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Why does the Torah (תורה) call the war against Midian 'revenge' rather than justice? The shiur develops that revenge requires the victim or his absolute representative to act - meaning Bnei Yisrael must become Hashem (ה׳)'s perfect staff through speech sanctity and elevated lineage. Only then can they restore both divine and Jewish honor through this unprecedented miraculous war.
This shiur addresses the perplexing structure of Parshas Matos, which appears disjointed with multiple seemingly unrelated sections interrupting the commanded war against Midian. Rabbi Zweig explains that this unique war is characterized as 'nekom nikmas' (revenge) - the only war in the Torah (תורה) given this designation. He develops a fundamental distinction between revenge and justice: revenge is personal restoration that can only be carried out by the victim or his absolute representative, while justice is objective punishment administered by neutral parties. This explains why Moshe could lead the war against Egypt (which was din/justice) but not against Midian (which was revenge), due to the principle of 'bor shasisa mimenu al tizrok bo even' - one shouldn't harm those who benefited him. The shiur establishes that two types of revenge were required: nekamas Hashem (ה׳) (God's revenge) and nekamas Bnei Yisrael (Israel's revenge). For nekamas Hashem, the Jewish people had to become Hashem's perfect representatives or 'staff' (matos). This is achieved through the laws of nedarim taught in the parsha - when Jews sanctify their speech by treating every word as coming from their divine soul (ruach memalah), they become worthy representatives of God. For nekamas Bnei Yisrael, the counting of the tribes with divine names (Yud-Heh) restored their elevated genealogical consciousness, connecting them to their tzelem Elokim. The Midianites had created an irresistible environment of seduction, similar to what even Yosef HaTzadik nearly succumbed to with Potiphar's wife. Such environmental manipulation creates ownership over the victim, requiring both the destruction of the manipulator and the elevation of the victim to constitute true revenge. The miraculous nature of this war - where twelve thousand soldiers defeated millions without a single casualty or sin - demonstrates that Bnei Yisrael had indeed achieved the spiritual level necessary to serve as God's perfect representatives. All the 'interrupting' sections of the parsha are actually essential preparation for this unprecedented spiritual warfare.
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Parshas Matos
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What is the primary purpose of the cities of refuge - protecting the accidental killer or something else? The shiur argues that creating respect for law takes precedence over providing sanctuary. True deterrence comes from recognizing the gravity of murder itself, not fear of punishment.
