לזכות רפואה שלימה אחינו כל בית ישראל הנתונים בצרה ובשביה
The first of this week’s two Parshiyot, Parshat Mattot [followed by Parshat Massei], begins with the laws of Nedarim\Vows. Halachic vows contain many fascinating ramifications, with the topic having impacts felt both in parenting–a Jewish father has the ability to revoke a vow made by his daughter, provided certain technical details are in check; and in marriage–a husband can uproot vows made by his wife that are detrimental to the spirit of their marriage.
Interestingly, there is a time limit given to the father or husband if they choose to revoke a vow, as they must show their disapproval of the vow on the day they hear of it–if Halachic nightfall [She’kiah] arrives before they revoke the vow, the oath will be fully binding, and the daughter or wife who made the vow will be obligated to live with their vow’s strictures.
The Possuk emphasizes, that as long as the father or husband hears of the oath, and do not actively relate their displeasure with the vow, the vow is considered validated and non-revocable. If the husband or father reacts with silence to the tidings of the making of this oath, that will be considered a tacit approval of the vow, and the oath will be affirmed, despite the lack of open validation on the part of the husband or father. It would seem that Democratic nominee for President, Kamala Harris, chose to show active affirmation of the violent anti-Semitic protests sweeping America, telling the world last week that she “Sees the protesters, and hears them,” moving beyond the more subdued, tacit approval that the Biden administration has given these protesters. Regardless, as the laws of Nedarim teach us, positive affirmation or approval through silence both serve as valid displays of one’s consent to the actions being discussed, and the moral equivalency drawn by both Harris and Biden between Israel’s goals and the ideals of these violent protestors reveal their biases against the Jewish state.
Interestingly, the Parshah segues from the laws of Nedarim\vows into the battle the Jews would have with the Midianites; many commentaries question the juxtaposition of these two topics. Perhaps the most interesting approach is taken by the Rokeach. He writes, that according to Jewish law, if a husband or father would tell his wife or daughter [respectively] that they had revoked a vow the wife or daughter had undertaken within the allotted time limit [i.e. the day they heard about the vow], when in reality that was not the case, responsibility for the sin that will follow rests solely on the husband or the father. Their either deliberate or unfortunate negligence caused the wife or daughter to think the vow had been revoked, and therefore they were no longer bound by the strictures of said oath. Any actions taken that will violate the parameters of their oath will be on the head of the ones who informed them that the oath had been invalidated. In Halachic terms, this concept is known as “Gadol Hamachti Yoter Min Hachotei\worse is the one who causes sin than the one who sins.”
Rokeach explains, that this fascinating tidbit contained within the Halachot of Nedarim allows us to understand why the Jews were going to battle with Midian—for if one reads the Verses at the end of Parshat Balak [Bamidbar Chap. 25], it would seem that the primary sinners who deserved to face the wrath of the Jews should have been the Moabites! Why does G-d tell them to battle the people of Midian? Rokeach offers, that although the Moabite women were more active in sinning with the Jewish men [see Sanhedrin pag. 82 for more details], the cause and instigator of this plan were the Midianites, and therefore, as the impetus for the sin, they faced more blame than the people of Moab, and G-d’s wrath was directed at them.
The lesson for our times is open and obvious; although Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis all deserve extinction, they are the “merely” the sinners\”chotei” in this equation. The driving force and cause, or “Machti,” behind these terror groups is Iran, and we hope and pray that much as the Midianite evildoers were dispatched without the loss of a single Jewish life [see Bamidbar 31’ 49’], so too, the evil regime of Iran, and the protestors who encourage and give voice to anti-Semitic beliefs, are met soon with divine justice. The prophet writes (1-Samuel 15:29), "Netzach Yisrael lo yishaker\the Eternal G-d of Israel is not false,” and may we soon see the revelation of G-dliness that will usher in the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our days.
Dedicated in memory of Refael Ben Tirtza, HY”D.
Have a Great Shabbas.