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PARSHAT MATOT - The War Against Midyan: Classic War Of Vengeance

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TorahZionist:
The War Against Midyan: Classic War Of Vengeance (1998)
Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane
Translated by Lenny Goldberg

We find in Parshat Mattot, that when Pinchas and the Israeli army returnfrom battling Midyan (after the Midyanite women caused Israel to sin), Mosheangrily questions Pinchas: "Have you saved all the women alive?!" Concerningthis, the Ramban quotes the "Sifri": "Pinchas answered Moshe: As youcommanded us, so we did!"

The Ramban then asks the following: Nowhere in the Torah do we find thatMoshe commands whom to kill and whom to leave alive. If so, what did Pinchasmean, "as you commanded us, so we did"? If Pinchas was given explicitinstructions by Moshe whom to kill, surely he would have carried out theorders. What then happened here? That is, what is Moshe's complaint, andwhat is Pinchas's response?

Ramban's answer to this question is that a misunderstanding occurred.Pinchas assumed that this war was the same as any other obligatory war("Milchemet Mitzvah") or permissible war ("Milchemet Rishut"), whose lawsare outlined in Deuteronomy 20:10. In most of these wars, only males are tobe killed (with the exception of obligatory wars against Amalek or againstthe nations who dwelled in the land previously, where all are to be killedincluding women and children). We can now understand what Pinchas meant whenhe said, "as you commanded, so we did." He meant, as you commanded us in theTorah.

Circumstances Determine the Reaction

And so when Moshe saw that Israel left the females alive, he explains,"Behold, these (specifically the females) caused the children of Israel,through the counsel of Bilaam, to revolt against the Lord in the matter ofPeor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord." Moshe isteaching us a vital lesson here: There is another category of war - a war ofvengeance. As opposed to the regular wars (both permissible and obligatory),where the laws are pre-set regarding who is to killed or spared (see Rambam,Laws of Kings, Chapter 6), the wars of vengeance are a direct response towhat was done to Israel. It takes into consideration specific actions of theenemy in the past. Therefore, the way in which the enemy is treated variesfrom one war to another, depending on the specific circumstances. In thecase of the war against Midyan, which was fought to avenge what the women ofMidyan did, it would have been proper for the Jewish army to make the womenof Midyan the very first victims. And so, we have learned a principleregarding a "war of vengeance" - that the type of vengeance which is exacteddepends on what or who is being avenged.

"As They Did to Me, So I Do to Them"

This same concept appears in the form of Shimshon HaGibor (the mightySamson) who avenged the honor of Israel. In the book of Judges, we learnthat when the men of Judah come to arrest Shimshon and hand him over to thePhilistines, they inquired to know why he terrorizes the Philistines so.Shimshon answered: As they did to me, so I do to them. (Judges 15:11) Inother words: Measure for measure. This is similar to what the prophet Shmuelsays to Agag, the Amalekian King, as he takes him out to be executed: "Justas your sword made women childless, so shall your mother be childless amongwomen". (Shmuel 1, 15:33) It is incumbent upon the haters of Israel toknow: Punishment will be exacted from them precisely according to themeasure they oppress Israel!!

Such is the case with King David, warrior and conqueror. Our sages tell usthat David's war against the nation of Moav was retribution for the killingof David's parents and brothers by the King of Moav after David had sent hisfamily there when he fled Saul. His subsequent treatment of the Moavites wasquite unconventional: "David measured his captives with a rope, laying themdown on the ground and measuring two rope lengths to be put to death, andone rope length to be kept alive..." The commentator Radak explains: "It wasan act of revenge and humiliation." Once again, we see that treatment ofthe enemy during a war is tailored according to the circumstances at hand.

Israel's Revenge = G-d's Revenge

It is imperative to understand the concept of revenge in depth, especiallyin this generation when alien westernized culture has seeped into theyeshiva halls, turning the awesome concept of revenge into a dirty word. Asopposed to personal revenge between one Jew against another, which is wrongand falls under the heading, "thou shall not take revenge", here we aredealing with revenge by Israel against her enemies. This is not a personalmatter! It is a matter of sanctifying G-d's Name! You may ask: What doesvengeance have to do with sanctifying G-d's Name? This is what our sagesask, too. We find in our parsha, that when G-d appears to Moshe, He tellshim, "take vengeance for the children of Israel against Midyan." However,when Moshe relays the orders to Israel, he says, "arm men to inflict G-d'svengeance against Midyan." Nu, so which is it? G-d's revenge, or Israel'srevenge? Rashi answers the riddle: "Those who fight against Israel, it is asif they fight against G-d Himself." It's that simple. Since the nation ofIsrael is G-d's Chosen Nation and His representative in the world, whensomeone hurts or degrades them, the name of G-d is desecrated. Revenge isnot a primitive or Fascist matter, it is a lofty matter of Kiddush Hashem!

Moshe's Craving...

Now we can understand why Moshe was so furious when the Midyanite women werekept alive. When the desecration of G-d's Holy Name is at stake, there is notime to waste! Our sages teach: "Moshe craved to see vengeance taken againstMidyan before his death." When he saw that the vengeance he craved was notcompleted, he became furious. The sages continue: "If Moshe wanted to live afew more years, the power was in his hands. G-d had said to him, takevengeance, and then you will gathered amongst your people. The Torahstipulates Moshe's death on his taking revenge against Midyan. This is toteach you Moshe's greatness. He said, so that I shall live shall I delay thevengeance of Israel?!" (BaMidbar Raba 22:2)

 

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