Matos-Masei - 1st Portion

Join me as we learnish for Sunday for the Torah readings of Matos and Mase, the last two Torah readings of the book of Numbers. They are read combined and chapter 30 verse 2. Last week's Torah reading concluded with the Torah telling us about the sacrifices that were brought on the holidays as well. That a person was able to bring their donated sacrifices their that they voluntarily donated to bring uh sacrifices as well around the time of the holidays as well as those that they promised to give as well. This week's Torah reading starts with the laws pertaining to vows and oaths. Something different you will notice with this Torah reading that usually the Torah reading begins that God spoke to Moses saying this Torah reading begins with Moshe talking to the leaders of the tribes as Rashi explains why he begins with the leaders of the tribes because they are the ones to enuls as we'll see inside. And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the Jewish people saying this is the thing that God commanded explains why to the leaders of the tribe. He gave honor to the leaders that they should be taught first and only afterwards to all the Jewish people. How do we know that this was the case by as well by all the other commandments and all the other times that Mosh Moshe taught the Torah to the Jewish people this is what we find in the book of Exodus it says that all and all the leaders returned to Moshe and Moshe spoke to them only afterwards that all the Jewish people approached why specifically over here was it mentioned meaning that first the way Moshe would teach it in all the other cases was Moshe taught it to Aaron then he would uh then it was tar and the sons then to the leaders and then to the entirety of the Jewish people everything was said four times why in this case does it say specifically to the leaders and why doesn't mention here to teach us you need to have an individual who is thorough and who is an expert in the laws of vows But if I can't find the one expert in the laws of vows, I can use three ordinary people or maybe we can say that maybe this Torah reading was the only one that Moshe spoke to the leaders because of this one. It says to the leaders of the Jewish people. How do I know that even three people ordinary people can also know the vows? It says over here, "This is the thing you should know to do." And so it also tells us about the warning about not bringing sacrifices outside the holy temple. It says this is the thought just like it would say there to the son and told the Jewish people because over there it says clearly speak to and they should tell his sons and to the Jewish people. So to this reading was said to all the Jewish people. So therefore from here we know that if you cannot find an expert to enol the vows you can use also three ordinary people to enol the vow this is the thing when Moshe was telling Pharaoh the laws or the effect about the plague of the death of the firstborn he says so said God at midnight so too and all the other prophets in the later generations always use the terminology So said God, however, Moshe is greater than them. Moshe was able to say this because he had a greater relationship and a greater level of prophecy. While all the other prophec prophets use the terminology, so said God, Moshe was able to say this is what said God more particular because he saw what God was giving and therefore the only time you can use this is when you can point your finger to it and say this is what God said or this is what it is. Another explanation that the sages have learned from this word and it says this is the thing it's an exception to the rule to see over here that the Torah is going to tell us that when it comes to a nulling a vow there are two kinds of nulling a vow meaning the idea is that a wise man going to a scholar the terminology of a nulling devow means which means it's permitted to A husband however has the ability to to rem to to reneg the vow to be from the beginning and this is the terminology of the verse of and he will remove he will enol the vow what happens if they switch meaning that the scholar says or the husband says then there is no enoling and there is no permiss permissive ibility and the reason is because the way a scholar is able to enull a vow that is because he knows that the individual is regrets the very fact that they made the vow and because of that he can um anull the vow meaning make it permissible for this individual and therefore he makes as if this vow had no existence to begin with. However, when it comes to a vow that a husband does he only en knows the vow from here onward being that she didn't have permission to make the vow on her own. So whatever she accepted upon herself until now she has to keep and whatever goes from here and onward it is now anold. So over here is the word means to reverse but to reverse from here onward means it's permissible. The whole thing became impermissible to begin with as we'll see the difference as the Torah continues to tell us about the laws of vows. Verse three. If a man over 12 years old makes a vow or takes upon an oath to prohibit himself to take a prohibition on himself, he must not profane his word. Whatever comes out of his mouth, he must fulfill. The word for example if a person takes upon himself a not oath and he says I will not eat this food. You will not do this in this item. Therefore, one may think what if a person makes an oath and he says that I'm going to eat non-coosher food. That's not considered a valid vow and he does