26 Jul PARSHAS MATOS MASEI: MONEY AND THE KIDS

And they said,

“We will build

sheep pens for our

livestock here and

cities for our

children.” (32:16)

The Jewish people reached the

plains of Moav, the jumping-off

point for the invasion of Canaan,

which was imminent. But the tribes

of Gad and Reuven, rich in

livestock, preferred the lush

pasturelands of the Trans-Jordan to

shares in Eretz Yisrael proper.

They asked Moshe for permission

to take their share in the

Trans-Jordan. Moshe berated them

for letting the others fight to

conquer Canaan while they settled

down in their ranches.

Furthermore, their reluctance to

cross would have a demoralizing

effect on the others, just as the

report of the Meraglim had

demoralized the people thirty-eight

years earlier. “This is what we

want to do,” they said to Moshe.

“We want to build sheep pens for

our livestock here and towns for

our children. Then we will go

quickly at the head of the army and

fight until the land is conquered

and apportioned. Only then will we

return to our homes.” “All right,”

said Moshe (32:24), “build towns

for your children and pens for your

sheep. And make sure you keep

your word.” Notice that Moshe

reversed the order of their

priorities. They wanted to “build

sheep pens for our livestock here

and towns for our children.” First

let us take care of the livestock. Let

us make sure we have pens in

which to keep them so they don’t

wander off into the hills and get

lost or stolen. Cows and sheep

are valuable assets, and we

have to take good care of

them. Then they spoke about

building “towns for our

children.” Then we will

provide our children with a

place to live while we are at

war. Oh no, Moshe replied.

You have it backwards. First

of all, “build towns for your

children.” Make sure you

have attended to the needs of

your children. Afterwards, you can

also build “pens for your sheep.”

First you take care of your

children, then you worry about

your cattle. The Midrash sums up

the exchange with the verse

(Koheles 10:2), “The heart of the

wise man is on his right, and the

heart of the fool is on his left.”

Moshe’s heart was on the right. He

had his priorities right. Their hearts

were on the left. They gave

precedence to secondary

considerations. They were

more worried about their

money than their children.

When we look at this incident,

we say to ourselves, “How

foolish can people be? How

warped can their values be?

How can anyone put the

welfare of his cattle before the

welfare of his children?”

Unfortunately, this is not an

isolated incident, something

bizarre that happened

thousands of years ago. It is an

everyday phenomenon. People

become focused on their

livelihood, on developing a

business, on advancing

professionally, on building a

practice, and their kids get lost

in the shuffle. They don’t

realize that they are making the

exact same mistake as the

tribes of Gad and Reuven. But

it is true. It happens all too

often. Rashi writes (32:24) that

the tribes of Gad and Reuven

did not return home to the

Trans-Jordan until after the

seven years of conquest and

the seven years of apportionment.

They remained in Eretz Yisrael for

a full fourteen years. Those little

children they left behind — let’s

assume they were 3 or 4 years old

— how old were they when their

fathers returned home? Teenagers!

Practically adults. The Midrash

tells us that their fathers were

shocked to find that their sons had

long hair, that they were

indistinguishable from their pagan

neighbors. This is what happens

when parents give priority to their

wealth over their children. The

Ksav Sofer raises a question with

the latter part of Moshe’s words.

After helping the tribes of Gad and

Reuven get their priorities straight,

he told them, “Make sure you keep

your word.” Why was this

necessary? The answer, says the

Ksav Sofer, is that Moshe knew

with whom he was dealing. People

who could even think of protecting

their money before they protect

their children cannot be trusted.

They are so intent on their wealth

that they can do anything.

Therefore, Moshe had to exhort

them to keep their word. Rav

Tzaddok Hakohein explains that

the desire for money is greater than

any other material drive, since it is

the only one that is insatiable.

There is a limit to how much a

person can eat, to how many times

he can commit adultery, but there

is no limit to how much money he

can accumulate. The quest for

wealth can become more obsessive

than any other quest. All too often,

the children are the price of the

wealth.