Shabbat HaChodesh and Guarding the Month of the Aviv Thoughts and Reflections

Shabbat Shalom beloved of Yeshua Messiah.

This week’s Torah Reading is the 122nd reading of our 3-year Torah Portion reading cycle. Our reading is found in Numbers 32:1-42.

I’ve entitled this teaching: The High Expectations for God’s People to Fulfill His Will and Purpose — Thoughts and Reflections on Torah Reading 122.

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A Quick Overview of the Transjordan Region

Gilead is east of the Jordan River. Our reading records that Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh would ultimately occupy this region. Many centuries prior to the timeframe of our reading, Scripture records that Ya’achov fled here when he covertly left with his family and belongings from Laban, his father-in-law (Gen 31). It is here that scripture records that Yosef was sold to an Ishmaelite caravan by his brothers (Gen 37).

Beyond these patriarchs, more contemporaneously with our present reading, it is here that we seized this land from Sihon as recorded in Numbers 21:2-32. Recall that he was the Amorite king who refused to allow us to short-cut through his territory (i.e. Num 21:21-23; Deu 2:26-37; Jug 11:19-16). Scripture reveals Yah hardened Sihon’s heart such that he would not agree to our request, somewhat like He did to Pharoah in the hardening of his heart. And, of course, it turns out that his hardened heart, again like Pharaoh before him, would not bode well for him as we would destroy him and seize his kingdom (Num 21:24-25). (Don’t mess with Yah’s chosen ones, especially when they are walking according to His Ways, Will, and Purpose.)

From there Yah instructed us to destroy Og of Bashan and seize his kingdom (Num 21:33-35; Neh 9:22; Psa 135.10-12). And as we will discuss here today, these lands would be given to our tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh at their request and upon completion of their obligation to assist their other tribal brethren in conquering Canaan proper.

Overall, we of this 2nd generation coming out of Egypt were preparing to go in and conquer Canaan and this request by our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren, we will see, came as a surprise to Moshe. It was not part of the originally known plan that we, as Yah’s chosen nation, would go into Canaan proper, conquer it, and take possession of it.

Our Gadite, Reubenite Brethren State Their Case for Wanting to Possess Gilead

So, our Gadite and Reubenite brethren, along with the half-tribe of Manasseh, approached Moshe with the petition that they would settle in the region of Gilead which included the lands formerly ruled by Sihon (i.e. of the Amorites), Og of Bashan, and Balak of Moab.

Our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren stated their case to Moshe with seemingly warm cooperation and peaceful intent. Turns out that these three tribes were, at this time, in possession of vast numbers of livestock (i.e. Hebrew “miqneh”) and the lands they had their hearts set on to the east of the Jordan (aka the Transjordan) seemed to them perfect for raising and maintaining their vast animal stocks (32:1).

Moshe’s Concern — Considering the Hebrew Terms “Heni” and “Tenu’ah”

Consequently, Moshe was concerned that if the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh were given the green light to settle in the lands they expressed interest in possessing that we might have another incident akin to the “Spies Incident” of Numbers 13 on our hands. If you recall beloved, a significant portion of our nation refused to go in and take possession of the Land as Yah instructed us to do. Our nation’s refusal was based on the negative report of the spies that Moshe sent to reconnoiter the Land. Of those 12-spies, only Caleb and Joshua gave us a positive report and strongly encouraged us to obey Yah and go in and take the Land. Most of us refused to listen to Caleb’s and Joshua’s words and we as a nation rebelled against Yehovah and Moshe. This historic incident falls within the Hebrew concepts of “Heni” and “Tenu’ah.”

In his initial presumption that the petitioning tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh were up to some “monkey-business” (i.e. that their intentions for not going in to possess the Land with their other tribal brethren was somehow similar to the intentions we had as a nation in response to the 10 spies’ negative report). So, Moshe being the astute and discerning leader that He was says to these Gadite and Reubenite leaders:

“Why would you turn (i.e. “heni” — nullify or retract as well as turning the thoughts and will of another from their intended will) the will of the Yisra’elites?” Baruch A. Levine addresses this Hebrew term “heni” as used here by Moshe within the general context of annulling vows, oaths, and obligations. Mr. Levine also introduces us to the term “tenu’ ah, which is a situation where an individual or a people denies and treats the Will (and Plan) of Yehovah as though it was nothing or something to be scoffed at or dismissed. Clearly, Moshe didn’t want any repeat of any such foolishness as we experienced in response to the spy caper many years prior. (AB-Numbers 21-36 — A New Translation with Introduction and Translation — AYB4A)

Thus, Moshe brings up that spy incident and the ensuing punishment we endured for adhering to the negative voice of the 10-spies. Our “tenu’ah” condemned us to wander in the wilderness until the first Exodus generation died out, except for Caleb and Joshua (reference Num 14.29). Levine suggests that with our previous “tenu’ah” in the forefront of Moshe’s memory that maybe that same “tenu’ah” might be behind Reuben’s and Gad’s desire to remain in the lands east of the Jordan; that they viewed Yah’s promises and plans for our nation as “illegitimate.” For “to remain east of the Jordan was, in effect, to remain outside the Promised Land, to refuse to undertake its conquest.” (Baruch A. Levine, Numbers 21–36: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 4A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 487.)

