Torah Thoughts on Parshas Matos-Masei by Rabbi Moshe Binyamin Friedman
"וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵאמֹר: נְקֹם נִקְמַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֵת הַמִדְיָנִים אַחַר תֵּאָסֵף אֶל עַמֶיךָ וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָעָם לֵאמֹר הֵחָלְצוּ מֵאִתְּכֶם אֲנָשִׁים לַצָבָא וְיִהְיוּ עַל מִדְיָן לָתֵת נִקְמַת ה' בְּמִדְיָן" בְּמִדְבַּר ל''א:ב'-ג'
"And God spoke to Moshe, saying, 'Take vengeance for Bnei Yisrael against the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered unto your people.’ And Moshe spoke to the people, saying, ‘Arm men from among yourselves for the legion, that they may be against Midian to inflict God’s vengeance against Midian.” BeMidbar 31:2-3
In this week’s parashah, Hashem commands Moshe to go to war and attack the Midianites to take justice and avenge what they had done. However, when Moshe retells the commandment to the Jewish people, he rephrases it as " 'נִקְמַת ה", taking vengeance for Hashem. In order to understand this dialogue, we have to clarify a few points: Why does Moshe express Hashem’s commandment differently to the Jewish People? Furthermore, how does this act of vengeance not contradict the Torah’s prohibition of taking revenge (Vayikra 19:18)? As Sefer HaChinuch Mitzvah 241 explains, whoever says, “A person must know and put into his heart that for everything that happens to him – good and bad – the cause of its coming to him is from Hashem. Hence, when a person caused him pain or hurt him, he should know for himself that his own sins caused it, and that Hashem ordained this for him.”
We find a similar difficulty in the Gemara (Yoma 22b-23a). Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak, “Any Torah scholar who does not avenge himself and bear a grudge like a snake when insulted is not considered a Torah scholar at all.” In dismay, the Gemara immediately asks, “But is it not written explicitly in the Torah: ‘You shall not take vengeance nor bear a grudge?!’ ” The Gemara goes through a lengthy discussion with a complicated and extensive list of conditions as to when and where this requirement of a Torah scholar taking revenge would apply. In short, the Ritva, in his commentary on Gemara Megillah 28a, explains that this case is referring to a Torah scholar who was disrespected in Heavenly matters of Torah and mitzvos. Thus, the avenged person is not only condemned due to slighting the scholar, but predominantly because of his dishonor towards the holy Torah. Thus, the Gemara expects a Talmid Chochom to take revenge for Hashem’s honor.
This perhaps sheds light onto our questions above. As Rashi comments, “Whoever attacks Israel, it is as though he attacks the Holy One, blessed be He.” Therefore, the only revenge Hashem commands us to take is not for the damage done to Israel but rather, for the honor of Hashem. For that, Hashem allows and obligates justice to be made.
May we merit to see vengeance on all of the enemies of the Jewish people and to see the final redemption speedily in our days. תִּבָּנֶה וְתִּקוֹנֵן בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ אָמֵן
Raised in Chicago, Rabbi Moshe Binyamin Friedman graduated from FYHS in 1988. He then attended Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, Yeshivas Bais Yisroel, and the Mir Yeshiva, where he learned under HaRav Yaakov Friedman שליט''א. In 2008, Rabbi Friedman founded Yeshivas Nesivos Ahron, now located in the historic Beis Mussar Chatzer Strauss in Musrara, Jerusalem, where he lives with his family.
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