English translation — בין המצרים-מטות

Matos<pg>194</pg>

A.

Our Sages, of blessed memory, said<sup>1</sup>

that the Three Weeks are hinted at in what is stated in the prophecy of Jeremiah<sup>2</sup>

(about the destruction of the First Temple and the Babylonian exile)

"I see a rod of an almond tree" — "the almond<sup>3</sup>

this..

from the time of its blossoming until the completion of its ripening is twenty-one days, corresponding to the number of days between the seventeenth of Tammuz, when the city was breached, and the ninth of Av, when the Temple was burned."

In simple terms,

that this that the time of the growth of the almonds hints to the time between the straits,

is only because both are equal in their number

(twenty-one).

But according to the known that all matters of the Torah are with utmost precision,

it stands to reason to say,

that there is also an inner connection between them.

And this is to be explained according to the words of the Mishnah⁴

that there are two kinds of almonds — bitter almonds and sweet almonds,

that bitter almonds are sweet in their smallness⁵

and become bitter in their largeness,

and with sweet almonds it is the opposite,

that in their smallness they are bitter⁶

and afterwards at the completion of their cooking become sweet.

And it is explained in the notes of the Rebbe

(to the Rogatchover)⁷,

that the primary name "almonds" is for "the large ones that are sweet"

(and those that in their smallness are sweet are called "hazelnuts"⁸).

And it follows,

that the quality of the "almond"

(and the effect of each of its days of cooking)

is⁹

— to transform from bitter to sweet¹⁰.

And it can be said that for this reason the days of the Three Weeks were hinted at by the "staff of almond" — because the content of the service of these days is not only to nullify the negative aspect

(the "bitterness")

that is in them,

but rather this additionally

(and in the language of the Rambam¹¹

regarding the days of<pg>195</pg>

The fasts in the future to come)

— to turn them^*11

into "good days¹²

and days of joy and gladness"¹³,

that instead of their "bitterness",

the days will become "sweet" and joyous¹⁴.

[And based on this will be sweetened the prophecy in Jeremiah¹⁵

"And it shall be, just as I was diligent over them to uproot etc., so will I be diligent over them to build etc." — that the concept of the "diligence" itself is the opposite from one extreme to the other,

that instead of the diligence for the opposite of good

(at the beginning of Jeremiah's prophecy)

the diligence becomes for good¹⁶].

2.

Based on this, one may further explain a detail in this prophecy:

The hint about the days of the Three Weeks in that “staff of almond” is the pattern of speed in the growth of the fruit,

And if so, an additional explanation is needed: why was the prophecy with a “staff of almond”

(he saw “a rod from a tree on which almonds grow”¹⁷,

namely that the staff itself was “without leaves and without blossoms”¹⁸),

and He did not show him a branch that has almonds on it etc.?

At first glance one can say that in this is hinted another matter: "staff" indicates striking¹⁹

— the punishments and retributions²⁰

that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon Israel in these days.

But at first glance this is not a sufficient explanation,

for the main prophecy here is about the matter of "hastening"

("I am hastening My word to perform it"²¹),

and even in this verse the matter of retribution is not explicitly mentioned²²,

and if so, it would have been better to hint the matter of hastening in a clear and revealed manner

(by seeing fruit

(at least a blossom)

of almonds),

and not to conceal this hint by seeing a "staff of almond"

(until Jeremiah had to contemplate the staff until he "recognized that it was from an almond tree"¹⁸).

And according to what we have explained regarding the content of the matter of "almond" one can say,

that the reason he saw specifically a staff is because the aforementioned hint in almonds

(the transformation of bitter to sweet)

is connected to a staff.

3.

Explanation of the matter:

It is explained in various places²³

(regarding the two names by which Israel are called — "Shevatim" and "Matot")

— the difference between "shevet" and "mateh" simply,

that "shevet" is a soft branch that still has moisture suckling from the tree

(and all the more so when it is still attached to the tree),

but "mateh" is<pg>196</pg>

Sh

(after being cut off from the tree)

already dried up the moisture of its nourishment —

But specifically because of this, the branch becomes hard and strong — a staff.

And in the levels of the service of man:

"Shevet" alludes to the children of Israel when they are in a state of "connection to their source",

which in general is at the time when the Holy Temple stands in its place and the children of Israel dwell on their land,

and "we can ascend and see and prostrate ourselves before You"²⁴

— then is felt in Israel the connection to their source

("the supernal tree")

; but "mateh" indicates the state of the children of Israel in exile,

that then their connection to their source is not apparent openly,

for "our signs we have not seen"²⁵

(that there is no vision of Divinity etc.)

and even to the extent that there are concealments and coverings regarding His service and hindrances and delays.

But specifically in this service is revealed the strength of a Jewish person,

who overcomes all the hindrances and delays and fights with the opponents and defeats them,

until he reaches the completion of the service,

that he transforms the "bitternesses" of exile into the "sweetness" of redemption.

And according to this, one can say,

that the hint in the "staff" in the prophecy of Yirmiyahu is to the "strength" that is in the staff

(like "mateh")

— because in order to turn from bitter to sweet

(which is the nature of almonds as above)

one needs the strength of a "staff"²⁶,

as above.

[And one can say,

that the matter of the strength hinted at in the "staff" is also connected to the matter of the speed of the almond — that it "hurries to bring forth a blossom before all the trees"²⁷

(and this is the simple explanation in the prophecy of Yirmiyahu,

that "a staff of almond" is a hint that the Holy One, blessed be He, "hurries to do"²⁸

His words)

:

Known is the explanation of the Alter Rebbe²⁹

on the verse³⁰

"And it bore almonds" regarding the staff of Aharon the priest — that the blessing of the priests, its action is the drawing down of kindness downward in a manner of "swiftness."

