נְקֹם נִקְמַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֵת הַמִּדְיָנִים אַחַר תֵּאָסֵף אֶל־עַמֶּיךָ

Avenge the Israelite people on the Midianites; then you shall be gathered to your nation (i.e. you will pass away). (31:2)

Thousands died in a plague caused by the Moabites and Midianites who allowed their women to seduce the Jewish men into worshiping the Pagan deity of Ba’al. It was time to avenge the honor of the Jewish people, through which the honor of G-d would be avenged, by waging war with those who brought about that catastrophe. Why then was war waged only against Midianites and not against Moabites?

Rashi, in his commentary, cites two answers. The first is that the Moabites entered into this matter because they feared that the Jewish people encamped by their border were a threat to them. The Midianites had nothing to be afraid of. They involved themsedlves in an issue that did not concern them and therefore they were punished.

Another explanation (which also explains why it was forbidden to wage war against the Ammonite nation as stated in Devarim 2:19) is because G-d considered the “two goodly doves (virtuous women)” which He would bring forth from them, — Ruth the Moabitess (of the Book of Ruth), and Naamah the Ammonitess [Solomon's wife] (Bava Kamma 38b). Therefore they were spared.

This is a fascinating idea. A nation is spared the punishment it so rightfully deserves because a righteous person is destined to come out from them.

Is there a practical lesson for us to learn from this? An answer given is that we learn from here the power and importance of one.

Sometimes we accomplish something worthwhile that just doesn’t seem worth all the time and effort put into it. Now here we see that it was worthwhile to spare so many Moabites in order to produce just one righteous Ruth. It can take a lot to produce just one worthwhile thing. So too it can take a lot of time and effort to produce just one worthwhile accomplishment.

Rabbi Yaakov Lorberbaum (1760-1832) wrote a number of classic works on the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) which have been studied for hundreds of years. He wrote that if all he produced from all his writings was just one true, novel insight it would be worth all the effort that went into writing and publishing his works!

Years ago it was common for drashot (sermons) to be delivered in synagogues before Maariv (the evening service). Rabbi Yisroel Lipkin, famously known as Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, once said, "All the effort involved in preparing a sermon is worthwhile if it brings just one Jew to pray with greater kavanah (focus and meaning) – even if that one Jew is me!"

We must never allow ourselves to feel dejected when our efforts seem to produce so few accomplishments. Every accomplishment is cherished by G-d.

We should feel very accomplished with that!

Shabbat Shalom,
Yitzchak