d’var torah
Being Part of the
Solution BY RABBI DAVID LEVIN
Parshat Matot-Masei
M atot off ers a climax to one of
the troubling stories in the
formation of our people.

On the verge of entering the Promised
Land, the children of Israel must fi ght
the Midianite people fi rst. Although
Moses instructs his warriors, accord-
ing to God’s directive, to slay all the
Midianites, Moses is angered when the
army spares the women and children
and reiterates the command to kill.

(the fl ood, Sodom and the Korach
Rebellion, to name three).

When individuals assume that
responsibility and act on behalf of God,
it is dangerous. A humane approach
off ers compassion instead of annihi-
lation and a path toward peace. Th is
alternative does not dismiss the history
but does not make us slaves to the past,
repeating and perpetuating tribalistic
hate. Our tradition repeatedly admon-
ishes us to act with benevolence and,
in the words of Pirkei Avot, “Even in
a place where there are no menschen,
strive to be a mensch.”
Against this backdrop, we might
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deprive ourselves of the very humanity
our tradition teaches.

We Jews are duty-bound to see and
respond to the Ukrainian people’s
human suff ering and the Poles’ heroic
eff orts. We know that the support by the
Poles is something no one off ered us as
the Shoah unfolded. And knowing this,
we can nonetheless be instruments in
alleviating anguish and perhaps elevat-
ing ourselves in the process.

We can serve as Or l’goyim, a light
to the nations, deeply rooted in our
belief that we can be agents of change;
partners in the ongoing act of creation;
that we hear of the suff ering and do
We can serve as Or l’goyim, a light to the nations, deeply
rooted in our belief that we can be agents of change; partners
in the ongoing act of creation; that we hear of the suff ering
and do not stand idly by as another’s blood is shed.

Were the Israelite people freed so they
would unquestioningly carry out God’s
dirty work? Or was this a test to see if we
were worthy of freedom and the respon-
sibilities such freedom carries? Were we
ready to serve God as a righteous light
to the nations? Th e army command-
ers understood the implications of this
barbaric act and refused to follow the
order. Moses overruled them, demand-
ing harsh vengeance.

Th is kind of retaliation is appalling
by our standards, and it was unaccept-
able for the Israelites, too. Th e phrase
“Just following orders” sends shudders
down the spine. But, even where legiti-
mate grievance exists, morality trumps
brutal vengeance. Matot is a warning
for us and our interaction in an oft en
inhospitable, antisemitic world.

However, the past cannot be the only
lens we use to see the future. Th ere
was legitimate grievance against the
Midianites. Th ey attempted to under-
mine the nascent Israelite nation, and
war appeared to be the way forward.

But following orders is insuffi cient rea-
son to commit atrocities. God’s ven-
geance is best left for God to transact
look again at the lessons of this part of
the parsha and see how we can apply
them in many current world aff airs
and, in particular, to the situation with
the Russian war’s eff ects on Ukrainians
and Poles. We cannot be indiff erent to
human suff ering; it goes against every-
thing our tradition demands.

Jewish history in Ukraine and
Poland is fraught. Persecution and
antisemitism characterize much of the
Jewish experience. Periods of welcome,
such as King Casimir III inviting Jews
to Poland as other countries expelled
them, are countered by the infamous
Khmelnytskyi and pogroms, which
accounted for the slaughter and ter-
ror of the Jewish population of the
region. It is little wonder that approx-
imately 2 million-plus Jews emigrated
to America at the turn of the 20th
century when the opportunity to leave
that place presented itself.

Furthermore, we understand that
deeply rooted antisemitism enabled the
Holocaust. Th ese are substantial rea-
sons for the Jewish psyche to be wary.

But if we are limited to only that, prac-
ticing hatred in response to hate, we
not stand idly by as another’s blood is
shed. Our values compel us to be part
of the solution to the problem rather
than remain mired in a history where
we were seen as the problem needing
to be solved.

Of course, we do not deny the past or
naively presume the days of Jew-hatred
are over. But we can take steps to help
the world become a better place. Th is is
a lesson I learned from Parsha Matot.

Shabbat Shalom. JE
Rabbi David Levin manages Jewish
Relationships Initiative, a 501(c)(3) help-
ing seekers of meaning through Jewish
wisdom, focusing on relationships and
end-of-life challenges. Th e Board of
Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia is proud
to provide diverse perspectives on Torah
commentary for the Jewish Exponent.

Th e opinions expressed in this column
are the author’s own and do not refl ect
the view of the Board of Rabbis.

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