“Your brothers will go to war, and you will sit here?” ~ Numbers 32:6
Moses cries out to those who wish to settle on the far side of the Jordan River. This cry is not a rhetorical question – it is a compelling call to future generations.
Moses presents a stark reality: in a war of survival, it is impossible to have some “sitting” and others “fighting.” Such a division is a real moral and existential danger. And so it is ruled in Jewish law: “In a war of mitzvah … everyone goes out, even a groom from his chamber and a bride from her canopy.“ Hence, even Torah scholars, whose “Torah is their craft,” are obligated to bear the burden and enlist.
“Your brothers will go to war, and you will sit … in yeshiva!?” – This is a cry that is not rhetorical: while some bear the burden of war and pay a real price in blood, others hide in yeshivas and thereby desecrate the name of Heaven. As Moses declares: there is no Jewish people without mutual responsibility and accountability, and there is no Torah study without partnership and action. Not then – and certainly not today. “The Lord will give strength to His people – the Lord will bless His people with peace.
