver, copper,
iron, tin, and lead—any article that can withstand fire—these you shall pass
through fire and they shall be pure, except that they must be purified with
water of lustration; and anything that
cannot withstand fire you must pass through water. On the seventh day you shall wash your
clothes and be pure, and after that you may enter the camp.” (B’midbar 31:21 – 24).
9.) From all of the spoils gained from the
Midianis, can you describe: a.) how much is contributed to the entire Israeli
community; b.) how much is retained by the soldiers; c.) how
much is given to Adonai, via Eleazar;
d.) how much is given to the
Levis; and, e.) what is the total count of the spoils?
Answer:
a.)
The Israeli community is provided with an initial 50% share of the
spoils (B’midbar 31:25 – 27);
b.)
The soldiers retain an initial 50% of the spoils (B’midbar 31:25 – 27);
c.)
Eleazar is provided .2% of the soldiers’ share of the spoils (B’midbar
31:28 – 29);
d.)
Levis are provided with 2% of the entire Israeli community’s share of
the spoils (B’midbar 31:30));
e.) The
total count of the spoils is: 675,000
sheep; 72,000 cattle; 61,000 asses;
and 32,000 virgin women (B’midbar 31:32 – 35).
“The LORD said to (Moshe): ‘You and Eleazar the priest and the family
heads of the community take an inventory of the booty that was captured, man
and beast, and divide the booty equally between the combatants who engaged in
the campaign and the rest of the community.
You shall exact a levy for the LORD:
in the case of the warriors who engaged in the campaign, one item in
five hundred, of persons, oxen, asses, and sheep, shall be taken from their
half-share and given to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the LORD; and from the half-share of the other
Israelites you shall withhold one in every fifty human beings as well as
cattle, asses, and sheep—all the animals—and give them to the Levites, who
attend to the duties of the LORD’s Tabernacle.’
“(Moshe) and Eleazar the priest did as the LORD
commanded (Moshe). The amount of booty,
other than the spoil that the troops had plundered, came to 675,000 sheep,
72,000 head of cattle, 61,000 asses, and a total of 32,000 human beings,
namely, the women who had not had carnal relations.” (B’midbar 31:25 – 35).
10.) Can you describe: 1.)
which of these specific articles are described as being contributed by
the Israeli commanders, generals, and captains to Moshe, as a gift to Adonai,
to perform atonement; and 2.) how much all these gifts weigh?
a.) gold anklets;
b.)
gold bracelets;
c.)
gold finger rings;
d.)
gold earrings;
e.)
gold body ornaments;
f.)
gold hair clips;
g.)
gold bowls;
h.)
gold silverware;
i.)
gold necklaces;
j.)
gold cufflinks;
k.)
gold teeth;
l.)
gold nose rings;
m.)
gold cups; and/or
n.)
gold plates?
Answer:
1.) Whilst
the general term, “gold articles,” may ambiguously include each of these
possibilities, the specific items that are explicitly described include:
a.)
gold anklets/armlets;
b.)
gold bracelets;
c.)
gold finger rings;
d.)
gold earrings; and,
e.)
gold body ornaments/pendants;
2.)
The total amount weighs 16,750 shekels (~200,000 kilograms; ~400,000 pounds):
“The commanders of the troop divisions, the
officers of thousands and the officers of hundreds, approached (Moshe). They said to (Moshe), ‘Your servants have
made a check of the warriors in our charge, and not one of us is missing. So we have brought as an offering to the LORD
such articles of gold as each of us came upon:
armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and pendants, that expiation
may be made for our persons before the LORD.’
(Moshe) and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from them, all kinds of
wrought articles. All the gold that was
offered by the officers of thousands and the officers of hundreds as a
contribution to the LORD came to 16,750 shekels.—But in the ranks, everyone
kept his booty for himself.--” (B’midbar
31:48 – 53).
11.) Can you describe which 2 tribes are explicitly
described as petitioning Moshe to be able to settle within the lands of Jazer
and Gilead, outside of Eretz Israel?
Answer: The tribe of Reuven and the tribe of Gad make
such a petition:
“The (Reuvenites) and the Gadites owned cattle in
very great numbers. Noting that the
lands of Jazer and Gilead were a region suitable for cattle, the Gadites and
the (Reuvenites) came to (Moshe), Eleazar the priest, and the chieftains of the
community, and said, ‘Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam,
Nebo, and Beon—the land that the LORD has conquered for the community of Israel
is cattle country, and your servants have cattle. It would be a favour to us,’ they continued,
‘if this land were given to your servants as a holding; do not move us across the (Yordan).” (B’midbar 32:1 – 5); generally, (B’midbar 32:1 – 42).
12.) Can you describe what 3rd tribe is
provided permission to also settle outside of Eretz Israel?
Answer: The answer is Manasseh:
“The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went
to Gilead and captured it, dispossessing the Amorites who were there; so (Moshe) gave Gilead to Machir son of
Manasseh, and he settled there. Jair son
of Manasseh went and captured their villages, which he renamed
Havvoth-jair. And Nobah went and
captured Kenath and its dependencies, renaming it Nobah after himself.” (B’midbar 32:39 – 42).
