Matot-Masei

Completing a Journey Through Torah

Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan

This Shabbat we will be completing our reading of the Book of Bamidbar-Numbers, with the reading of Parshat Matot-Masei. Parshat Masei concludes with an account of the final compromise between the Israelite court and the daughters of Zelophechad, who have successfully sued in order to inherit their father's property.

The Ashkenazi custom for completing a book of Torah is to congratulate one another with special words of blessing.  The entire congregation is invited to stand and chant in unison chazak, chazak, v'nitchazek - May we be strong, strong, and strengthened!

This blessing is especially moving at the end of the book of Bamidbar. The book recounts the journeys of the Israelites through the wilderness - geographic, spiritual, and ethical journeys. Geographically, they camp in 42 different places. Spiritually, they learn to have faith in their leaders. Ethically, they move forward in standards of gender equity. The Book of Bamidbar begins with an account of a male-only census, and concludes with the story of the evolution of women's property rights.

The words chazak chazak v'nitchazek are like a mini siyyum (ceremony of completion of study). The words remind us: we have had the strength to come this far on our geographic, spiritual and ethical journeys. May we have the strength to travel farther!

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