Why is this such a big deal? you may ask. When we disregard Yah’s promises and instructions, which are connected to His commands to obey Him and to go and do what will bring about the fulfillment of those covenantal promises, we symbolically communicate to Him and the world that we are not committed to Him. When we do not commit ourselves to Him as His covenant people, we displease and upset Him (vss 10 and 11). Again, this is related to our reneging on our promises and commitments (i.e. our vows, oaths, and obligations as we discussed in Torah Reading 121).

So, as a follow-up to our previous reading, the importance of keeping our vows, oaths, and obligations is once more reiterated in this story. To tenu’ah and heni the vows, oaths, and obligations that we make to Yehovah and to others is a transgression of Yah’s Torah (i.e. it is a sin). Dare I say that to nullify our promises is a showstopper as it relates to our making it into the kingdom? I say, beloved, that it is imperative that we repent of any such acts in our lives and seek Yah’s forgiveness. And from there, we need to correct the denials and nullifications (i.e. the tenu’ah’s and heni’s) in our lives to the best of our abilities and not repeat those sins again.

The Hearts of the Gadites and Reubenites Regarding This Matter

On the surface, it seems that the hearts and loyalties of our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren were in the right place, at least as far as the text suggests. I’ll get into some perspectives of Jewish Thinkers who thought otherwise later in our discussion.

After some slightly contentious back and forth dialogue with Moshe on the matter, our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren agreed to fight alongside their other tribal brethren until Canaan was under our complete control and possession (32:16-19). These tribes’ willingness to obey Yehovah led Moshe to agree to their terms for taking possession of the lands east of the Jordan, outside Canaan proper (32:20-24).

Nevertheless, Moshe warned these tribes that if they failed to keep their word to assist their fellow Israelites in conquering Canaan, they would have to answer to Yehovah as it would be a transgression of Yah’s instructions (32:23). Indeed, these tribes would fulfill their obligation to Yehovah and the entire nation of Yisra’el when they will fight alongside their tribal brethren to conquer and take possession of Canaan as recorded in Joshua 4 and 22.

Thus, Moshe agreed to the Gadites’ and Reubenites’ proposal that they would fight alongside their brethren when they deployed to conquer Canaan (32:17). In the interim, the Gadites, Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh began to make a life for themselves in Sihon’s and Og’s former lands (32.16). More so, these three tribes vowed to deploy ahead of their brethren who would settle in Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. They vowed to unite in armed force with their brethren in the conquest of Canaan. And once Canaan was fully conquered and their brethren were received their inheritance of land (i.e. “nahalah”) to the satisfaction of Yehovah, then the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manasseh tribes would return to their homes in the lands east of the Jordan (32:18). These would also not lay any claim to any of the lands west of the Jordan (32:19).

Jewish Thinkers Weigh in on This Subject

I was surprised to learn just how much thought the ancient Jewish Thinkers put into this story. I want to share some of their thoughts with you for purposes of expanding our perspective on how our ancient and modern Jewish brethren see the merits of this story.

We find that towards the conclusion of the back and forth that occurred between Moshe and the Gadites and Reubenites, before Moshe agreed to these tribes’ petition and to ensure that the record on the matter was firmly established, that these tribes would face serious consequences if they did not keep their vow or obligation to fight alongside their other tribal brethren in the conquest of Canaan. Moshe warned these tribes:

But if you do not do so (i.e. you do not keep you word to fight alongside and help secure the promised Land for your brethren), behold, you have sinned against Yahweh, and know that your sin will find you. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Nu 32:23.)

The Talmudist Thinkers labeled this conditional formulation “tena’ i kapul.” “Tena’ i kapul” is a provision that is incorporated in most binding Hebrew contracts and written obligations. Such provisions “spell out both the positive and negative outcomes” of the contract or obligation (Baruch A. Levine, Numbers 21–36: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 4A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 491.) In other words, if you do such-and-such a thing as you promised, then such-and-such a thing will happen. However, if you don’t do such-and-such a thing (i.e. you fail to keep your word), then a certain bad thing will happen.

