במזמור קכ"ט עם ישראל מסתכל אחורנית על הצרות שעברו עליו מנעוריו, ועל הצלת ה' אותו מצרות אלו. בהמשך מופיעה תפילה נגד אותם אויבים, שונאי ציון, ובקשה לברכת ה'.
במהלך השיעור שלפניכם נעיין בעולמו הפנימי של המזמור, נתבונן בקשרים שבינו לבין מזמורים סמוכים ובקשרים שבינו לבין מקורות אחרים ונעמוד על מקומו של המזמור בתוך רצף המזמורים.

Narratives are told from a particular point of view, a focalization, and a center of consciousness. It is impossible to tell a story from a completely detached vantage point, just as no historian is objective. Therefore, in reading, we enter into the mind of the author, and appreciate his value system. The Torah is the word of God. In studying Torah we gain more than the knowledge we gather; we enter into the 'mind' of God. The more one learns in quality and quantity, the more one attunes oneself to the ultimate meaning of existence.

The narrative portion of the Torah has come to an end. The last book of the Chumash, that of Devarim, concentrates on the charge that Moshe gave to the second generation of the Jewish nation as they were poised to enter the land of Israel. Though Moshe himself would be denied the opportunity to join his beloved nation in Israel, he spared no efforts warning them not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Yet to imply that Sefer Devarim is no more than a divinely inspired pep talk, or even that it contains a summary of the mitzvoth of the Torah, would be incomplete and possibly even incorrect. 

The latter part of Parashat Matot (chapter 32) tells of the request made by the tribes of Reuven and Gad to colonize and permanently settle the territory of the east bank of the Jordan River, which Benei Yisrael had recently captured from the Emorites. Moshe initially criticizes their request, comparing these tribes to the generation of the meraglim (scouts) who refused to enter the Land out of fear of confrontation with its Canaanite inhabitants.

   We read in Parashat Matot of God’s command to Moshe to “take the Israelites’ revenge from the Midyanites” (31:2), referring to the war Benei Yisrael were to wage against Midyan in retaliation for the scheme of Ba’al Pe’or in which it was involved.  In the next verses, we read of Moshe’s instructions to Benei Yisrael to supply men for the military campaign, whom Moshe then sent off to wage war against the enemy nation.

 The first section of Parashat Masei lists the sites where Benei Yisrael encamped from the Exodus until their final encampment along the Jordan River, prior to entering Canaan. Among the final stations listed is a place called Divon Gad (33:45).  The Meshekh Chokhmaidentifies Divon Gad as the site “Divon” which the Torah mentions earlier, in the final verses of Parashat Matot (32:34), as one of the places built by the tribe of Gad.  After God agreed to allow the tribes of Reuven and Gad to permanently settle in the region east of the Jordan River which Benei Yisrael

The haftara read on the first Shabbat following Shiv'a Asar Be-Tamuz (the first Shabbat of the "three weeks") is taken from the beginning of Sefer Yirmiyahu, and records that prophet's inaugural prophecy. We read that upon hearing God speak to him the first time and assign him the role of prophet, Yirmiyahu responds, "Ah, Lord God! I don't know how to speak, for I am still a boy" (Yirmiyahu 1:6). Rashi and the Radak explain that Yirmiyahu saw himself incapable of administering tokhecha (words of reproach) because nobody would accept the reproach of a youngster.

"שְׂאוּ יְדֵכֶם קֹדֶשׁ וּבָרֲכוּ אֶת ה'" (תהילים קל"ד, ב)

"יַחֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל ה' מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם" (ג) אומר המשורר במזמורנו. רבי יוסף אלבו לומד מכאן וממקורות נוספים על גודל מעלתה של התקווה.

לפניכם קטע מתוך דף הלימוד של "מתן על הפרק" בו תמצאו שאלות מנחות והרחבות לעיון והעמקה בפרק: