Going Off to Battle
Tuesday, October 9 is the festival of Shemini Atzeret/ Simchat Torah, when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah and then immediately start over from the beginning. The Parsha that is read is VeZot HaBracha, the very last Parsha in the book of Deuteronomy, in which Moshe blesses the Jewish people just prior to his death (as the Patriarch Jacob had done when he lay on his death bed ? see Genesis, chap. 49). After conferring a blessing on the Jewish people as a collective, Moshe proceeded to bless each tribe individually. The first tribe to receive a blessing was Reuben, about whom Moshe said, ?May Reuben live and not die, and may his men be a number (Chap. 33, verse 6).?
The Question:
What is the meaning of the blessing given to Reuben? Why does it seem to repeat itself by saying that he should ?live and not die??
The Answer:
The Ramban (Nachmanides) offers a number of explanations, one of which is that this blessing refers to the impending conquest of the Land by the Jewish people, who stood poised at the Jordan river about to cross into the Promised Land, where they would have to engage in battle. Thus, Moshe was blessing the tribe of Reuben that they ?live? ? that they should prevail and not be defeated in their war against the enemies of the Jewish people ? and that they ?not die? ? that none of them should die in battle - and ?may his men be a number? ? may every single one of them return safely to his home and family. Thus, according to the Ramban, Moshe was blessing Reuben that they should be victorious on the battlefield and suffer no casualties in the course of the fighting.
The Ktav V?HaKabbalah (Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Mecklenberg, cited in Menachem Beker?s Parperaot LaTorah) offers a slightly different interpretation. He states that the phrase ?may his men be a number? refers to Reuben?s family and loved ones back home. That is, not only is Moshe blessing Reuben that his soldiers should not die in battle (either as a result of the warfare or due to natural causes), but also that his relatives should remain untouched so that when Reuben?s soldiers return from the battlefield, they will find their families and homes fully intact.
The Lesson:
Nearly a month after the World Trade Center attacks, the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain launched the war on terror late on Monday, October 7. The initial assault against targets in Afghanistan was confined to the use of airpower and cruise missiles, thereby minimizing the danger to the allied forces involved in the attacks. Yet it is no doubt only a matter of time before ground forces will be introduced, as one of the primary aims of the campaign is to hunt down Osama Bin-Laden and his terrorist network. This will necessarily mean a greater risk of American and British casualties. In addition, the U.S. government is warning of the possibility of further terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, as the terrorists will seek to avenge the blow they have received.
The coming days and weeks may prove increasingly dangerous, so it is only fitting that we recall Moshe?s blessing to Reuben and pray that no harm should befall the courageous men and women of the United States and British armed forces on the front lines of this battle against terror. As the Ktav V?HaKabbalah explained, we must also hope that the soldiers will return home to find their families safe and intact, untouched by violence or terror while their loved ones are off in a faraway land waging war. Also, of course, we must also pray for the well-being of Israel?s soldiers, who are waging an equally moral and just campaign against Palestinian terrorism, which has claimed the lives of over 200 innocent Israelis in the past year. The days ahead will prove fateful ? may G-d give America and Israel the strength and the resolve to uproot international terror once and for all.
Tuesday, October 9 is the festival of Shemini Atzeret/ Simchat Torah, when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah and then immediately start over from the beginning. The Parsha that is read is VeZot HaBracha, the very last Parsha in the book of Deuteronomy, in which Moshe blesses the Jewish people just prior to his death (as the Patriarch Jacob had done when he lay on his death bed ? see Genesis, chap. 49). After conferring a blessing on the Jewish people as a collective, Moshe proceeded to bless each tribe individually. The first tribe to receive a blessing was Reuben, about whom Moshe said, ?May Reuben live and not die, and may his men be a number (Chap. 33, verse 6).?
The Question:
What is the meaning of the blessing given to Reuben? Why does it seem to repeat itself by saying that he should ?live and not die??
The Answer:
The Ramban (Nachmanides) offers a number of explanations, one of which is that this blessing refers to the impending conquest of the Land by the Jewish people, who stood poised at the Jordan river about to cross into the Promised Land, where they would have to engage in battle. Thus, Moshe was blessing the tribe of Reuben that they ?live? ? that they should prevail and not be defeated in their war against the enemies of the Jewish people ? and that they ?not die? ? that none of them should die in battle - and ?may his men be a number? ? may every single one of them return safely to his home and family. Thus, according to the Ramban, Moshe was blessing Reuben that they should be victorious on the battlefield and suffer no casualties in the course of the fighting.
The Ktav V?HaKabbalah (Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Mecklenberg, cited in Menachem Beker?s Parperaot LaTorah) offers a slightly different interpretation. He states that the phrase ?may his men be a number? refers to Reuben?s family and loved ones back home. That is, not only is Moshe blessing Reuben that his soldiers should not die in battle (either as a result of the warfare or due to natural causes), but also that his relatives should remain untouched so that when Reuben?s soldiers return from the battlefield, they will find their families and homes fully intact.
The Lesson:
Nearly a month after the World Trade Center attacks, the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain launched the war on terror late on Monday, October 7. The initial assault against targets in Afghanistan was confined to the use of airpower and cruise missiles, thereby minimizing the danger to the allied forces involved in the attacks. Yet it is no doubt only a matter of time before ground forces will be introduced, as one of the primary aims of the campaign is to hunt down Osama Bin-Laden and his terrorist network. This will necessarily mean a greater risk of American and British casualties. In addition, the U.S. government is warning of the possibility of further terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, as the terrorists will seek to avenge the blow they have received.
The coming days and weeks may prove increasingly dangerous, so it is only fitting that we recall Moshe?s blessing to Reuben and pray that no harm should befall the courageous men and women of the United States and British armed forces on the front lines of this battle against terror. As the Ktav V?HaKabbalah explained, we must also hope that the soldiers will return home to find their families safe and intact, untouched by violence or terror while their loved ones are off in a faraway land waging war. Also, of course, we must also pray for the well-being of Israel?s soldiers, who are waging an equally moral and just campaign against Palestinian terrorism, which has claimed the lives of over 200 innocent Israelis in the past year. The days ahead will prove fateful ? may G-d give America and Israel the strength and the resolve to uproot international terror once and for all.