BY: Ms. Neesa Berezin-Bahr
The tribes of Israel are classically known as the shevatim, but in this week’s parsha, Matot, the tribes of Israel are, for the first time, called matot. We translate both the word shevet and the word mateh as tribe, a local division of an aboriginal people[1]; interestingly, shevet and mateh are both alternatively defined as sticks.[2] What is the semantic significance of the lexical use of stick in reference to the “tribes” of Israel?
Shevet and mateh are actually used in distinct places in the book of Shemot.[3] “V’khi yakeh ish et avdo oh amato b’shevet va’met tachat yado…” “And should a man strike his servant or maidservant with a club and he/she dies…”.[4] A shevet is translated as a club, a tool of defense and attack. The mateh, on the other hand, is used with regard to the staff that Moshe and Aharon carried. “…vayashleikh Aharon et matehu lifnei Paroh” “…And Aaron threw his staff before Pharoah”.[5] The staff was a vehicle for G-d’s miracles and symbolic of G-d’s support.
In this parsha, we see am yisrael’s transition from the violence of the “club” to the support of the “staff.” On another level, the English term “club” connotes exclusivity as well as force and brutality. When people are part of a club, they exclude others by indexing[6] their in-group status. This stands in stark contrast with the concept of “mateh”. A staff is used as a support, for those who cannot walk on their own. In English, a staff is also a group of people who are intended as the support system for an organization and a guiding force. With the use of the term mateh, there is a shift from an exclusivity model to a model where a group of individuals can support the whole.
Judaism values both community and the individual within the community, and the mateh becomes the perfect integration of the seeming dichotomy. The staff stresses the importance of a cohesive unit and the value of the individual voice. The staff is the support and the staff can advocate for the opinions of the individuals.
Judaism values both community and the individual within the community, and the mateh becomes the perfect integration of the seeming dichotomy. The staff stresses the importance of a cohesive unit and the value of the individual voice. The staff is the support and the staff can advocate for the opinions of the individuals.
Bnei Yisrael were ready to embody this new model of existence as a mateh. We too can embrace this within the communities we forge (including our Drisha community). We can operate on the level of matot, as a cohesive group which also appreciates and supports the uniqueness that each individual brings to the whole. May we merit incorporating the lesson of matot into our lives and understanding the value of the group while allowing for inclusion and appreciation of those around us.
No comments:
Post a Comment