Parshas Matos - Masei
Dedicated for Refua Sheleima for Dovid Yehoshua ben Leba Malka
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Another great Parsha with many ideas for your Parsha Party. REMINDER - THIS IS A SPRINGBOARD OF IDEAS. YOU CAN CHOOSE ONE IDEA OR A FEW. AND HAVE THE KIDS GUESS THE CONNECTIONS.
Parsha Overview (Feel free to skip straight to the Party below - simply click the arrow next to this text and the overview will disappear
Matos
The Laws of Taking an Oath/ Promise Upon oneself
The Parsha begins with a person that makes a Neder – promise to do or not do something, his promise must be kept as long as it isn’t against what the Torah prohibits.
If a girl older than 12 but not yet married makes a promise, then she must keep it unless her father revoked her promise. If she was engaged with Erusin, but not yet fully married, then both her father and her future husband would have to revoke the promise or she would have to keep it.
If a woman is a widow or divorcee, then she must keep her promise as well. If a woman is married then she must keep her promises unless her husband nullifies it.
War on Midyan
Hashem commands the Jewish people to go to war with Midyan because they tried to attack the nation’s morality. Each Shevet needs to send 1000 righteous men as soldiers to fight. Pinchas ben Elazar, who started the initial war on Midyan with Kazbi, would go out with them as well together with the Aron and the Tzitz (Rashi). There is a fascinating Midrash brought by Rashi that Bilaam was with the Midyani kings and was able to make them fly in the air. But when Pinchas held up the Tzitz to them with Hashem’s name, they fell to the ground!
The war was successful and they killed 5 kings of Midyan along with Bilaam who was there with them. They took the women and children captive, and the spoils of the war and brought them to Moshe and Elazar. Moshe was upset that they allowed the women to live, when these very women are the ones that came to cause harm to the nation and caused the plague. He commanded them to be killed. Only the young girls could remain alive. The spoils of war all needed to undergo a purification process as well as anyone that killed a person.
Hagalas Keilim and Tevilas Keilim
Any of the utensils that are used with fire or cooking needed to be purified through a fire and toveled in a Mikvah. The utensils used with cold food that did not absorb forbidden foods must be only toveled in a Mikvah.
Counting the Spoils
They are commanded to count the captives and spoils and divide it amongst the soldiers of the war and the entire nation. Then all of them need to give a portion of their share to the Kohanim and the Leviyim.
The officers of the war told Moshe that not one man from the nation died in the war and they wanted to bring a gift to Hashem. They took golden jewelry from the spoils and dedicated it to Hashem.
Settling on Ever HaYarden
The people from Shevet Reuven and Shevet Gad had a special request. They had their eyes set on a portion of land outside of Eretz Yisrael. The land that the nation had acquired from Sichon and Og on the east side of the Yarden was good for grazing and they had a lot of cattle. They approached Moshe and asked if they could have their portion of the land here. Moshe thought that they were afraid to enter Eretz Yisrael to battle for the land and would cause the rest of the Shevatim to fear as well. He reminded them what happened with the Meraglim and that it angered Hashem and caused all of the generation except Kalev and Yehoshua to die in the Midbar. The two shevatim reassured Moshe that they would just set up their cattle and build cities for their children and then they would go along to help their brothers conquer and divide the land afterwards and stay there until the job was completed.
When Moshe hears this, he grants their requests but warns them that they must keep their word to help the nation fight on the other side. He tells Yehoshua and Elazar that this is what will be. He gives the Ever Hayarden to Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe, and they conquered the areas there to live in.
Masei
The Travels
The Parsha begins with the nation leaving Mitzrayim and goes through all of their places they journeyed through the Midbar.
It mentions that Aharon went up on Har Hor and died at the age of 123.
Driving out the people and destroying idol worship
Hashem tells Moshe to tell the nation that when they cross the Yarden to go into the land they must make it their business to drive out the inhabitants and get rid of their temples, idols, and destroy their idolatrous alters. Only then will they be able to inherit it and live there and divide the land. But if they don’t drive out the inhabitants, then the people will be like spikes in their eyes and thorns in their sides.
