Study Desk

Moshe and El‘azar the cohen took the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a reminder for the people of Isra'el before Adonai .

(RY: iii; LY: vi) The descendants of Re'uven and the descendants of Gad had vast quantities of livestock. When they saw that the land of Ya‘zer and the land of Gil‘ad were good for livestock,

For when they went up to the Eshkol Valley and saw the land, they disheartened the people of Isra'el, so that they wouldn't enter the land Adonai had given them.

For if you turn away from him, he will leave them in the desert again, and thus you will cause the destruction of all these people!"

But they came up to him and said, "Here we will build enclosures for our livestock and cities for our little ones,

but we ourselves will be armed and ready for action to march at the head of the people of Isra'el, until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones will stay in the fortified cities here because of the people now living in the land.

However, we will not return to our own homes until every man in Isra'el has taken possession of his land for inheritance.

Build cities for your little ones and enclosures for your sheep; then do what you said you would do."

but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before Adonai to do battle, as my lord says."

Moshe said to them, "If the descendants of Gad and of Re'uven cross over the Yarden with you, every man armed for battle, before Adonai ; and if the land is conquered before you, then you are to give them the land of Gil‘ad as theirs to possess.

We will cross over into the land of Kena‘an armed before Adonai , and the land we will possess for inheritance will be on this side of the Yarden."

Beit-Nimrah and Beit-Haran — fortified cities; and also enclosures for sheep.

Novach went and captured K'nat with its villages and named it Novach after himself. Haftarah Mattot: Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 1:1–2:3 B'rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Mattot: Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:33–37

They moved on from Alush and camped at Refidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

Drive out the inhabitants of the land, and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess.

"For the eastern border mark your line from Hatzar-‘Enan to Sh'fam.

The tribe of the descendants of Re'uven have already received their land for inheritance according to their clans, and so have the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe of M'nasheh.

"These are the names of the men who will take possession of the land for you: El‘azar the cohen and Y'hoshua the son of Nun.

They are to have the cities to live in, while their open land will be for their livestock, for growing crops and for all their animals.

you are to designate for yourselves cities that will be cities of refuge for you, to which anyone who kills someone by mistake can flee.