Vows and Staffs
In Parashat Matot, the first sentence says: וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־רָאשֵׁ֣י הַמַּטּ֔וֹת לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר זֶ֣ה הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה הַשֵּׁם׃ - Moses spoke to the heads of the Israelite tribes, saying: This is what G-d has commanded. If anyone makes a vow to G-d or takes an oath imposing an obligation on themselves, they shall not break their pledge; they must carry out all that has crossed their lips."
The word used was Roshe HaMatot - the heads of the Israelite tribes. Why was Nesyiim or some other word not used in this sentence?
As always, everything that is about to follow is just my opinion. With that, Let's Go!!
Because in Parashat Shelach, meraglim, the spies came back with a different opinion, 10 people vs 2. At that moment, Hashem as if said to Moshe, "You lost control over the people you manage - 10 out of 12", where 10 went against your instructions. Only 12 people in the hierarchy report to Moshe, and then it goes down the ladder; the other leaders deal with other managers, and the last in line deal with the bulk of people, as was suggested by Yitro and was implemented at that time in Parashat Yitro. Moshe Rabbenu lost control over 10 out of 12 that he personally managed day to day, and that looks bad on his personal achievement report. Besides killing the males of that generation, Hashem has removed him from his "managerial" position.
That's why in this passage, "Speak to the heads of the 'staffs', or roshe hamatot" was being used. Since the managers or the heads of the tribes are the problem. When the nation makes a promise and doesn't keep it, and the hamatot don't enforce it, the nation learns not to keep any other mitzvot. Since it mistreats its vows, and no rebuke comes from the matot - heads of the tribes.
Maybe that's why Moshe hit the stone 2 times with his staff - mateh, hinting to us that he didn't get the full support from the matot - the heads of the tribes, those 10 that supposedly had to be on the same page as him, had their own agenda, which made the events unfold as it did, and made it possible for the uprising of Korach later.
That's why the shepherd is a man with a staff. The top portion of the staff consists of the heads of tribes or the upper management, which is managed directly by the shepherd. The passed laws then go down the staff, to the rest of the management, and then to the nation.
That's why in Parashat Korach, Aharon HaCohen and the other 11 leaders placed their staffs overnight, and only Aharon's staff bloomed with almonds. Hashem displayed to everyone that Aharon HaCohen was the right person for the job - a mateh or a staff, who was truly dedicated and had an unbelievable connection with Hashem. The others failed because they were nowhere near Aharon HaCohen, in their dedication to Hashem and His cause. You can read about Aharon HaCohen's Golden Menorah, his fall, and his repentance.
It took Aharon HaCohen years of work to reach the levels he attained at the end of his life, which were later confirmed by King David.
The Golden Menorah, which he was lighting daily, was perfect.
That was his Teshuvah, or his way of repentance. The Nation of Israel, you don't have much time to keep postponing your repentance till tomorrow; some things must be done today, and this would be one of those items. Our somewhat out-of-shape and ugly menorahs must be fixed, and this is the time to do some housekeeping of our own.
The violation of both vows and oaths is considered a serious violation in Torah. While there are examples in the Torah of individuals making vows, by the rabbinic period, the practice was deeply frowned upon. The Talmud, Tractate Nedarim, states that the punishment for breaking a vow is severe. The Shulkhan Arukh explicitly warns people not to regularly make vows, and states that someone who does — even if they fulfill the vow — is called wicked and a sinner. That's why there's a practice saying b'li neder ('without a vow') whenever someone promises to do something, to make explicit that they are not making a vow.
In Parashat Yitro, at the time we received Torah, we made a vow: Naaseh Ve Nishmah - We shall Do, and We shall Listen. This is a Legal Vow and must be taken seriously. NO B'LI NEDER was EVER mentioned.
So, My Friend, Naaseh Ve Nishmah - Are You Doing & Listening?
Shmuel Katanov