Borders of the land
The Pesukim list all the borders of the land that will be Eretz Yisrael on all sides.
Dividing the land
Hashem tells Moshe that Elazar and Yehoshua will be in charge of dividing the land. The Pesukim list a leader for each Shevet that will assist in dividing up the land.
Shevet Levi gets cities but no portion of the land
Levi does not get a nachala but the nation is commanded to give them 48 cities throughout the land. They should be open spaces.
Arei Miklat
Six of these cities for the Leviyim will be special Arei Milklat – cities of refuge/safety for someone that accidentally killed someone. An accidental murderer can run there and his life will be safe there. 3 of these cities will be in the main land and 3 on Ever Hayarden.
However, if a person purposely killed someone, with an iron weapon, or with a stone, or with a wooden weapon, he deserves death and the family members of the killed person may take revenge on him.
If a person purposely pushed or hit someone with their hand in a way that can cause death, then the relatives may take revenge on him. But if it was a completely accidental and unintentional murder, the murderer may run to one of the Arei Miklat and have his life protected there. He must remain there until the Kohen Gadol dies.
Witnesses are needed for killing a murderer. There must be 2 witnesses.
Someone deserving the death penalty should not be ransomed with money in place of death.
Someone that must remain in an Ir Miklat, can not be ransomed with money to save his life and leave the Ir Miklat.
The land given to the Bnos Tzelafchad
Shevet Menashe was worried that they would lose land that was given to Bnos Tzelafchad if they married into a different Shevet. Moshe commanded them to marry anyone they want but it must be within their Shevet of Menashe. And so they did and married their cousins.
This was set as a precedent for any daughter that inherits land, she should marry within her Shevet.
(Adapted partially from Chabad.org, and The Pesukim and Rashi and Medrash Says)
And now for the fun part
PARSHA PARTY
SNACKS LIST
Oatmeal Cookies
Lip Candy
Gem Pops/ Fruit Gems
Jewel Candy
FireBlast Candy
Hot Sauce Chips
Hot tomales
Aqua Chews
Fruit Nuggets
Candy Necklace/ring/bracelet
Marshmallows
Green Sour Sticks
Break-Apart cake or cinnamon buns
Puzzle Candy
Rock Candy
Dollar Candy
3 N Go candy
Candy Brix
Pacifier Candy
Fidget Spinner Candy
Zillions
Pop Candy
Jolly Ranchers
Kids Mix Jelly Belly
Mazel Tov Candies
Gummy Magic
Wowzers
Truck Shaped gel candy / Car Pops
Must Candies
Cool Cups
Powder Pumps
Sour Punch Bites
Stella Doro Lady Stella Cookies
THE PARSHA PARTY ANSWER LIST!
Oatmeal Cookies – “Oath”meal cookies because if a person makes an oath or promise he must keep it unless he gets it annulled.
Lip Candy – The parsha talks about promises that a man or woman says and must keep
Gem Pops/ Fruit Gems / Jewel Candy / Fruit Nuggets– When the Yidden went to war with Midyan they not only did not lose any of their men but they ended up with tons of spoils and bounty and gems from winning the war
FireBlast Candy/ Hot Sauce Chips / Hot tomales – The yidden got the mitzvah of Hagalas Keilim – where they need to kasher items through a fire. They got many vessels from winning the war with Midyan and needed to pass them through fire.
Aqua Chews – Any Keilim that were to be used with cold food only did not go through a fire but needed to be toveled in a mikvah of water (aqua)
Candy Necklace/ring/bracelet – The officers of war from the Yidden were so thankful that they did not lose any men that they wanted to bring a dedication to Hashem and they gave gold bracelets and necklaces and jewelry to the Mishkan as a Thank you to Hashem from the spoils of war
Marshmallows / Green Sour Sticks– Reuven and Gad had many sheep and wanted to inherit the land on the side of the Yarden that was out of Eretz Yisrael as their portion because it was good land for sheep. Marshmallows for the white fluffy sheep and Green Sour sticks for the lush grass for the sheep to graze.
