"(the meat of the portion starts with chapter 31)
"And now... for the bloody truth about acquiring the Promised Land.
"People in Torah Study groups are often amazed, conflicted, caught unaware, and pretty much blown away by Mattot in the Book of Numbers. Because this parasha is read in the summer, when we weren't in Hebrew School, it isn't often taught in Hebrew School. So, we, as adults, are shocked to find out how bloody the conquest of "The Promised Land" actually was. In Mattot we learn the details of this amazing military campaign. God lets Moses know that after Moses
"avenges the Israelite people on the Midianites; then you shall be gathered to your kin. "There is a "call up" of 12,000 soldiers from the tribes.Thousands upon thousands of Midianites are slaughtered... including women and children. Curiously, when the fighting is over, it is discovered that not a single Israelite was killed.
"There is also some interesting psychological manipulation done when two of the tribes, who keep cattle and find good grazing ground on the near side of the Jordan, announce that they prefer to NOT cross the Jordan. God pretty much says... you can't just "not go" and leave your brothers to hang! So, cattle, wives and children are left behind in fortified encampments while the men cross over and fight alongside the other tribes to conquer the land.
"Certainly there is enough drama here for an HBO series."Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Rose
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