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NUMBERS — 25:18 beguiled

NUM325 Causing someone to sin is worse than killing him. The Midrash notes that while there is a positive command to oppress the Midianites, who caused the Jewish people to sin, there is a prohibition against abhorring the Egyptians, although they tried to destroy the Children of Israel. From here we learn the principle that is worse to cause someone to sin than to kill him. If someone kills another person, he takes away life in this world. But if someone causes another person to sin, he takes away eternal life in the world to come. (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:4)

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NUMBERS — 27:16 appoint

NUM334 A righteous person will keep the welfare of others uppermost in his mind even before he dies. As soon as Moshe was told that he would die, he asked God to appoint a new leader. Rashi cites the Sifre which explains that the Torah wants to emphasize the praiseworthiness of Moshe. Even when he was about to depart from the world, his concern was for the needs of the community.

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NUMBERS — 27:16 appoint

NUM335 A true leader is one who deals with each person individually. When Moshe was told that he was about to die, he said to God, "You know that the mind of one individual is not similar to that of another. Appoint a leader over the congregation who will be able to deal with every individual according to his mind." (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:15 cited by Rashi). While a public speaker might play a major role in influencing others, he is not a true leader. A true leader is one who understands every person individually and deals with each one accordingly. (Rabbi Chayim Smuelevitz) ... The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:2) to this verse states the following adage: "Just as the facial features of people are different, so too are their faculties of thought." For this reason Moshe requested that God choose a leader who would be capable of dealing with every person according to his individual mentality. Feuds and fights are begun by differences of opinion and the lack of tolerance for the other fellow's views. Rav Mendel Kotzker offered guidance in avoiding this trap with this comment on the above Midrash. No one is ever disturbed by the fact that others do not have an exact replica of his facial features. In fact, variety and individuality have a host of benefits. In the same vein, we should accept that no two people ever agree on all matters. (Emes MaiKotzk Titzmach, p. 130).

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NUMBERS — 27:17 go

NUM337 A Jewish leader is expected to be at the forefront of the battle. Rashi cites the Sifre which states that the leader should not be one who will behave in the manner of kings who remain in their homes and send their armies to war. A Jewish leader is expected to emulate Moshe who personally led the people in their war against Sichon and Og. The Sifre notes that Yehoshua and King David also led the people in war. Leadership should not be considered a means of attaining honor from the people. Leadership is both an obligation and a burden. The above-mentioned principle also applies to spiritual battles facing the Jewish people. To be considered a true Jewish leader, one must lead the war against ignorance of Torah which breeds assimilation and intermarriage.

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NUMBERS — 27:18 spirit

NUM340 We must do what we can to increase the influence of Torah leaders. Rashi comments: Appoint a meturgaman (a man to announce the laws loudly) for Yehoshua so that he shall expound the Law during your lifetime; so that people shall not say concerning him," he was not able to lift his head during the days of Moshe." From here we see that a person should do all he can to strengthen the power of Torah leadership. If members of the synagogue who are scholars themselves will attend the Torah lectures of the Rabbi, it will serve as a lesson to the layman that they also may gain by attending.

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NUMBERS — 31:2 avenge

NUM363 One who causes another to sin is held responsible for the punishment that person will receive. God told Moshe to avenge the harm caused the Children of Israel by the Midianites. Twenty-four thousand Israelites died in a plague that was sent as retribution for the sin brought upon them by the Midianites. From here we see that one who causes another person to sin is held responsible for the punishment that person will receive. (Ohr Yohail, vol. 3, p. 188).

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NUMBERS — 31:6 sent

NUM364 We must be grateful to someone who has benefited us, even if he did not do so intentionally. When the Jewish people went to fight the Midianites, Moshe sent others but did not go himself. In verses one and two we read that God commanded Moshe to avenge the crime of the Midianites; why then did Moshe delegate this task to others? The Midrash explains that this was because Moses had lived in their midst (from the time he fled from Egypt until his return to Egypt after God appeared to him in the burning bush) and had an obligation to be grateful to them. (Daas Zkainim). During Moshe's stay, the Midianites did not go out of their way to aid Moshe, and now God decreed that they were to be punished. Nevertheless, Moshe did not join his army in battle against the Midianites out of gratitude. If Moshe was grateful even to an unintending benefactor, all the more so must we be grateful to someone who is going out of his way to help us. (Ohr Yohail, vol. 2, p. 221). If someone taught you Torah or had a beneficial influence on you, you should be extremely grateful to him. Failure to honor him properly shows a gross lack of gratitude. (Pele Yoatz, section kofuy tova). The Baal Haturim comments that Moshe did not send the princes of the twelve tribes to fight against Midian to spare the tribe of Shimon embarrassment since their prince, Zimri, had been killed. In time of war good leadership is essential. The princes would have contributed much to the war effort if they would have been present during the battle against Midian. But Moshe was willing to forgo the advantages of their assistance to save people from embarrassment. Zimri, the former Prince of the tribe of Shimon died dishonorably. He publicly committed an immoral act and Pinchos killed him. If the princes of the other twelve tribes would. have been called to lead the one thousand men from the respective tribes, the leader of the tribe of Shimon would have been conspicuously absent. The pain of embarrassment is so great that even in time of war we must be careful not to cause someone shame. (Kol Tzofayich, p. 325).

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NUMBERS — 31:14 angry

NUM367 Do not grow angry even when reprimanding someone for a wrongdoing. The Talmud (Psochim 66b) states that Moshe was punished for his anger at the officers for having allowed the Midianite women to remain alive. Basing itself on this verse, the Talmud says that if a wise person becomes angry, he will forget his knowledge. In his anger, Moshe forgot the laws dealing with the Midianite vessels. Consequently, Eliezer, instead of Moshe, taught these laws to the soldiers (verse 21). Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv pointed out that Moshe's rebuke was correct. The soldiers had erred and deserved censure. Moshe's only wrong was his emotion of anger. Even when a person should rebuke someone, he must remain calm and be careful not to grow angry. (Chochmah Umussar, vol. 1, p. 161).

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NUMBERS — 32:2 spoke

NUM375 A person should appreciate rebuke. The tribes of Reuven and Gad requested permission from Moshe to settle on the east bank of the Jordan River. Moshe censored to them at length (verses 6 to 15) for what he assumed to be an incipient stage of revolt. Moses told them that the Children of Israel were commanded by God to enter Eretz Yisroel, but when they would see that these two tribes refused to go any further, they also would not consent to continue traveling to the proper destination. After patiently listening to Moses's rebuke, the tribes of Reuven and Gad replied (verses 16 to 19) that they had no intention of shirking their responsibility to aid in the conquering of Eretz Yisroel. They would be at the forefront of the battle and only after victory would they return to the east bank of the Jordan. Although their intentions were honorable throughout, they remained silent while Moshe had scolded them. To hear rebuke is a privilege that a person should cherish.

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NUMBERS — 35:11 kills

NUM400 A person must be careful that his actions do not lead to someone's death. The Torah states that if someone kills another person unintentionally, he is obliged to flee to one of the six cities of refuge in Eretz Yisroel which were especially set aside for this purpose. The Chinuch (410) explains that this punishment, going into exile, can be equated with death. The manslayer, albeit his action was not intentional, has to atone for his negligence which caused the loss of someone's life. A person must be very careful while engaging in any action that could possibly harm someone. Today this is especially relevant when driving a car. A driver must devote himself entirely to driving since one careless move could easily lead to a fatal accident. When you are upset or tired, do not drive.

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