Break-Apart cake or cinnamon buns / Puzzle Candy– 1. The Yidden are warned to break apart the idols and places of idol worship when they get to the land. 2. The land is divided up for the Shevatim, for the cities of Leviyim, and for the Arei Miklat
Rock Candy – If someone takes an iron weapon, a rock, or wooden weapon and purposely kills someone, he cannot run to the Arei Miklat for safety and the relative of the dead person is allowed to kill him.
Dollar Candy – You are not allowed to use money to ransom a murderer or someone in the Ir Miklat.
3 N Go candy – The 3 shevatim that settled on Ever Hayarden promise to go to the land to fight alongside the rest of the Shevatim
Candy Brix – The cities of the Leviyim are divided up beginning from the wall of the city
Pacifier Candy – The Shevatim that wanted to settle on Ever Hayarden wanted to settle in their babies and kids first before they fight
Fidget Spinner Candy – The man that has to run to the Ir Miklat needs to stick around until the Kohen Gadol dies – may be fidgeting to leave but he’s stuck there.
Zillions – They got tons of captives and spoils of war from winning the war with Midyan
Pop Candy – They need to pop apart all the places of idol worship when they get to the land. Also if someone uses a weapon to kill someone on purpose (like gun powder) they deserve to die
Jolly Ranchers – The officers of war were so happy that nobody died that they wanted to bring something special to Hashem
Kids Mix Jelly Belly – Reuven and Gad wanted to leave their kids settled on Ever HaYarden
Mazel Tov Candies – The Bnos Tzelafchad married within their Shevet Menashe – to their cousins – so that they land would not be lost to their shevet.
Gummy Magic – Bilaam and the Five Midyan kings used their Koach Hatumah magic to fly in the air when the Yidden came to fight them but when Pinchas shined the name of Hashem from the Tzitz on them, they fell to the floor and were captured and killed.
Wowzers – Nobody died at all from the Yidden in the war against Midyan.
Truck Shaped gel candy / Car Pops - The Pesukim list all the travels of the Yidden in the Midbar
Must Candies – The YIdden are warned that they MUST get rid of the inhabitants and idols from the land when they get to Eretz Yisrael
Cool Cups – The cups and keilim that needed to be toveled but not put in fire after getting them from the Midyan war
Powder Pumps – Powder for gun powder to represent the weapons of someone that purposely tries to kill someone
Sour Punch Bites – a person that hits or punches someone on purpose to kill someone deserves to die
Stella Doro Lady Stella Cookies – the women from Midyan that were taken captive were ordered to be killed because they were the cause of the Yidden to sin and brought a plague
CHAZAK CHAZAK VENISCHAZEK! MY MOTHER MADE A CHOCOLATE CAKE….
Have a wonderful Shabbos!
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Zechus for all the soldiers on the front lines in Israel to stay safe and succeed!
Zechus for the hostages to be returned safely and the wounded and grieving to recover from the terrible tragedy that occurred on Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah.
Le'iluy Nishmas the soldiers lost in battle and all the Kedoshim lost on 10.7.23
Zechus Refuah Sheleima: Miriam bas Chana
Le'iluy Nishmas: Gittel a"h bas Shraga Meir Hakohen
Le'iluy Nishmas Tziporah Chana a"h bas Yaakov Avraham Eliyahu
Le'iluy Nishmas Eliyahu zt"l ben R' Chaim Yitzchak and Raizel a"h bas R' Dovid Mordechai
Le'iluy Nishmas Moshe ben Dovid
Le'iluy Nishmas Meir Naftoli ben Tzvi Halevi
Le'iluy Nishmas Shneur Zalman ben Yitzchak HaKohen
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