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P092 Parash 42 Mattot (Tribes) במדבר B’midbar30:2-36:13
Moshe/Moses conveys the laws governing the annulment of vows to the heads of the tribes of Israel. War is waged against Midyan/Midian for their role in plotting the moral destruction of Israel, and the Torah gives a detailed account of the war spoils and how they were allocated amongst the people, the warriors, the Levites and the High Priest.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad (later joined by half of the tribe of Menasseh) ask for the lands east of the Yarden/Jordan as their portion in the Promised Land, these being prime pastureland for their cattle. Moshe is initially angered by the request, but subsequently agrees on the condition that they first join, and lead, in Israel's conquest of the lands west of the Yarden.
The forty-two
journeys
and
encampments
of Israel are listed, from the Exodus to their encampment on the plains of Moab
across the river from the Land of Canaan. The
boundaries
of the Promised Land are given, and
cities of refuge
are designated as havens and places of exile for
inadvertent murderers.
The daughters
of Tzelafchad
marry within their own tribe of Menasseh, so that the
estate
which they inherit from their father should not pass to the province of another
tribe.
