smichut parashot

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1. Divine Command and Human Initiative OR Why Does Matot Begin With the Laws of Women's Vows?

   Prof. Jonathan Grossman

   The sin of Baal Peor, Pinchas’s act, and the commandment to battle Midian – are separated from the actual Midian War by six seemingly unrelated episodes: The census; Zelophehad’s daughters; God’s command that Moshe should go up to Har ha-Avarim; the appointment of Yehoshua; the supplementary (musaf) sacrifices; and the vows of woman and girls. These six episodes can be divided into three pairs, with one common theme: the tension between human initiative and Divine command. The episodes can all be linked to the sin of Baal Peor, and this tension is prevalent in the Midian War as well.

2. Why Are the Laws of the Nazir and the Sota Juxtaposed?

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak

   Why did the Torah position the episodes of Nazir and Sotah in proximity to the sanctification of the Levites? Apparently the Torah wishes to compare the sanctity of the Nazir to that of the Levites, indicating that anyone can achieve sanctity similar to that of the priests. The Sotah, on the other hand, is contrasted with the Nazir. This contrast is highlighted by details such as the prohibition to cut the Nazir’s hair, the commandment to cut the hair of the High Priest, and the letting down of the Soah’s hair. The hair is a Nezer – a crown – and the attitude toward this ornament changes based on the relative sanctity of the individual.