not have to keep it is be one would think maybe he has to keep it because he made a vow. Therefore, the Torah says, therefore, the Torah says lesser is to take a prohibition on himself. Meaning that he's not going to take something which is prohibited and make it permissible or something that on the contrary, he he's taking the idea that he's taking something upon himself which is permissible and he's making it prohibited. Should not make it profanely should not make his words weekday, meaning something which is insignificant. And therefore it should realize that everything a person says is holy. Verse four. If a woman makes a vow to God or she imposes upon herself a prohibition while she's in her father's house in her youth which is between the ages of 11 and 12 and a half. That is when the following laws apply to her. meaning in the ownership in the uh under her father's custody even if she doesn't live at home. What does it mean? The word in her young uh in her age meaning when she's young. What does this mean? What does this refer to? How old is she in her youth? Tells us she's not under 12 and she's not yet an adult. So therefore, as we mentioned, she's she's un um we're referring to her over here at what age? When she's 11, but she's younger than 12 and a half. So over here, we're talking about she is when she's younger, then of course she's in her father's custody because when a young child makes something, a promise is not worth anything. And an older woman is not in her father's custody that he should be able to um anull her vows. She's in a person on her own. So what is considered a young child? What's considered a youth that the father does have the ability to remove the vows from 11 years old on one day? Then we [snorts] can check her vows. And if she knows who was she making a vow to and who she was referring to when she made this prohibition and what this oath was all about, then her father has the ability to anull it. of after 12 years old in one day. We no longer have to check and all her vows and oaths are considered kept and her father does not have the ability and her father has the ability to anull it until she becomes 12 and a half because at 12 and a half she becomes a mature adult and she's no longer in the custody of her father. So all these laws that we're talking about is basically from 11 in one day until 12 and a half. But from 11 until 12, you can check to see if she was really uh understanding what she was saying. Verse five, her father will hear her pro her prohibition her vow and her prohibition that she took upon herself and her father is quiet about it. He's silent. Therefore, all those oaths that she took upon herself and any prohibition that she prohibited herself with will be kept and is binding. [snorts] Verse six, however, but if her father hinders her on the day that he hears it, any oath or any prohibition that she prohibited herself is not valid does not is not binding, God will forgive her because her father already hindered it. He did not allow her to accept that preventing her that vo vow or oath to take any force that if her father held her back meaning he was a hindrance from her keeping that vow for love because the reason is because he anulled the vow the word if it's coming from a pleasure what does the word pleasure mean and how does it refer her because when it says later on in the verse n Because [snorts] later on when it says that her husband heard her and made a vow and therefore he hinders her from making the vow. I say what pleasure does he have in this case to anold the vow. So therefore the simple interpretation of the word would be a hindrance a removal not allowing. Therefore we also find this later we also find this terminology used in other verses like we're going to find later on in chapter 32. Neon why will you remove why would we be a hindrance to the heart of the Jewish people as well as we find over there Rashi explains it talks about from king David where he talks about the rebuke of sadic that he doesn't allow him to enjoy the oil that was anointed with as well previously later previously in chapter 14 when he talks about the generation of the that the desert of the people of the desert were not able to go into the land of Israel and therefore God says you know tenui you know my ability or the fact that I caused myself to be removed from you or hindered you from going into the land of Israel. We're going to find that this terminology that God forgives her because that God forgives her for whatever reason it may be in the three different instances. We find at once when we talk about a a you a woman in her parents' home, we find this by an engaged woman that her husband or her father are both together. And as well in a married woman where her husband annuls her vow. In all of these three cases, we find the terminology that the Torah says that God will forgive. What is the Torah referring to that God says that he atoned that they're forgiven? Meaning, if we're talking about a woman that she knew that she made a vow and it was an old, what's happening here? Why does she need forgiveness? What's it referring to? It's talking about a woman who takes an oath upon herself that she wants to be an Azerite and her husband hears about it and he anold it and she did not know that her husband anold it. But she transgresses and abregates that vow and she drinks wine and she becomes impure to dead people which a Nazarite is not allowed. She would technically need an atonement for what she's done wrong if she isn't as right even though she had