For there is a drawing down of kindness that "is delayed³¹

and lingers until it is drawn and comes downward,

for in the entire chain of descent from hall to hall it is through judgment whether it is fitting that the influence be drawn downward and they examine his judgment etc.'",

but not so when the kindness is drawn through Aharon

(and his sons after him)

in the blessing of the priests "then the influence is drawn swiftly through all the worlds without preventer or delayer",

and as a parable "a river³²

very great whose flow of water is with great force..

will not be delayed by preventers and delayers..

for it will go its way as its custom and wash away the wood and earth that delay".

And it is understood from this,

that the "swiftness"

("almond")

— comes from strengthening with force

("staff")

over all the preventions and delays³³].

4.

And behold, known are the words of the Shelah³⁴

that <pg>197</pg>

The three sections Matot, Masei, Devarim "always³⁵

fall during the Three Weeks because it is a word in its time"³⁶

(And explains several details in the connection of the content of these three sections to the days of the Three Weeks).

And according to the above, there is here an explicit hint to the matter of the Three Weeks in the name of the first section

(of these three sections)

— that according to the custom of Israel

(the Torah is)

is called "Matot"³⁷

(like "a stick of almond").

And it can be said,

that the above content in "staff

(almond)

" and "rod" — the power and strength to transform an undesirable situation into good — is hinted at in the details of this portion,

which contains three matters:

(a)

The portion of vows,

(b)

The war of Midian,

(c)

The story of the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben.

Vows: known is the explanation³⁸

in the statements of our Sages regarding the matter of vows — that they appear as contradicting each other,

that in one place they said³⁹

"Vows are a fence for abstinence",

and in the Yerushalmi⁴⁰

it is stated "Is it not enough for you what the Torah has forbidden you" —

That it is discussed in them two different levels in the service of man: at the beginning of the service there must be extra caution that the matters of the world should not bring down the man to be sunk in physicality and materialism,

and therefore there must be separation from the matters of the world,

and "vows are a fence for separation"; but after the man elevates himself in his service,

and the light of holiness shines in him until it is in his power to refine and purify the physicality of the world and to elevate it to holiness,

then on the contrary,

he must engage in the refinement and purification of the world.

And from this it is understood,

that the portion of vows is directed primarily to the man who is at the beginning and middle of his service, therefore he needs separation from the world.

But the purpose of the matter is — the annulment⁴¹

of the vow

(by the father and the husband),

and likewise the dissolution⁴¹

of the vow

(by the sage)

— that the father and the husband and the sage have the power to effect,

that even such a person,

who from his own perspective,

and his situation — that he is in need of vows

(to separate him from worldly matters),

can elevate worldly matters to holiness

(they annul the vow and transform the prohibition into permission⁴²).

And this is the connection between the portion of vows and "Matot" — for the purpose of vows,

their annulment,

is through the giving and the action of the force

("staff")

to transform with "swiftness" the darkness of the world into the light of holiness.

War of Midian: the main length in our parshah is not about the war and their victory of Bnei Yisrael,

but about the spoils and plunder of Midian⁴³,

the purification and kashering of the vessels of Midian⁴⁴,

and also the division of the spoils and the contribution of the tax to Hashem from it⁴⁵.

<pg>198</pg>

That is,

that the ultimate perfection

(the service of)

the war of Midian is not only the nullification

(of the husk of)

Midian,

but the transformation of bitter to sweet,

to purify and elevate the spoils of Midian to holiness,

until a part of it was raised to be "a gift to Hashem"⁴⁶.

The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben: Moshe's concern was — "Shall your brothers go to war and you sit here"&lt;sup&gt;47&lt;/sup&gt;,

meaning that they do not want to fight with Canaan.

And so it is in spirituality,

that the reason the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben wanted to remain on the other side of the Jordan,

"a land of livestock"&lt;sup&gt;48&lt;/sup&gt;,

is because&lt;sup&gt;49&lt;/sup&gt;

they chose to be shepherds,

an occupation that enables them to be in a state of seclusion

(in the field,

far from the troubles and noise of the city)

so that they could be in constant attachment to the Holy One, blessed be He, etc.

And this is the argument of Moshe Rabbeinu in his response to them "Shall your brothers go to war etc." — meaning that the main service is that a person should come and fight with the materiality of the world,

in order to refine and purify it etc.,

and therefore he stipulated with them,

"If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the L-rd for war..

(until)

the land is subdued before the L-rd"&lt;sup&gt;50&lt;/sup&gt;.

And in this is also the conclusion of the portion — the account of the building of the cities of Sichon and Og by the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben&lt;sup&gt;51&lt;/sup&gt;,

and in a manner of "they changed the names"&lt;sup&gt;52&lt;/sup&gt;,

that these cities were associated with idolatry,

"And the sons of Reuben changed their names to other names"&lt;sup&gt;52&lt;/sup&gt;

— the transformation of darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness&lt;sup&gt;53&lt;/sup&gt;.

And therefore we read this portion during the Three Weeks — to teach,

that the ultimate purpose of these days is to transform them from bitterness to sweetness,

that they become "good days and days of joy and gladness",

in the future redemption that will come,

speedily in our days, literally.

(From the talk of Shabbat Parshat Matot-Masei 5735)