Consider this Mishnaic commentary on “tena’ i kapul” in relation to our reading:

295. Meir says, “Any condition which is not stated as is the condition of the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben [that is, in both negative and positive formulations], is no condition, “since it says, ‘And Moses said to them, “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass over” (Num. 32:29). And it is written, “And if they will not pass over armed” (Num. 32:20).’ ” R. Hananiah b. Gamaliel says, “The matter had to be stated in just that way, for if not, it would have been implied that even in the Land of Canaan they would not inherit land.” (Qiddusin 3:4; Jacob Neusner, The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary, vol. 12 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2011), 295.)

Thus, in our reading, Moshe stipulates that if our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren keep their obligation to Yehovah and their brethren by arming themselves and fighting alongside their other tribal brethren on the west side of the Jordan until all military operations have been successfully completed, then they would be free to return to those lands that they’d chosen for their home. If these stated conditions were met, then the land they desire to dwell in the Transjordan would be granted unto them as their homeland. (32:20-22) However, if our Gadite, Reubenite, and Manasseh brethren reneged on their obligation to take part in the conquering of Canaan alongside their other tribal brethren, then they would have committed a serious sin and their sin would most certainly find them. (32:23) And thus, the leaders of Gad and Reuben officially agreed to fulfill their responsibilities in the Land, and most importantly, obey Yehovah’s instructions regarding the taking of Canaan. (32:25-27)

Verses 33-38 entail the official land grant to Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Now all of this was well and good in my mind until I recently came upon Torah Resources Tim Hegg’s Commentary on our reading (“Studies in the Torah — Numbers; Tacoma, Washington; 2016).

Mr. Hegg, who I greatly respect and who’s many written Torah resources I routinely reference in most, if not all, of my Torah studies and postings, introduces to his readers a rather negative perspective on the actions of the Gadites, Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh here in our reading and he shows in his commentary what some of the ancient Jewish Thinkers thought about their land petition. Turns out that the opinion of some ancient Jewish Thinkers towards the Gadites, Reubenites, and Manasseh was that their hearts were evil. According to these ancient thinkers, these tribes eventually suffered loss because they selfishly sought to separate themselves from their other brethren in response to their greed and sense of self-worth that was not in keeping with the will and purpose of Elohim.

Hegg illustrates this shocking perspective by recording the following Midrash commentary:

“Three gifts exist in the world: wisdom, valor and wealth. Whoever has merited one, can attain all the world’s delights. When is this so? When these gifts come from heaven by a means in keeping with Torah. (In other words, when one walks in Torah as they should, they will be appropriately blessed and receive their heart’s desires. Continuing.) Otherwise, they are worthless (i.e. getting worldly blessings is worthless if they are not obtained through the provisions that Yehovah spells out in His Torah. Continuing). There are two wealthy men in the world (i.e. two types of unsavory wealthy souls in the world), one of Israel — Korach — and the other of the nations (i.e. the goyim) — Haman (i.e. infamous in the Esther story) — and both were destroyed. Why? Because their gift was not from Hashem, but something they grabbed for themselves. (And here’s the kicker) It is just so with Gad and Reuven. Rich, blessed with much flocks (i.e. our forefathers measured wealth at times according to how much livestock one owned), they loved their wealth and dwelt outside the Land of Israel. Therefore they were the first tribes to be exiled…What caused this if not their isolating themselves from their brethren for material gain” (Mid. Rab. Num 22.7)?

Turns out that according to scripture, it was the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali that were the first tribes to suffer exile at the hands of the Assyrian onslaught (2 Kin 15:29). Some Jewish thinkers give this oversight a pass by taking a position that these tribes’ (i.e. Gad’s and Reuben’s) exile was their living outside the Land of Promise (i.e. a self-imposed exile if you will). (But why quibble over scriptural facts when you are a renowned Jewish sage, right?) But clearly, this thinker held a rather nasty, biased view of our Gadite and Reubenite brethren because these established their homes in the Transjordanian region as opposed to joining their other tribal brethren in Canaan, west of the Jordan.

Interestingly, these ancient Jewish thinkers didn’t stop in their criticism of these tribes’ perceived greed-driven actions. Some thinkers criticized them for their lack of faith/belief in Yah. They note that the leaders of these tribes failed to mention Yehovah in their petition to Moshe, this in contrast with Moshe’s mention of Yehovah some five times in his discourse with them over this land-grant issue (Num 32:20-22). The thinkers argue that these leaders were solely focused on their wealth and did not see any true need for Yah or any relationship with their other tribal brethren.

