Shalom JTF Reader,
This week I am starting the Video Study thread a little early. I am doing this because I may not be available tomorrow night and I am interested in hearing the latest lecture from Rabbi Richman (one of my favorite teachers). Usually Massie is read as part of a double-reading of Matot-Massie but because this year was a leap year, many parshas which normally are read as double-portions are read alone.
This portion starts with a recollection of the 42 stations which the children of Israel stopped at during their forty year sojourn in the desert. The sages have derived much insight into why the Torah felt the need to list each of these places, and the kabbalah seeks to explain the meanings of the names of these places.
The portion goes on to explain about the boundaries of the Eretz/Land, the imperative to set up cities of refuge for the accidental murderer, and the narrative concerning the women (daughters of Tzelafched) who inherited from their father.
Here is the summation according to Chabads 'Parsha in a Nutshell':
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/296690/jewish/Massei-in-a-Nutshell.htm
The forty-two journeys and encampments of Israel are listed, from the Exodus to their encampment on the plains of Moab across the river from the land of Canaan.
Also in Massei: The boundaries of the Promised Land are given, and cities of refuge are designated as havens and places of exile for inadvertent murderers. The daughters of Tzelafchad marry within their own tribe of Manasseh, so that the estate which they inherit from their father should not pass to the province of another tribe.
The great Rabbi Richman from 3 years ago:
Topic: Video Study for Parsha Massie : The Journeys of Our Lives (Read 3401 times)