NUMBERS XXXIII:1-XXXVI:13

POSSIBILITY OF AMENDMENT

With these chapters concludes Bemidbar, the fourth book of the Torah. The long journey through the desert underscored the dependence of the Hebrew people on God. The desert is a hostile environment and survival would have been impossible without Divine providence. But Divine help will also be needed in the process of conquering the Promised Land that will begin after the death of Moshe (Moses), who led the people to the border.

The possibility of annulling a promise, the establishment of cities of refuge and the verdict in the case of the daughters of Tselofchad are the main themes of the sacred text. In some way, each of these issues and situations reflects the need to have confidence in Divine Providence. The Torah takes into consideration a person’s weaknesses and points out how he or she acts with a lack of responsibility on various occasions. 

A basic teaching is the existence of Teshuvah, the possibility of making amendments to modify a person’s character. According to Jewish tradition, Adam is the father of Teshuvah, he repented after eating the fruit of the forbidden tree.’

This weekly reading considers the case of the person who kills another person without intending to do so. In this case, the crime was caused by the metal part of the axe. While a person was chopping wood, the metal part of his axe came off, causing the death of another person who was in the area. It is clear that there was no intention to kill, however, the person is not free of responsibility. When using a tool that can potentially cause death, special care must be taken in its handling and ensure the physical functionality of the instrument.

The Torah commands the construction of Are’i Miklat, cities of refuge for the person who killed without intending to do so. In this way, the person is out of reach of the Go’el Hadam, the relative of the dead who could take revenge. The refugee in anIr Miklat must remain there until the death of the Kohen Gadol(High Priest, a fact that according to Harav Soloveitchik causes the trepidation of the population due to the death of the great spiritual leader of the Jewish people, a fact that in turn leads to introspection and Teshuvah.

In the case of the Neder, the promise, the Torah allows the father to annul the promise of his young daughter and empowers the spouse to render invalid the promise of his spouse. Many times, in a state of euphoria or anger, of excessive joy or resentment, the person makes a resolution through a promise that later turns out to be inappropriate, but that he made due to the exaltation of the moment. The Torahmakes it possible to cancel any such promise made in a moment of euphoria, which is then unacceptable to the person.

The third case, which concerns the Benot Tselofchad, also highlights the way to remedy a situation so that the paternal inheritance does not leave the environment of the tribe, in this case that of Menashe. It is explained first that daughters are also heirs, but that it is essential that they later marry members of their tribe, in order that the estate would remain in it. A common denominator of the cases referred to, is the possible solution to remedy a situation. 

The Torah strives to resolve every problem. Sometimes the person is part of the problem, because of an improper action, and in other cases, the difficulty is the consequence of an event in which the person has no role, as in the case of the death of the father of the Benot Tselofchad. 

When the infraction is the result of a deliberate transgression, the consequence is punishment; but when the person acts out of carelessness or the fervor of the moment without affecting the well-being of others, the Torah offers a path to redemption which, in the case of the death of another person, results in “symbolic imprisonment” in one of the Are’i Miklat.

MITZVAH: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARSHA

CONTAINS 2  POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 4 PROHIBITIONS

408. Numbers 35:2 To provide cities for the Levites who also served as Cities of Refuge

409. Numbers 35:12 Failure to execute a person found guilty before trial

410. Numbers 35:25 Forcing the person who unintentionally killed to go to a City of Refuge

411. Numbers 35:30 The witness in a capital case cannot judge the event

412. Numbers 35:31 Not accepting a redemption payment to save a murderer from the death penalty

413. Numbers 35:32 Not accepting a redemption payment to free a person from having to go to a City of Refuge