--
Discussion Questions:
Are
there any causes for which it is permissible to break one’s promise; perhaps as an example: a promise made under duress or coercion; a promise made with false or misinformation,
lies, and/or additional false pretenses;
a promise made whilst intoxicated;
a promise made during a period of severe travail; a promise to commit a heinous act against
someone; and/or otherwise? What responsibility does a person have
towards such a promise and what responsibility do the recipients of that
promise have in forgiving the person who fails to uphold the promise? What effect does this have on the reputation
and the perceived reliability of (and trust towards) the person breaking the
promise?
Moshe
is commanded to destroy the Midianites as a last act before he passes from
life; is there any intended irony that
Moshe is commanded to destroy the kinsmen of his wife, Tzipporah? Is this because of the stated purpose of
Midian’s tempting of Israel, because of Moshe’s marriage with a foreigner,
and/or all the above? Is there any
metaphysical/esoteric significance to be gleaned from this?
What
connexion exists between the name of Balaam’s far, Beor, and the name of the
idol that Midianis worship, Peor; what
insight and implications does this have concerning the manner in which Israelis
are referred to as children of Adonai?
What
is the nature of the statement that Moshe makes about Balaam attempting to
seduce Israel with the women of Midian?
Is this a description of the curses that Balaam attempts to make against
Israel, or is this referencing actions that are excluded from the explicit text
of the Torah? How is any additional
behaviour on the part of Balaam (particularly including the 3 blessings upon
Israel that Balaam provides) appropriately reconciled with such comments?
What
is the nature of the cleanliness of a military camp that houses soldiers who experience
the continual occurrence of killing the opposing side, every few days
(contravening the prescribed durations regarding cleansing)? What is the nature of the cleanliness of the
general society/nation that hires such soldiers and provides weapons and
supplies to such soldiers?
Amidst
the “spoils” of war, what is the rationale particularly for killing the male
children; upon what principle of
righteousness is such a command made?
And if Israel is fighting a “righteous” war according to the command of
Adonai, for what cause do Israeli soldiers have to atone?
Amidst
the 100,000’s of cattle and the many 10,000’s of virgin women that are drawn
from the Midianis, what is each Israeli’s, each soldier’s, each Levi’s, and
Eleazar’s “take” of each of these “spoils;”
what is Moshe’s “take”? What is
the rationale for the specific number of the .2% for Eleazar, and the 2% for
the Levis? How does the contribution
provided by the Israeli generals factor into this, as well?
Amidst
the description of the “signet rings” being offered to Adonai, there is the
consideration that each of these items have certain significance and
sentimentality to the deceased Midianis who previously possess these items
(perhaps with some of the items being custom crafted, and some items being
inherited through generations); what is
the legitimacy that generally exists within the practise of such sentimentality
and attachment? What is the cost (or
what is lost) when such items exchange hands in such a manner? What is the nature of the consonance and the
dissonance within the continual connexion between these items and the virgin
women who continue to live and procreate in a continually “captive” manner
(perhaps with the virgin women seeing items that previously belong to friends
and relatives who are subsequently deceased)?
What is the nature of the paradox between the allure to the grandeur of
the spoils of war (as well as the construction of the Pyramids and additional
human feats) and the aversion to the necessary, transgressive manner in which
those spoils are attained (including the slavery required to construct the
Pyramids)?
What
are the implications of a number of Israeli tribes settling outside of Eretz
Israel? What precedent does this
establish for the actual expansion (or the intention therein) of Eretz Israel?
118.11.7
ושלום אהבא, Family and Friends.
שלום.नमस्ते.สมาธ.Pax.سلام.Peace.SatNam.صلح.Kwey.Amani.Barış.ειρήνη.Pace.Paz.Paix.Fred.Frieden.Vrede.Siochana.мир.امن.和平.平和.평화.Aloha.
.
.
.
...
The Parshiot for this
week are “Mattot” and “Masay”
Parashah Mattot addresses
vows made by men and women, the spoils of war, and the divisions of
contributions.
The featured Hebrew terms for
this Parashah are: “שבעה” (“shevaa,” meaning, “vow” or “promise”),
in reference to vows made by men, B’midbar 30:3; and, “שפתיה מבטא” (“Mivta S’fateha,” meaning, “utterance of her lips”) in
reference to the vows made by women, B’midbar 30:7.
The featured Torah Trivia
question for this Parashah is: who is
older: Eleazar or Yoshua?
(Elements for Parashah Masay)
Additional Torah study
resources include:
USCJ Torah Sparks: http://www.uscj.org/JewishLivingandLearning/WeeklyParashah/TorahSparks/Archive/Default.aspx;
, ושלום אהבא
Peter
שלום.नमस्ते.สมาธ.Pax.سلام.Peace.SatNam.صلح.Kwey.Amani.Barış.ειρήνη.Pace.Paz.Paix.Fred.Frieden.Vrede.Siochana.мир.امن.和平.平和.평화.Aloha.
.
..
...
ૐ.
אמן
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