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As a final act before his death, Moshe is commanded to wipe out the Midianites once and for all. This nation was relentless in its efforts to destabilize the Jewish people by whatever means available. Moshe tells the people to draft an army that will fight the Miduianites and avenge the many wrongs that they have perpetrated.
Singling out of the Midianites for war was a result of the type of danger that they posed to the Jewish people. The other nations of the area posed physical dangers. They tried to subdue the armies that the Jews sent to battle. The Midianites, however, threatened the moral and spiritual wellbeing of the nation. Through their sexual orgies and idolatrous behavior they undermined the Torah values that Moshe was trying to instill in the people.
This command to the people as a reaction to the Midianite activities was legal and justifiable. This can be seen in an analysis of the words used in these verses: נקום and נקמת. The generally accepted meaning of these words implies a type of vengeance, an emotional and violent reaction to a perceived wrong.
The words נקום, נקמת are from the root נ-ק-ם which means "to establish" and defend violated rights. Its gradational variant ק-ו-ם/to rise also connotes establishing and reasserting rights.
However, נקמה is a defense of violated rights and not necessarily a punishment or an emotional vendetta. There is reinforcement of this idea of legally righting a wrong, in the use of the words מאת המדינים/from the Midianites. Were this command to attack the Midianites in a vengeful manner, the phrase used would have been במדינים. The word מאת/from, implies that something had to be taken from the Midianites. The people of Israel had to take back its moral and spiritual system that had been stolen from them.
However, as far as God is concerned the נקמה was a punishment. The second verse indeed uses the phrase נקמת ד' במדינים. By God's standards, the Midianites had committed an international crime in trying to subvert another nation's rights. By doing so they had forfeited their right to live as a nation.
The importance of retrieving the moral code by punishing the Midianites is also highlighted by the phrase וידבר משה אל העם. Moshe addresses the people directly and not through the intermediary of the tribal leaders. This was an issue that had to reach every single person.
The word וידבר is from the root ד-ב-ר which means "to combine" words for coherent speech that appeals to the intellect. The word עם is from the root ע-מ-ם which means "to develop" together as social unit.
And Moshe's message to the people also reflected the vitality of the issue. Moshe tells the people החלצו מאתכם אנשים לצבא (choose people from among you who will enter military service.
The word החלצו is from the root ח-ל-ץ which means "to free up" and detach. In this verse it refers to those volunteers who will detach themselves from their family and community in order to join the army. The word צבא is from the root צ-ב-א which means "to mobilize and add to an existing body".
The call was for a citizen's army that would reclaim the nation's spiritual heritage. People must step forward from the general public and volunteer to serve in its army. Not all would be chosen since not all will be fit. But everyone must understand the importance of the campaign and be ready to join if called upon.
Copyright © 2014, Matityahu Clark. All Rights Reserved. This is an excerpt from the forthcoming Hirsch At Your Table, a collection of brief divrei torah based on R. Samson Raphael Hirsch’s Torah Commentary.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
