Parshat Matos 5782
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in the beginning of this week’s parsha the mitzvah of Nedarim; of making vows and the obligation to fulfill one’s words. Why does this mitzvah appear at the end of sefer Bamidbar, as Bnei Yisrael get ready to enter Eretz Yisrael? The other mitzvos we read about, conquering and inheriting Eretz Yisrael, and delineating its borders, are all relevant to this final stage. And last week we read about the public sacrifices since, as the Ramban teaches, they were only applicable in Eretz Yisrael. But the mitzvah of making vows doesn’t seem to be timely to this particular historical context of Bnei Yisrael entering Ertz Yisrael. Why is it brought now?
The power of speech is very great. The word for speech is דבור, and in Aramaic, the same root refers to leading and directing. We affect others with our speech. The Sfas Emes in parshat Noach emphasizes the creative power of speech and compares the two covenants we have with Hashem; Bris Milah and the Bris of Torah. Just as the Bris Milah enables us to procreate and bring into the world Jewish Neshamos, similarly the Bris HaLashon of Torah enables us to be creative and impactful through Torah.
The Sfas Emes teaches that the power of speech is expressed as building structures. He illustrates this point through the Dor Ha’Palagah, the generation after the flood who attempted to build a tower until the heavens. They said to each other (Bereishis, Chapter 11, Pasuk 4), הבה נבנה לנו עיר ומגדל וראשו בשמים; let us build a city and a tower whose top reaches the heavens. And the next pasuk follows with Hashem coming to view what they built. But there is only one problem; there is no indication of anything having built! What was actually seen by Gd? We see the same thing by Adam Harishon who was told to name the animals and the pasuk tells us (Chapter 2, Pasuk 19) לראות מה יקרא לו. Hashem went to see what he would call them.
The Sfas Emes teaches that this generation had an unusual power of speech. Their speaking alone created structures which reached the heavens. And this is expressed by the Torah telling us that they spoke (Chapter 11, Pasuk 1) שפה אחת ודברים אחדים. Their unity of speech was manifest in their ability to create reality through words, just as Adam Harishon did. But they used it for evil intention and it was taken from them, as the pasuk says (Chapter 11, Pasuk 8) ונבלה שם שפתם. Their speech became confused and ununified and they lost their abilities.
Who was it given to? It was given to Clal Yisrael through the power of Torah. And this trait became intrinsic to Clal Yisrael, as the pasuk says (Bereishis, Chapter 27, Pasuk 22), הקל קול יעקוב, the voice is the voice of Yaakov, and it represents the קול of Torah and the קול of Tefillah. But to properly utilize this trait they needed to learn Torah from Moshe Rabbeinu for forty years in the desert. Only after such time were they able to understand how to use their speech to create and build. And only now, as they are about to enter Eretz Yisrael, were they able to create the holiness of speech inherent in a vow. Only now it became relevant to warn them with the mitzvah (Chapter 30, Pasuk 3), לא יחל דברו, one should not violate his words i.e., what he obligated himself to. And Rashi adds, לא יעשה דבריו חולין; he should not make his words profane. And the Sfas Emes infers from here that one’s words are holy. Every time we speak there is an inherent Kedushah, and woe to the one who defiles his words. Only after learning Torah forty years did this mitzvah become relevant to them.
We always read this parsha during this period of Bein Hametzarim, the period between the seventeenth of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av. And during this period, we feel closed in, literally, between narrow straits. And the only thing we can employ is our power of speech which is bequeathed to us by Yaakov Avinu as a נחלה בלי מצרים; a portion without borders and without limits. As the pasuk says in sefer Tehillim )Chapter 118, Pasuk 5), מן המצר קראתי י-ה, ענני במרחב י-ה. I call you from a closed in place, please answer me with great expanse. Allow me to go well beyond my present limits and experience limitless possibilities of expansion.
The Sfas Emes adds that the power of speech and the קול תורה and the קול תפילה is particularly felt on Shabbos, for on Shabbos we have a נשמה יתירה. And if one should ask, what does the power of speech have to do with the נשמה יתירה, it goes back to the creation of man. For when Hashem blew life into man and gave him his Neshamah, the pasuk says (Bereishis, Chapter 2, Pasuk 7), ויהי האדם לנפש חיה. Hashem gave man the ability to speak, as Onkelos teaches, לרוח ממלא. This ability is particularly expressed on Shabbos, and hence we all must strengthen ourselves in the קול תורה and the קול תפילה on Shabbos in order to maximize the portion without borders and limits we have on Shabbos.
Good Shabbos
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