Matos
"This is the thing which the Lord has commanded. If a man vows a vow
to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall
not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceeds out of
his mouth." (Numbers 30: 3)
The Torah continues in this week's parsha with a discussion
about “nedarim” vows and oaths. By making a vow to ourselves
we elevate our spirit and resolve to do something positive and
self-imposed. If what we intend to do is praiseworthy and has a
positive value then it has been said in the Talmud that
“it is proper to swear to perform a mitzvah, for a
man is permitted to urge himself on.”
The laws of vows have a great deal of importance and there are many examples in the
torah of men taking oaths in order to do great things, as Abraham making Eliezar swear he would find a good wife for Isaac, or Joseph taking an oath for his father Jacob that his bones would be buried in Israel. Although these references seem to indicate that the sages regarded the vow as
a positive expression, which maintained a level of integrity, elsewhere in the Talmud we are
warned that a vow is a dangerous tool and is best avoided. The Gemora states that one who
makes a vow
“is equivalent to one who has the task to build an unauthorized altar…..”
So we see how we have two conflicting views when making a vow. It has therefore been somewhat assumed that if one takes a vow it should be for the highest aspirations and the noblest of
virtues. A great rabbi once said
"If a man makes a vow it is as if he has built a bama - a personal altar. And, if he fulfils it, it is as if he
has offered up a sacrifice upon it." “if a person takes a vow to G-d….he shall not desecrate his word”
(30:3)
Unfortunately today we tend use the expression “I swear to G-d…” or “if only G-d will help me
now I will promise to do…..” However, we all know that sometimes what we say and what we do
are not always the same. We have the potential to not just keep G-d’s word but to also do what
we vow we will. The third of the Ten Commandments forbids making promises and validating them
by associating them with the name of G-d.
“An oath in the Name of G-d implies that we seek to prove the veracity of our word and the honesty of our actions by subordinating our entire future to G-d’s power of deciding over our fate.”
(Hirsch Shemos 20:7) 
In this week's parsha, the Jewish People are in their final preparations for entering the Land of Israel. Two of the tribes, Reuven and Gad have been blessed with such an abundance of livestock, which translates to great wealth, and they anticipate not having enough grazing land in Israel. So they propose to Moshe that instead of taking their regular portion of land within Israel proper,
they should stay here on the Eastern side of the Jordan River. They decided this based not on
the fact that they were separating themselves from the rest of the Jewish nation, but that here they would have access to large tracts of fertile grazing pastures for their livestock, which was
the main source of their great wealth. In asking Moshe for this permission they say
…”we will build here enclosures for our sheep and cities for our children.”(32:16)
Rashi has said that mentioning their livestock before their children accorded a greater value to
their possessions than their children, making an important theme of this parsha that of wealth
and arrogance. Moshe in his wisdom, recognizing their priorities were not correct, responds to
the request by saying,
“if you will do this…Build for yourselves cities for your children and enclosures for your sheep, and what you have expressed verbally you must fulfill.” (32:16,20,24,25)
Moshe repeats their words, except he reverses the order placing the children before the sheep in his reiteration. What a lesson we learn. How often we tend to place the acquisition of our wealth before that of the spiritual needs of our children. The quest for wealth can become obsessive and one can become easily distracted by material goals. The Talmud says that when Reuven and Gad later saw the rich life in the Land of Israel, they regretted their decision and eventually when the Syrians exile the Jewish people during the time of the First Temple, the first tribes to be conquered and sent away were, Reuven and Gad. The lesson for us is clear. We know what our priorities should be; we just need to open our eyes to notice the riches we really have.
Shabbat Shalom,
Miriam
Falafel is an Israeli street food which is found throughout the country. You can purchase falafel frozen or use a mix, but if you really want to taste the true falafel follow the recipe below.
Falafel
Ingredients:
1 cup dried chickpeas or 16 oz. can of chickpeas
or garbanzo beans.
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, mashed
3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons flour
Salt
Pepper
Oil for frying
Preparation:
Place dried chickpeas in a bowl, covering with cold water. Allow to soak overnight. Omit this step if using canned beans.
Drain chickpeas, and place in pan with fresh water, and bring to a boil.
Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about an hour.
Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. Add flour,and baking soda
Mash chickpeas, ensuring to mix ingredients together. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. You want the result to be a thick paste.
Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten.
Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (5-7 minutes).
Serve in pita and assemble your own filling, tahini, pickles, tomates, fried potatoes, cucumbers,onions and or Israeli salad. Enjoy!
Apple Strudel
Ingredients
1 cup butter(or margarine), melted and divided
1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
Apple Filling
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. golden raisins
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. toasted nuts(optional)
6 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
Stir together 1/2 cup butter and next 3
ingredients until blended.
Unfold phyllo, and cover with a slightly damp
towel. Working with 1 sheet at a time, brush 3 sheets with melted butter; stack on a sheet of plastic wrap. Sprinkle with half each of crumb mixture. Cover with another phyllo sheet, and brush with melted butter.
Spoon half of Apple Filling along a short edge. Roll up, jellyroll fashion, starting at filled edge; pinch ends to seal, and place roll, seam side down, on a buttered 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan. Brush with melted butter. Repeat procedure with remaining phyllo, butter, crumb mixture, Apple Filling.
Bake at 375° for 20 minutes; brush with melted butter, and bake 5 more minutes or until golden.
Cool on wire racks. Cut into slices, and sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately, or chill.
BLUEBERRY - PEACH PIE
Pastry for 1 crust 9" pie
3 c. sliced fresh peaches
3 c. fresh blueberries
1 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbl. flour
topping
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick margarine
mix together and crumble on top of pies
Set aside 9 inch uncooked pie crust. In large bowl mix peaches, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. Turn into pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until crust is golden.