transgressed and abregated that vow. But the bottom line is that is uh it's already an old still an old she needs forgiveness. Now over here Rashi tells us from here we learn the severity of when it comes to a vow. If a person whose vow was anold and they still need atonement, they still need forgiveness. How much more so to a person who abregates his vow and they were not anold, how much more so that they need a place for forgiveness and atonement. Verse 7. If the if this woman between age 11 and 12 and a half she becomes married betrod to a man and therefore her vows are in force or she imposed or she or by the utterance of her lips that she took it upon herself. Over here she says what does it mean? Who we talking about and what age are we referring to? This is talking about a woman who's engaged. She's betrothed. That means a woman who is now betrothed to a man but she has not yet married that individual. Remember in the times of the Talmud in earlier times a person would go through a stage which was called ain and only a year later would they go through something called nisuin. There was the betroal which was at the beginning and then only a year later was the actual marriage. And that um was and like today we already do it all under here we're talking about a woman which is only engaged over here Rashi's questioning he says what is that oh are we talking about a woman or even a woman that is already married who already went to but then when it says later in verse 11 that if she did it while she was in her husband that's already a married woman so therefore I have to say that later on is talking about a married woman. That means in our case when we talk about if she's to a man and a man and she's connected to a man means it's only an engagement. So therefore, the Torah is coming to tell me that there's a difference between a woman who is married after and a woman just betrothed before actual marriage, which when it comes to a case that in this case when a woman's just engaged, her father and her husband have the ability together to enol the vow. However, and in this case, should the husband only enol or should the father only enol? If one of them only know, one party knows, it's not considered an you need to have both of them. So too as well, we don't have to say if one of them said that it's fine, then it's also still considered a vow. What does it mean and the vows aren't her? We're talking about a woman that during that time of her engagement, this is before her engagement, her vows would be hers, meaning that her father hasn't heard them and therefore they were not anoldled or they were not kept. Meaning they were not either way, they're hanging in the air if the husband or the or the father can either anold them. So we don't know clearly what the father's intent in this case is. Does he want to keep them or anold them? So therefore the verse continues and her husband hears about her fiance and it's not her husband yet. Her fiance hears about this on the day of her uh of her mentioning the vow and he's remained silent about it. And therefore all those vows that she made and and those prohibitions that she imposed upon herself will be remain valid and remain binding because the very fact that he remained silent and her fiance was silent that has confirmed them because as we mentioned in Rashi before you need the husband and the father to enol them. So from here we have that if the husband will remain silent and the father didn't hear about it that they are valid. Verse 9. But if what happens if the day that her husband her fiance we're talking about over here hears it he hinders her from keeping those vows and therefore he enols her vow that she took upon herself or the utterance of her lips he took upon herself to prohibit herself and God will forgive her verse I would think of that even if the father didn't The Torah of is telling us, I would think that even though the vows that this woman says, they already um enulled by the husband himself, even if the father didn't do it. Therefore, the Torah tells us later on in the next verse, that while a woman is in their youth, she's still in her father's home. as long as she's still in her youth, her father still has some custody over her, even after she is um even after she is betrothed to somebody else and even though she has a fiance and her fiance may have an it but you need a father to enol it as well. Verse 10, the nman and the vow of a of a um of a widow or a divorce. Anything that she takes upon herself, anything that any prohibition she takes upon herself is valid and is considered as is binding for her. Verse 10. Being that she's not in the custody of her father, not in the custody of her husband. Of course, we're talking about a widow, not from an engagement, but one from a marriage. And being that it's one from a marriage, so therefore, she is already an independent woman. So therefore, the moment her husband dies, I'm sorry. But if it was a widow that came from the betroal only and she is still not yet married. So so once the husband dies she now no her fiance I should say dies. Therefore she no longer has that liability or that custody of the husband on the fiance on her. However she goes back to her father and her father is the one that has to anull the vow. we're talking about over here. When does that vow become uh binding and when is it connected to the woman herself and nobody else has the ability to remove it is when it's from the marriage. So she no longer has that relationship with her father that the father no longer can be