Parshiot Mattot-Massei

Rav Johnny's original thoughts on the weekly parsha

We are told that when representatives of the tribes of Gad and Reuven approached Moshe to request that they be granted land in Ever HaYarden (across the Jordan), they asked him permission to, ‘build sheep pens for our livestock and towns for our children’ (Bemidbar 32:16).

However, based on the fact that they mentioned their flock before their children, the Midrash Tanchuma (Mattot 7, as quoted by Rashi) teaches us that they were more concerned for their money than they were for their sons and daughters (or, as the Midrash Aggadah puts it, ‘they loved their flocks more than their children’). In response, Moshe rebukes them, stating that they should know the difference between essential (ikkar) priorities (i.e. looking after children) and secondary (tafel) priorities (i.e. their livelihood). Having done so, Moshe instructs them to first build cities for their children, and only after having done so should they build enclosures for their flock. What we learn from here is that sometimes we get so caught up with materialism that we put out money ahead of people.

Significantly, we may well think that this attitude was a one off, and that we would have certainly learnt the lesson that is taught through this story. However, while the Babylonian Talmud (Yoma 9b) attributes the destruction of the Second Temple to attitudes of ‘baseless hatred (sin’at chinam) towards one another’, we find a parallel teaching in the Jerusalem Talmud (Yoma 1:1) where we are taught by Rabbi Yochanan ben Turtaya that the Temple was destroyed due to the fact that the people at the time, ‘loved money and hated each other with baseless hatred’ (ohavim et hamamon ve-son’in elu et elu sin’at chinam). As Rav Elya Lopian explains (see Lev Eliyahu Vol. 1 p. 144, in a footnote to his essay titled Ahavat HaMamon Churban Ha’Adam – The Love of Money, the Destruction of a person), this is because, ‘whoever loves money hates people - not because of any particular reason, but rather because they wish to take the money of whoever has money’.

This observation of Rav Elya is profound, because what he is telling us is that when we value money above all else, we then simply ignore all other personal qualities of people. Instead, we treat individuals (or more accurately, ‘use individuals’) solely based on their financial worth – thereby leading to an outcome where we are not just jealous of those with money, but we actually try and manipulate them for our own personal financial benefit.

As we know, we saw this practiced by Bernie Madoff whose victims were prime examples of those who suffered the consequence of this obsessive form of ‘loved of money’. These victims did nothing wrong. However, his love of money ultimately made them victims of sin’at chinam.

For the record, the tribes of Gad and Reuven were nothing like this. Still, when Moshe heard their request to ‘build sheep pens for our livestock and towns for our children’, an inner alarm bell rang in his head, because once a Jew loses sight of what is the ikkar and what is the tafel, serious problems can arise.

We often think that the response of sin’at chinam (baseless hatred) is ahavat chinam (baseless love) - and this is partially true. However, this new reading suggests that the best response of sin’at chinam is, in fact, to care much more about people and their values than their financial value, and ultimately, to ensure that we never put things before people.

Shabbat Shalom!

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