Aliya Summary: The tribes of Reuven and Gad owned lots of cattle.
Seeing that the eastern bank of the Jordan -- the lands of Sichon and Og
which they had just conquered -- had abundant pasture, they asked
Moshe if they could remain and settle on the eastern bank. Moshe
angrily responds that they are following in the footsteps of the spies
who were fearful of the Canaanites, did not want to enter the land of
Israel, and discouraged the entire nation from doing so. The Reuvenites
and Gaddites respond that they will leave their cattle and families
behind in fortified cities, and all their men will proceed into Israel
with their brethren and lead them in the conquest of the land. Only
after all the land has been conquered and settled would they return to
the other side of the Jordan.
When the tribes of Reuven
and Gad approached Moshe with their request to live on the other side
of the Jordan river, Moshe was understandably upset, because he'd seen
this mistake before. He proceeded to lecture them about what happened to
their parents for doing the same thing, facts I'm sure everyone was
already well aware of. So what was he adding by telling them what they
already knew? He was putting their request in perspective for them, and
although G-d wasn't contacted directly yet, Moshe felt that he knew what
would happen. Reuven and Gad's response was similar. They showed Moshe
that from their perspective they were nothing like the spies that
faltered years ago, that they were still part of the Jewish people,
united in beliefs, battles, and all else. They showed Moshe that their
motivation was purely based on logistics of storing all their assets
(motivation was something he could not know, only G-d). The lesson is
clearly about understanding other people's perspective, and how
communication is so critical in appreciating others' perspectives.
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