There are three parts to this portion:
1) Vows with which I will mainly deal today.
2) The battle with the Midianites due to the temptation to idolatry
by their women.
3) The tribes of Manasseh and Reuben wanted to remain east of the
Jordan thus telling G-d and Moses what was better for them instead
of waiting for G-d. Here they are breaking a vow that all the tribes
would fight together to procure and cleanse the land.
As
believers, we are people who have surrendered our lives to G-d
with a vow that we will allow Him to lead us and direct us; when
we don't we suffer the consequences.
In
Matthew 5: 33-37 we read Yeshua's word from his sermon given on
the mountain, ending with the words…"All
you need say is 'Yes' if you mean yes and 'No' if you mean no;
anything more than this comes from the Evil One."
This
week's parashah speaks about vows. Verse 3 covers the law concerning
vows spoken by men and the balance of the chapter is dedicated
to women. Judaism has had the reputation of putting down women
and yet in history it has been quite the opposite. It gives her
the right to be defended, protected and exalted as the queen she
deserves to be.
Here
we see that the annulment or obligation for the vows, made by a
woman is dependant upon her condition. For the man, there is no
way out. His oath is his bond. If she is under the authority of
her father or husband, has the right to nullify a vow unless he
holds his tongue making it stand. A widow or divorcee, we are told
must fend for themselves. In these cases however, our sages tell
us that the community is required to care for the orphans and widows,
including the divorced women who would have been helpless in those
times, or G-d Himself would protect them. Today, single women come
under the protection of the spiritual leaders of the community.
We
see more written about vows in D'varim 23: 22-24 and Kohelet chapter
5. Simply put, if we don't' keep our vows we pile sin and guilt
upon ourselves. It is better that we don't make any vows. A vow
connotes loyalty from the one belonging to G-d knowing that He
is jealous G-d. The word jealous in Hebrew is 'kanah' anq which
is related to extreme love. He doesn't want you to be corrupted
and always provides the way to do teshuvah, to return to Him.
Israel
promised to be obedient to G-d and follow G-d at Mount Sinai and
yet over and over she has broken her vows. It was not enough that
G-d would reign over her; she wanted a king and was given Shaul
beginning a series of kings who would lead her eventually into
dispersion from the land.
Idolatry
is very subtle; it is not necessarily a statue but can be ideas,
family, a job or career, the government, politicians, Hollywood
stars, money, food or even religion.
To
whom have you made a vow other than G-d?
If
you think that what you do (religiosity, business, finances, etc.)
brings you closer to G-d, you are committing idolatry. You have
formed your own religion and covered it with the mantle of "'holier
than thou".
Do
you trust more in the government or organization or whatever system
you fall under than what G-d can do for you?
For
example, some people make all kinds of excuses for not tithing
and then complain that they are struggling financially. We do not
have the freedom to pick and choose what G-d is asking from us.
Malachi 3 cannot be clearer. Not having enough money is no excuse
for not tithing and putting G-d first. When G-d decrees something
that we don't understand, it doesn't mean that He is wrong. He
gives us enough information to follow and trust Him.
What
does it mean to trust someone? It means that you know that they
have your best interest at heart and that their motives should
not be questioned.
Have
you made any vows to G-d that you haven't kept? Perhaps that is
the reason you are struggling in certain areas. The Shulchan Aruch
is a book of the codification of Torah. Some sages say that when
we make a vow we are making a new Shulchan Aruch, because we are
adding extra promises which were not given to us by G-d. At the
times when we make vow without thinking, our only recourse is to
go back either to G-d or to whomever we broke our promise and make
it right. When we sign a contract or give our word, it needs to
be kept. Our Yes needs to be Yes and our No needs to be No. If
no one can trust our word or believe what I say, what kind of society
am I helping to create?
Have
you come to the understanding that G-d has transformed and changed
you? Examine yourself. Check your promises. You need to be right
with G-d. Sometimes you may think that you are experiencing 'bad
luck' when in truth it is the consequences of broken promises and
G-d is trying to tell you something. When He calls us, He transforms
us and it does not have to do with our own self-effort. Vows are
meant to protect us from ourselves and G-d expects us to keep our
vows to Him or lose His protection. Always remember that He wants
the best for us. He invests in our lives and asks only for us to
be obedient to Him, to follow Him and then watch the results.
Is
there anyone who has no problems, temptations or does everything
right? Of course not, we are all sinners and we don't need to put
on an act of self-righteousness. G-d gives us a way out of our
sins. He provided the righteous sacrifice, the kapparah and we
no longer need to wonder if our sins are forgiven. When Pinchas
killed Zimri, G-d gave him the covenant of peace. By killing a
sinner, he brought peace to the community. Through the death of
Yeshua, who was made a sinner for us by taking on all our sin,
the world was reconciled with G-d.
Do
you realize how blessed you are to recognize this truth? It is
not a doctrine or theology. It is beyond human understanding.
The
act of teshuvah tells G-d how sorry we are for breaking our vows
to Him. He is always ready to receive anyone with a truly repentant
heart. Psalm 51 is King David's song of repentance and teshuvah.
It doesn't matter how guilty we are. What matters is that we acknowledge
our guilt and bring it to G-d. He is always faithful to forgive.
May
G-d add blessings to His Word!
Rabbi
Percy Johnson
Netanel
ben Yochanan
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©
2008 Use by Permission
Kehilat
She’ar Yashuv
