Shabbos Parashas Mattos-Maasei - 5780
Shabbos Parashas Mattos-Maasei - 5780
Rabbi Hal Miller
Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, "This is
the matter that God commanded." [Bamidbar 30:2]
Our verse seems to say that nothing else of Moshe's directives have been a matter
that God commanded. Why the strange wording here?
Rashi says that all the prophets, including Moshe, used the phrase, "So said God"
to introduce commands. Only Moshe, being superior to all the others, used "This
is the matter". The others had to relate that they were merely mouthpieces to
repeat God's words. Moshe is able to paraphrase and relate the subject matter in
his own words.
Sfas Emes cites the same Sifrei as did Rashi, but with nearly the opposite conclusion.
"So said God", ko amar Hashem, means "this is something like what God said", or
approximately. "This is the matter that God commanded" means that only Moshe can
be that precise in relating the words of the Divine. Sfas Emes then asks an interesting
question: why did Moshe not always use "this is the matter"? He answers that there
are things in the world that we cannot fully grasp, so are taught in simile and allusion.
This high standard for "this is" is not attainable for us in every instance, and not even
for Moshe!
Rav Moshe Feinstein thinks that Moshe already told the people that God commanded
this set of rules, but Moshe is repeating them here on his own accord since this is the
point at which the subject matter arose for the people. No other prophet was able to
do this, all had to relay God's word at the time it was given. Sforno provides the verse
for this view, "do not render a false oath in My name" [Vayikra 19:12].
We get two different possibilities from Rav Hirsch. He says that "this is the matter" is
not used to introduce commands that are always applicable, but rather only to what
is applied to a special occasion of the moment. Then he takes a completely different
direction. He calls this the "start of the sphere of free-willed legislation", which he
defines as the basis for allowing the elders and leaders of the nation in all future
generations to legislate what we now call a "protective fence around the Torah". In
other words, in our verse Moshe was giving rabbinic rulings to ensure correct
observance of Torah law in the matter of vows and oaths. The subject matter is so
difficult that this level of protection was necessary.