And not to be done with their criticism of Gad and Reuben in relationship to their perceived faithlessness and materialism, other thinkers saw these as having an inaccurate understanding of Yah’s Plan for Israel and their conquering of the Land. These, the thinkers contended, believed that Yehovah was going to miraculously eliminate the inhabitants of Canaan and simply hand the land over to their other tribal brethren. Thus, Reuben and Gad saw no need to get involved in that which Yehovah clearly had under control and within His sovereign purview. Hegg, in response to this criticism asserts: “The conquest of the Land would be done through Yehovah’s mighty hand, but it would require warfare: ‘I will deliver the inhabitants of the Land into the hand…’ To enjoy Yah’s covenant promises requires obedient participation” (ibid., p. 201). Amein to that, I say.

Hegg gives wide credence to the criticisms of the Jewish Thinkers but stops short of fully committing himself to their perspectives. His major criticism of the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manasseh is centered on their perceived self-centeredness and initial lack of concern for the wellbeing of their Israelite brethren. I understand his well-worded position and I, to a lesser or greater extent, somewhat agree with him. However, I do not go so far as to suggest that these three tribes were sinful in their petition to settle in the Transjordan as opposed to Canaan proper. Seems to me that if Yehovah was truly upset with Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, He would not have permitted the arrangement to go through as recorded in our reading. If these tribes were about some monkey-business and were willing to sell out their other tribal brethren in order to settle on land that was more conducive to their present livestock situation, Moshe certainly addressed and put a stop to such concerns. I believe what happened in our reading regarding these three tribes and the land they wanted for their homes was within Yah’s permissive will.

What I mean by Yah’s permissive will is that, although the actions of an individual or a group of individuals may not fall within Yah’s original plans, He makes allowances for certain actions of these individuals or group of people to take place. Unfortunately, some of those actions may have far-reaching, generational consequences. A prime example of such consequences coming out of those things Yah allows through His permissive will is realized in the practice of polygamy that so many of the ancients committed themselves to. I think with these three tribes, their desire to settle in lands just outside the Land of Promise was not in Yah’s original plan, but these tribes’ actions were not contentious to Yah’s plan and will. At the very least, this is not mentioned in our text. These three tribes agreed to fulfill their obligations, and that seems to have satisfied Moshe, and more importantly, Yehovah in this matter.

The take-aways from this week’s reading are many:

• Yah requires us to fulfill the vows, promises, oaths, and obligations that we make to Him and to our fellowman. This is a carryover, of course, from last week’s reading.

• Despite the many promises that Yah has made to us, His chosen ones, we are still required/obligated to act when He says act and do whatever He directs us to do at the time He says move. There are no free lunches in Yah’s great work of redemption, restoration, and salvation. So, we are going to have to obey His Words and listen to His still small voice, and follow His lead as He so provides and directs.

• Despite my disagreements with the ancient Jewish Thinkers as it relates to their criticisms of the Gadites and Reubenites’ perceived sinful behavior, I will concede that they provide us with food for thought. It behooves us, as Yah’s set apart people, to always keep Yah and His will in front of our own desires, plans, and will. In fact, Yah’s will and purpose should always be our purpose; our will; our desire. Furthermore, we should always obey Yah’s Torah of loving Him with our whole being and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves such that we place Yah and the wellbeing of our brothers and sisters ahead of our own interests. Last, our material possessions must be made fully subject to the will, purpose, and plans of Yah. Greed and selfishness have no place in the hearts, minds, and souls of Yah’s people. If left unchecked, greed and selfishness will adversely impact our intimate covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. In fact, in opposition to greed and selfishness potentially overtaking His disciples at any time in their walk, Master Yeshua directed us to store up our treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust corrupts and where thieves do not break through nor steal (Mat 6:20). And if our wealth gets in the way of our relationship with our Master Yeshua and in the way of our commission as His emissaries, He instructs us to sell that which we possess and give the proceeds to the poor, and follow Him (Mat 19:21; Mar 10:21; Luk 18:22).

A Serious Warning Against Continuing Deliberate Sin

As citizens of heaven and sons of the coming Malchut Elohim, we know how we are supposed to behave, and those of us who know better are always expected to do better. Yah holds us accountable for always doing the right and just thing. Sin must be given NO place in our lives as our apostolic reading this week so poignantly declares through the teachings of the writer of Hebrews:

26 For if* we keep on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that is about to consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment do you think the person will be considered worthy of who treats with disdain the Son of God and who considers ordinary the blood of the covenant by which he was made holy and who insults the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Heb 10:26–31.)

Have a blessed and overcoming week in Yeshua Messiah, beloved. Shabbat Shalom, shavu’atov, take care.