טאנה נאזאן 2 تنه نزن ۲ .Taneh Nazan 2

SHABAT SHALOM

Editor, Daveed  Fakheri

The particle accelerator at theWeizmann Institute of Science,Rehovot
Weekly Torah Portion

Mattot-Masei

The list of places through which the Israelites traveled in the wilderness teaches us

 to understand Judaism through our everyday experiences.

Moses Ordering the Slaughter of the Midianites (1650 painting byClaes Corneliszoon Moeyaert

A summery of

 MATTOT 

Moses describes the laws of oaths; the Israelites battle the 

 Midianites; the tribes of Reuben and Gad request to dwell 

outside of the Land of Israel

the hills of Gilead (current day Jal'ad, Jordan)
A summery of

 MASEI

The sons of Reuben and Gad have promised Moses that they will help the other tribes settle the Promised Land before settling across the River Jordan.

Cities of Refuge (illustration from a Bible card published 1901 by the Providence Lithograph Company)

Reform Judaism
Matot/Mas'ei, 5770

When reading about the Jubilee year, when all land transfers are undone and each family reclaims its ancestral holdings (Leviticus 25:10), or the promised blessings of Deuteronomy (for example, 11:13–15), the Torah comes across as a utopian document—it appears 
HAFTARAH

for Mattot - Masei

for Ashkenazi Jews

 Jeremiah 2:4–28 & 3:4.

for Sephardi Jews:

 Jeremiah 2:4–28 & 4:1–2.

Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem (painting by Rembrandt)