Matot

In this week’s Parshah we read about two incidents that have to do with wealth. One is, the booties Klal Yisrael captured in the war with the Midianite. The second is, the story with some of the shevatim leaving their families to occupy the land they desired and accompany the rest of Klal Yisrael to war with the nations residing in Eretz Yisrael.

The Midrash in Bamidbar Rabbah comments, “Three good gifts were created in the world, if one has merited one of them, it’s as if he has all the precious things in the world. If he has merited wisdom, he has merited all. If he has merited Power, he has merited all. If he has merited Wealth, he has merited all. When? When they are heavenly gifts and come through the power of Torah etc.”

The Sefer Shem Mishmuel explains the three good gifts are given to the Jewish people as an inheritance in the merit of the three Avot Hakedoshim. As we find, Avraham Avinu was great in wisdom, as it says in Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 6), “The two livers of Avraham Avinu were like two rabbis who would draw wisdom”. Yitzchak was great in power. As it’s known from seforim hakedoshim that Yitzchak was the symbol of power. Yaacov was great in wealth. Even though the Ramban tells us that all the three Avot were like kings which imply they were wealthy, we only find the Torah and other sources attributing wealth to Yaacov. Like we find in Parashat Vayetzei (31:16) Racheal and Lea saying, “All the wealth that Hashem saved from our father (giving it to Yaacov)”. And Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 73), “six hundred thousand herds of animals belonged to Yaacov ''.

Now that the Avot have inherited these gifts to Klal Yisrael, it’s upon us to utilize them in the service of Hashem and not let them get wasted on externalities. For example, wisdom can be misused as a tool to generate respect (kavod) as the pasuk says in Mishlei (3:35), “The wise will inherit respect”. Power can cause jealousy when one person wants to overpower another. And wealth can cause a desire for money. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos (4:28) tells us, “Jealousy, desire and improper respect take the person out of the world”.

The question is, when can Kal Yisrael utilize the three gifts in the service of Hashem? The answer is what the Midrash told us, “when they are heavenly gifts and come through the power of Torah”.