Be True to Your Word
Parashat Matot-Masei, Numbers 30:2–36:13
Matt Absolon, Beth T’filah, Miramar, FL
Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, “This is what the Lord has commanded. If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. (Num 30:2–3)
The Torah places a high value on words. It even has a book named “Words,” or Devarim. God’s words are the vehicle through which our universe was created and God’s words are the vehicle that offer mankind the bread life. It is fundamentally central to the character of God that he is a “God of his word,” that is to say, that God means what he says. God is a God of integrity.
That is a very comforting thought.
The subject of words takes front and center stage as we open up this week’s portion. More specifically, the mitzvah that a man “shall not break his word.” The Hebrew for break, yachal, is often translated by the sages as “profane.” The imagery is that we should not sully or muddy our word.
In Psalm 12:6 we read, “The words of the Lord are pure.” We should strive to be like our Father, whose words are pure.
It’s a very Jewish thing for us to take our word with all earnestness. We are people of the Book, a book made up of words. We are then, quite literally, a people of words. And when we “give our word” in the colloquial sense, we understand that God is watching and recording.
As we open the services on the eve of Yom Kippur we start out with that ancient prayer of Kol Nidrei, translated as “All Vows.” The Kol Nidrei prayer draws its theological power from this week’s portion and it sets the tone of Yom Kippur. In reciting the Kol Nidrei we seek forgiveness for the vows and oaths we have spoken in vain or (in the case of persecution) under duress.
Why should we open Yom Kippur with the Kol Nidrei? Perhaps one answer might be found in the Psalms:
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? . . . he who swears to his own hurt and does not change. (Psa 15:1, 4)
In this psalm King David highlights one of the necessary character traits of those who will dwell on God’s holy mountain, those who keep their word even to their own hurt. The Kol Nidrei seeks to make amends before the Heavenly Court for our disingenuous vows and oaths, so that we might restore the integrity of our word before our God and King. On Yom Kippur we seek to restore our integrity and purity before God. We start by restoring our words.
As God’s children we must value the virtue of having integrity of our word.
Yeshua admonished our forefathers about the importance of integrity when we give our word. In Matthew 5 he tells the crowds gathered to hear his Sermon on the Mount, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
It is important for us as God’s people to display integrity and purity when we give our word. In the vows we vow and the oaths we pledge, we must live out the nature of our Heavenly Father, whose living Word is pure and bring us to eternal life.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Shabbat Shalom!