Numbers, 33:1-36:13
This Week’s Torah Portion | June 30 – July 6, 2013 – Tammuz 22-28, 5773

In A Nutshell

The portion, Masaei (Journeys) describes the journeys of the children of Israel, the stops where they parked in the desert, and their final preparations to enter the land of Israel. The portion details several commandments, such as the obliteration of idol worship, cities of refuge, the rules regarding involuntary manslaughter, appointing presidents to the tribes under the leadership of Joshua, son of Nun, and Elazar the Priest, dedicating cities for the people of the tribe of Levi, and a description of the boundaries of the land.

The portion ends with the continuation of the story of the daughters of Zelophehad, the fear of the tribe of Menashe that they would marry men from other tribes, thus causing the tribe of Menashe to lose its lots. In consequence, Moses issues a warrant prohibiting the daughters of Zelophehad from marrying men of other tribes, as well as other prohibitions that concern marriages of people from different tribes.

Commentary by Dr. Michael Laitman

The portion is a preparation to enter the land of Israel. At this stage we begin the inner work, rising to a degree where our will to receive connects with the upper force. Here we discover the upper force because we are living inside that desire.

It is written that the land of Israel is the land where the Creator is present from the beginning of the year to its end. That is, He is always in the land of Israel—in a desire that is aiming entirely to bestow, Yashar El (straight to God). A person discovers the upper force within that desire and is in Dvekut (adhesion) with it. This is the intention of the land of Israel.

From this we can learn to what extent we are not in the spiritual land of Israel, but in the corporeal one. Kabbalists tell us that we have been given the opportunity to return to the corporeal (physical) land of Israel so as to rise to the spiritual one. For this purpose, we must all be together, united as a family, “as one man with one heart,” as in “All of Israel are friends” and as in “love your neighbor as yourself.” We have connected on the stipulation of mutual guarantee, and only if we meet this criterion will we enter the land of Israel.

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Glossary of Terms Used in the Masaei Weekly Torah Portion

• Stops
• Idol Worship
• The Borders of the Land
• City of Refuge
• The Complete Land of Israel

Stops

Stops are degrees through which we advance toward correction. There is the preparation period, and then the states where we come into correction, to the desire to bestow in order to bestow, a state of “that which you hate, do not do to your friend.” We must be neutral, as though neutralizing our egos. This is called “obtaining the degree of Bina,” or keeping the Mitzvot (commandments) of 248 organs. In spirituality, it is called Galgalta ve Eynaim (skull and eyes). These degrees are called “the degrees of the desert.”

Afterward we enter the degrees called “land of Israel,” Yashar El (straight to God), where we reach “love your neighbor as yourself.” In those degrees we have the correction of the desires called 365. There are 248 organs in the degrees of the desert, and 365 tendons in the degrees of the land of Israel, and all of them are parts of the soul.

Idol Worship

Idol worship is when we do not want to work in bestowal toward others, but only for ourselves. We make ourselves as gods and bow to ourselves.

The Borders of the Land

The borders of the land are the borders by which our big will to receive marks how far we can reach, with which desires we can bestow, and which desires we must restrict and refrain from using.

City of Refuge

A city of refuge is desires that we “freeze.” Sometimes we are immersed in such thoughts, desires, and predilections that we cannot work on corrections with them. We therefore put those desires on hold. It is a state where we are powerless, devoid of a Masach (screen) with which to work in bestowal upon others. However, we can be in a “place” where we correct ourselves, and after some time we go outside and return to the world.

The Complete Land of Israel

The complete land of Israel is perfection. It is called Shalom (peace), from the word Shlemut (wholeness/perfection). It means that everything is corrected into love of others, as it is written, “Love your neighbor as yourself; it is a great rule…” There is nothing more than that. This is why the complete land of Israel is a desire that is fully corrected into being Yashar El, toward bonding with others. This point of this portion is to discover the Godliness in it—in connection, in Dvekut (adhesion).