Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] What if the greatest act of love began with a call to war?
[00:00:06] This week's Torah portion opens with vengeance and violence, but buried within it lies one of the most powerful messages of unity and compassion ever taught. It's easy to take up arms against someone, but far more difficult to fight for the relationship. So where is the real battlefield? It's the battlefield of the heart. Join me to discover Yeshua's war on hatred in this week's five minute tour.
[00:00:38] Shalom and blessings from Shalom Macon, the place where disciples of Yeshua learn, connect and grow. I'm Darren and before I get into the five minutes of my five minute Torah commentary, let's cover a few quick facts about this week's Torah portion. This week we are studying the 42nd and 43rd portions, the double portion of Matot Masei Numbers 32 through Chapter 36, Verse 13. And here are the three things that you need to know about it.
[00:01:04] Number one vows and authority A Father's Responsibility Parashat Matot opens with the laws concerning vows and oaths, emphasizing the sacred responsibility of honoring one's word before God. The Torah outlines how personal vows must be taken seriously, but also gives fathers and husbands limited authority to annul the vows of a daughter or wife under their care. Their this isn't arbitrary power, it's protection. The head of the household carries the burden of safeguarding his family's spiritual and emotional well being and may cancel a vow if he believes it was made hastily or could bring harm. These laws teach the weight of spoken words and the balance between personal responsibilities and family leadership.
[00:01:48] Number two War against Midian Divine Retribution God commands Israel to strike the Midianites for their role in leading the people into idolatry and immorality. At Peor, Moses assembles twelve thousand warriors, a thousand from each tribe, led by Pichas the priest. The Israelite forces destroy the Midianite men, including their kings and the prophet Bilaam. Women, children, livestock and goods are taken as spoils, but Moses instructs the warriors to purify both themselves and the captives before anything can be divided. The war represents more than a military campaign. It serves as a reckoning for spiritual seduction and betrayal. It reminds Israel that disobedience has consequences and that God's justice will not be ignored.
[00:02:35] And number three Boundaries and Inheritance Tribal Divisions of the land In Parashat Masai, God gives Moses detailed instructions for dividing the promised Land among the tribes of Israel. This section outlines the borders of the land and the specific territories assigned to to each tribe, ensuring an equitable and orderly distribution. The tribal inheritances weren't merely about geography. They preserved identity, heritage, and generational legacy. Each tribe was to maintain its ancestral land, anchoring its people to both promise and purpose. These divisions reflect divine wisdom in organizing the nation and serve as a blueprint for the physical and spiritual structure of of Israel's future in the land. Are you a disciple of Yeshua? There are a lot of people who say they are, but when it comes down to it, they really don't even know what it means to be a disciple. Why? Because discipleship is a concept unique to Judaism. It's an intimate relationship between a rabbi and his student. Yeshua called 12 men to be in his inner circle of discipleship, and those 12 men changed the world. What did they know about being a disciple that we don't? I wrestled with this question when I wrote my book the Four Responsibilities of a Disciple. There were a ton of books already written on how to make disciples, but I wanted to know what it meant to be a disciple because it seems that all of these disciples that were being made in our day really weren't having an impact on the world around them like they should. I found out that there were four responsibilities every disciple should know and that when implemented, living out these four responsibilities has the potential potential to change the world. If you want to know what it means to be a true disciple of our Master Yeshua, then check out my book the Four Responsibilities of a Disciple, using the link below. This week's Torah commentary is called the Holy War of Love and comes from my book Five Minute Torah, Volume 3. At the turn of the 20th century, the fifth rabbi of Chabad, Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber Schneerson the Rashab, developed a teaching based on a few small and seemingly insignificant verses from this week s Torah portion. He eventually published this teaching in a booklet entitled Hechaltzu. The focus of the entire teaching was on love toward one's fellow and was eventually republished in English under the title Havat A Path to True Unity. Oddly enough, the premise of the entire work is founded on the following the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites, and afterward you shall be gathered to your people. So Moses spoke to the people, saying, arm men from among you for the war that they may go against Midian. To execute the Lord's vengeance on Midian, you shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war. This is numbers 311 4. Yes, you read it correctly. At first glance, it would seem this passage has nothing to do with love, but rather hate. The word Hekhaltzu, the name of this book, is taken from verse three and essentially means take up arms. How then does it teach us about love? Since it's difficult to see anything about love in this passage, let's briefly try to understand the Roshab's conclusions. First, it seems this task of waging war on Midian is Moses final mission in life because it says that when it has been completed, it will will be time for him to pass from this world and into the next. Therefore it must be of paramount importance the end goal for his life. Second, we need to understand why Moses was to wage war specifically against Midian rather than any of the other Canaanite nations. According to Jewish tradition, the name Midian is connected to the Hebrew word madon, meaning strife or quarreling. The Reshab sees Midian as the embodiment of Sinat Chinam, baseless hatred and division. Therefore, to wage war on Midian ideologically means to wage war on strife. There are several other components he addresses in this passage, but these two are the most critical, with the overarching message that the end game should be the annihilation of Sinat Chinam. Baseless Hatred so what exactly is Sinat Chinam or baseless hatred? It's easy to think of it as being a hateful person without any reason. But no one hates someone without some sort of justification, even if it's misguided. When we have ill feelings towards someone, we feel justified in doing so. She said this. He said that we hold onto hurts and use them as excuses for the way we view and treat others. But we have a higher calling than this. In Pirkei Avot, the great sage Hillel taught his students become a disciple of Aaron, a lover of peace, a pursuer of peace, one who loves the creatures and draws them close to Torah. Avot 1:12 the word used here for creatures is habriot. And the last Chabad Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson of blessed memory, taught that this word was used for a specific reason. He said that this term represents the lowest common denominator of human existence. It implies there's not necessarily any redeeming quality within this type of person, at least in our own estimation. Therefore, we have to be told to love this type of person. It's easy to love people who add value to our lives. Conversely, it's difficult to love people who make life more burdensome. And when we feel justified in our dislike of someone, hatred can easily develop. However, every person is made in the image of God. They have the breath of God within them. We are to love others no matter their perceived value, simply because God invested himself into their creation. Therefore they have significance. John, the disciple whom the Master loved, understood Yeshua's teachings in a way that is not easy to apply. He taught his disciples that whoever claims to be walking in the light yet hates his brother is still dwelling in darkness. First John 2, 9, 11 and that if we hate our brother, we are even considered a murderer. 1st John 3:11 18 Hate doesn't always manifest itself in aggressive behavior. Often hatred manifests itself through apathy. Apathy is the beginning of the end of a relationship. Both Hekhaltu's message and Yeshua's message is that we should take these principles of loving others and and do whatever it takes to enact them. We should take up arms and tenaciously battle against Sinat Chinam through Havat Chinam. Baseless Love the difficult task of baseless love is to love someone through hurt feelings, anger and disappointment times when we feel we can justifiably loathe the other person.
[00:09:33] However, we need to be able to say, even though I'm angry with you right now, I still love you and that love will not change. We should still be kind to them, serve them, speak positively to them, and about them to others. This is waging war on baseless hatred. This is waging war on division. Do you have relationships you struggle to maintain? What can you do to engage in the war on baseless hatred? How can you wage your own holy war of love? Do you know why Jews around the world fast, mourn and reflect during the summer months? If you've never heard of Tsom Tammuz Tisha B' Av, or the Three Weeks, or if you've never just really understood their significance, then you need to watch our video. Blessed are those who mourn. With striking visuals and powerful message, this video will open your eyes to one of the most heartbreaking yet hopeful seasons on the Biblical calendar. Just click on the link right here to check it out.
