Matos תרל”ט #2 Essay

במדרש ג’ מתנות כו’ בזמן שהן מתנת שמים כו’. כבר כתבנו מזה כי בודאי מוכן הי’ חלק זה לבני גד ולבני ראובן. אבל הרצון שגם אותו החלק המוכן לאדם יחפוץ לקבלו ע”י התורה. וזהו עיקר עבודת האדם כי הבורא ית’ ברא העולם בטבע ומוכן לכל אחד לפי מזלו. אבל בנ”י צריכין להעלות הכל אליו ית’ למעלה מן המזל וצריך שיהי’ הרצון לקבל מתנת שמים ובכח התורה. ואז הוא דבר של קיימא. לכן איתא שצריכין להתפלל בכל יום על מזונות אף מי שאינו מחוסר פרנסה כי עיקר עבודה שבלב זו תפלה הוא על שאין חסר לאדם. כי מה שחסר לו לגרמו הוא מבקש. רק חכמים קבעו י”ח ברכות על כל הצורך לאדם שיברר שהכל ממנו ית’ ויבקש שמאתו ית’ יבוא לו אלה הדברים שלא יהי’ צרכיו נפרדין ח”ו מן שורש החיים. ואז כשהם מתנת שמים ובאים בכח התורה ע”ז נאמר טוב אחרית דבר מראשיתו כשדבוק בראשית שורשו והוא התורה שנקרת ראשית ע”י שכל הדברים שרשם וראשיתם בתורה. וכמו כן בחלק בני גד וב”ר אעפ”י שהי’ מוכן להם הואיל ולא הוטב בעיני מרע”ה שהוא שורש התורה מוכח שלא הי’ הרצון שלהם דבוק בשלימות בכח התורה ולכן לא נתקיים בידן:

In our parsha we have the famous story of Bnei Gad and Reuven. They had a vast flock and realised that the suitable land for them was not technically in Eretz Yisrael, it was over the Jordan river.
They explained their desire to dwell in Transjordan, to Moshe, and Moshe made a condition with them (תנאי כפול): If they first help conquer and settle Eretz Yisrael they can have dwell in that land. Yet there was still a claim in Shamayim, and the Midrash teaches us that they were the first tribes to be exiled. It is an interesting story and seemingly teaches us the importance of living in Eretz Yisrael.
Yet the story is still difficult to understand. The Mishna in Avos teaches us that a wise person knows his place, and Bnei Gad and Reuven recognized that due to their possessions this is the land that is due to be given to them from Heaven. So why was there a claim against them?
Furthermore, what was the meaning of Moshe’s condition with them, and how did it help?

The Midrash teaches us that there are three gifts in the world namely; wealth, power and understanding. Bnei Gad and Reuven were blessed with all these three, as it says explicitly in the Torah they were wealthy and strong, and as mentioned above they were also wise. Yet these three gifts must be received through the power of the Torah. The Magen Avraham (119a) says that even when a person has his sustenance he must still pray for it.
Based on this, the Sfas Emes teaches us an amazing idea. The real prayer for something is not when you don’t have it, but actually it is when you already have it! The purpose of this prayer is to uplift and connect the thing in your possession that it should be with the received with the power of the Torah!
This is the lesson we learn from the story. Really whatever a person is due to receive he will get one way or another. Praying for something is really praying for oneself. But praying for it when one already has it, is a way to uplift it, and connect it to the source.
With this idea we can now understand the story. Even though the land was apparently slated for them, yet since Bnei Gad and Reuven forced the time and demanded the land, they demonstrated that it was not completely for the correct reasons. When they brought their request to Moshe who is connected to the source of the Torah, they really wanted to connect it to the Torah. Moshe’s demand for helping them first conquer the land, enabled them to connect and receive their land with the power of the Torah. However since it was not elevated all the way (and due to their lax in Torah study in later generations Yirmiya 9:12) they were exiled first.
(See Sfas Emes תרמ”ט)