Masei
This year the eighth day of Pesach fell out on Shabbos. For Bnei Eretz Yisrael it was Isru Chag, and the leining was Parshas Acharei Mos. However, for Bnei Chutz La’aretz, since it was Yom Tov, the leining was כל הבכור. Only this week, Parshas Matos-Masei, do Bnei Chutz La’aretz catch up to Bnei Eretz Yisrael. My uncle, Mr. Shabsi Rubin asked, “Why is there such a long wait of so many weeks to catch up? Why don’t Bnei Chutz La’aretz lein Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim the first Shabbos immediately after Pesach, or Be’har-Bechukosai, or Chukas-Balak, as done in other years?
The Maharit answers that the Gemara brings Rebi Shimon ben Elazar said: Ezra instituted that Bnei Yisrael should lein the klalos of Parshas Bechukosai before Shavuos. The Gemara explains that this is in order to end the year and its klalos, and start the new year and its b’rachos. Shavuos is a new year for the fruits of the trees as the Mishnah teaches: Atzeres (Shavuos) is Rosh HaShana for trees, which is when we are judged on the year’s fruits. Tosfos brings there was a custom to have a separation of a week between the klalos and the new year so that the klalos should not be near the new year. The Maharit adds, so too we don’t want the klalos to be leined two weeks in advance before the new year, as then it would not be noticeable that the klalos are indeed being finished off in the previous year. Therefore Bnei Chutz L’aretz do not double the parshiyos before Shavuos because then there will be two parshiyos, Bamidbar and Naso, before the new year of Shavuos. However, in Eretz Yisrael when Shavuos falls out on Sunday, there is no other choice but to lein Parshas Naso the day before Shavuos, even though there are two weeks before the end the year.
The Bnei Chutz L’aretz do not double up Chukas-Balak because then Parshas V’eschanan would fall out the week before Tishah B’Av. Chazal wanted that Parshas V’eschanan should fall out on the Shabbos after Tisha B’Av since it states in the parsha: ונושנתם בארץ “and you will become old in the land.” Rashi explains this hints that Hashem would send us out after 852 years and destroy us, as the gematria of ונושנתם is 852. However, Hashem performed a great chessed by sending us out of Eretz Yisrael after 850 years, 2 years early, before we reached the peak of sin. Had we reached the peak, Hashem would have fulfilled כי אבד תאבדון “that you will be destroyed.” After Tisha B’Av we recognize the chessed that Hashem did by sending us into galus and not completely destroying us. In order for V’eschanan to be after Tisha B’Av we need to double one set of parshiyos. Matos-Masei are chosen since they are doubled on a regular year.
Rabbi Perkal explained that we don’t double up any earlier parshiyos because there is no specific need to double them until we reach Parshas Devarim. This is explained by the Bi’ur Halacha that Parshas Devarim needs to precede Tisha B’Av in order to be able to lein the haftorah of chazon Yeshayahu. In general the haftorah speaks about the ideas or topics of the parsha. Just as Devarim has the rebuke of Moshe, so too the haftorah of chazon Yeshayahu is the rebuke of Yeshayahu about the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash.
May we listen to rebuke to correct our ways, and recognize the chessed of Hashem within the galus, and merit the building of the third Beis HaMikdash speedily in our days.
