tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3355365167736602817.post1965323365187847462..comments2023-06-19T05:28:45.419-04:00Comments on Rambam, Maharal, the weekly parsha and other topics in Judaism: Mattos- Selfishness of the Tribes of Gad and ReuvenE-Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06327848648278849664noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3355365167736602817.post-83367046570926886982009-07-19T13:28:08.375-04:002009-07-19T13:28:08.375-04:00"OK, so they had a lot of cattle and sheep --..."OK, so they had a lot of cattle and sheep -- there is no grazing land is Eretz Yisrael? All the Avos had cattle and sheep and raised them in Eretz Yisrael. Especially since they were going to participate in kibush anyway, why not just take grazing land in Eretz Yisrael proper?"<br /><br />If I have grazing land where I am, why would I want to exert myself and participate in battles, where some people might die, if I can just stay here and have equally, if not better, grazing lands? The Medrash makes perfect sense in this regard. The Medrash is telling us that they did not want to participate in the battles because they were selfish. They saw that they had all that they needed. They were satisfied with their material possessions so why do they need to conquer Eretz Yisroel?<br /><br />If I live in America as a doctor, why would I move to Israel? I am comfortable in America and I make just as much if not more money than I would in Eretz Yisroel, so why would I go there. Also, entering Eretz Yisroel brings with it many more hardships. This logic is a selfish way of thinking. Don't you agree?<br /><br />So now with this medrash understood, why they chose to stay eiver hayarden and the reason being because they were satiated with their material possessions I can address the pasuk in devarim separately. The Medrash is not focusing on that pasuk, but it is easily explained. Gad had two motives for staying eiver hayarden, they wanted Moshe's burial plot in their land as well as not having to exert themselves in war and keep their material possessions. So they have a double selfish reason for staying. However, Reuven, clearly was just being selfish in the materialistic way. <br /><br />Listen Chaim the idea goes like this, people that acquire material possessions do not want to "rock the boat." Bnei Gad and Reuven already had everything they thought they needed, therefore they did not want to risk anything by going to war. Therefore, since they were satiated with their material possessions they did not want to risk losing them so they requested to stay on this side of the Yardein. This was selfish.<br /><br />We also know that the Torah describes this land as a very good land for grazing. <br /><br />I think you are getting a little bit too hung up on that pasuk. It in no way contradicts these midrashim. I mean, if you see them inside it is clear that Bnei Gad and Reuven were punished for caring too much about their material possessions.E-Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327848648278849664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3355365167736602817.post-35114832666896838902009-07-19T11:59:05.330-04:002009-07-19T11:59:05.330-04:00Here's what doesn't make sense: OK, so the...Here's what doesn't make sense: OK, so they had a lot of cattle and sheep -- there is no grazing land is Eretz Yisrael? All the Avos had cattle and sheep and raised them in Eretz Yisrael. Especially since they were going to participate in kibush anyway, why not just take grazing land in Eretz Yisrael proper? <br />There are 2 seperate issues: 1) the focus on land for sheep above all else, which the Midrashim you cite criticize these shevatim for; 2) the choice to take the land davka in eiver hayarden, which the pasuk in Zos haBracha helps us understand.<br />Otherwise, how do you read that pasuk according to the Midrashim?Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3355365167736602817.post-66490870377936535462009-07-18T21:45:28.168-04:002009-07-18T21:45:28.168-04:00Also see the yalkut shemoni in mattos and the midr...Also see the yalkut shemoni in mattos and the midrash rabba. All of these midrashim agree that because they became satiated with their possessions they were exiled first.E-Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327848648278849664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3355365167736602817.post-90868777684614637902009-07-18T21:21:34.117-04:002009-07-18T21:21:34.117-04:00I believe, based on the Midrash and the pasuk in B...I believe, based on the Midrash and the pasuk in Bamidbar in perek 32 pasuk 1 we can learn this selfishness as being something that is a material selfishness. Why else would the Torah first point out that Bnei Gad and Reuven had a lot of MATERIAL possessions? <br /><br />You could say they ALSO wanted to stay with Moshe based on that pasuk, but I think the point here is material selfishness. <br /><br />The also see the midrash tanchuma where the midrash explicitly says that bnei gad and bnei reuven chose their possessions over their brothers and this is why they were punished. It is Tanchuma 5 on mattos.E-Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327848648278849664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3355365167736602817.post-8993198344809294252009-07-17T17:59:38.132-04:002009-07-17T17:59:38.132-04:00There is another pasuk that spells out a different...There is another pasuk that spells out a different reason for the request for Eiver haYarden (at least with respect to Gad) -- "Vayar reishis lo ki sham chelkas m'chokek safun" (Devarim 33:21) -- the desire to cling to Moshe Rabeinu, even just to be by his kever. This is a different kind of selfishness than the material selfishness of our time.Chaim B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02231811394447584320noreply@blogger.com