Welcome to Torah portions Mattot and Massei
Mattot means Tribes and Massei means Journeys
Scripture passage: Numbers 30:2-36:13
Read Aloud from My First Torah
YHVH always does what He says.
He expects us to always do what we say.
He has special rules for women.
When a young girl makes a promise, she must keep it.
But if her father hears the promise on the same day, he can say no.
Then she doesn’t have to keep that promise.
A married woman also follows the same rule.
Her husband can say yes or no to her promises on the same day.
This protects a woman from making a promise that she can’t keep.
YHVH told Moses to fight against the Midianites.
They had tried to get Israel to do wicked things, like worshipping other gods.
Moses sent 1,000 men from each tribe of Israel.
They fought the Midianites and killed all the kings and the men.
But they took captive the women and children.
Moses was angry, because it had been the women who tried to lead Israel into wickedness.
So they adopted the young girls into their families to be raised to love Torah.
Sometimes people are so wicked that they refuse to be taught about Torah and learn to do right.
YHVH knows who these people are and He chooses to punish or destroy them.
He always give people a chance to obey, and only destroys them when they refuse to obey.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad wanted to settle on the other side of the Jordan River, instead of crossing into the Promised Land.
Moses feared that they would settle outside the Promised Land and not help the other tribes claim the Promised Land.
But Reuben and Gad promised to fight alongside the other tribes.
They would not return to their homes until everyone had a place in the land.
So Reuben, Gad, and part of the tribe of Manasseh settled their families in the cities.
Then they prepared to go and fight in the Promised Land.
Israel had traveled to many places in the wilderness.
But now it was finally time to go into the Promised Land.
They would have to fight against the wicked people living there.
If they didn’t, the people would destroy them.
YHVH described how big the Promised Land would be.
It would go from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.
The Levites did not get an inheritance in the land.
They were given houses in the cities all through the land.
They were given the land just outside the cities for their animals.
Certain cities were called cities of refuge.
If a person killed another person by mistake, he went to the city of refuge.
He was safe there from anyone who might try to hurt him.
He did not murder, so he was not punished.
My First Torah is available as a full color paperback.
Suggested Activities
Copywork passage: Numbers 30:1-2; 35:9-12
Tracing copywork book for all the Torah portions
Coloring pages: Aish Challah crumbs
Read aloud stories: Aish
Worksheets for different ages: One Torah for all
Older child studies: Torah explorers Restoration of Torah
Torah together – small group Bible study for each portion, also suitable for families with older children
Lessons in Yeshua’s Torah – a book packed with activities for each Torah portion (affiliate link)
Morah, Morah, teach me Torah – a book written to help you teach preschool children (affiliate link)
Context for kids
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