binding or anull the vow that the woman has taken. Verse 11. If however she um the woman married her fiance now and she vowed in her husband's house that's bas or she took upon a provision herself with an oath. Now we're talking about a married woman. So up until now we're talking about an engaged woman, a betrothed woman. And over here we're talking about a marriage and a husband, not a fiance. Verse 13. Um sorry verse 12 and the husband will hear and he is silent did not hinder her vow and therefore all her vows that she that he took upon she took upon herself are now binding and any prohibition that she prohibited herself with is now binding and is considered valid. Verse 13. However, if her husband were to anull those vows on the day that he hears it, anything that her lips uttered uttered uh on that day coming from her that her lips issued or said from that time or to prohibit herself are not valid. It's because her husband them and God will forgive her. verse 14 any [clears throat] any when we come to a vow so any vow or any binding oath which is one of self affliction the husband has the control over all those vows and oaths and he can either uphold them or he can enol them what is talking about when we talk about this ability of the husband to enull or keep and make them valid being that we already said that in the previous verses that the husband has the ability to anol it. So what's the addition that the Torah is telling us in this verse that that we mentioned before that the the husband is able to end all the vows. This refers to any type of vow that it only comes to do with self- afflicting vows. The only time that a husband can know the vow is only about vows which have to do with afflicting pain upon herself. Meaning by her keeping this vow this will cause her suffering. And in attracted it describes what kind of vows are considered one which are afflicting of pain that the husband has the ability to anol them. Verse 16. But if he changes his mind and enols them after having heard them he will bear iniquity. That means if she transgresses her vow oath thinking that it was anulled, he takes responsibility. Let's see. I'm sorry. We should not say the verse over here is telling us that he has 24 hours from the time of hearing it until the time of until the time that he has to anal 24 hours from the time that he hears the vow, but only until it gets dark. Once it gets dark, therefore specifically uses the terminology that he has until the end of the day from when he heard it to be able to anull it. And if he doesn't and if she makes it um if she makes that a vow at the end of the day which is only a small amount of time until it gets dark then he only has that small amount of time to be able to know it. If he doesn't then it becomes his responsibility. Verse 15 again if her husband if her husband remains silent about it during that one day the hake is called and therefore all her vows remain valid. and all those probition Allah that she took upon herself are now valid you know they're now considered as binding because he was quiet during that day as we mentioned before the tells us it doesn't mean a 24-hour period but it only is teaching you that he only has until dark to be able to keep those vows or to anol them verse 16 if however he changes his mind and he enols them after having heard He will bear the iniquity for it. after he heard the vow and he allowed it to be in existence. He says, "I have no problem. You're allowed to keep that vow." And then afterwards he goes and tries to know even that day. Sorry, you missed your chance. The moment you said you're fine with it, the vow is in full existence and you do not have the ability to enol it. In verse 17, these are the laws that God commanded Moshe concerning man and his wife between man and his daughter while in her father's in her youth while in her father's home. Oh, one more rashi we missed before in the previous one. He takes the problem. He takes gets the sin because of her. That means if she desecrates the vow because she thinks that the vow is now an old, it's his problem. We can we learn from that is somebody who causes somebody else to sin. He gets the that means he causes that person to sin forcefully that now becomes his problem and he gets punished for it. Like over here in the case where the woman thinks her vow is an elled because the husband told her he enelled it. Still in all the husband is the one that gets punished because of it. verse chapter 31 verse one and God spoke to Moshe saying if you recall we now go back to the historical narrative that we mentioned before that the Jewish people are about to enter the land of Israel. If you recall at the end of Balok we were talking about when the Jewish people are now 38 years later or actually middle of we got to where the Jewish people are 38 years later about to enter the land of Israel. They waged war against the Moabites. The Midionites then sent their women out to seduce the Jewish people and caused them to sin with with the idolatry of Por and Bum the wicked was from the Midionites as well. Because of this, now God tells the Jewish people to take revenge against these Midionites as these Midionites, they had nothing to do with the Jewish people. They would came out of the blue and tried to create a war against them. And therefore, as we're going to learn now, God tells Moshe to take revenge on these Midionites. Verse two, take revenge for the Jewish people against the Medidionites. Afterwards, you will die and you will be gathered to your people. Why of the Medidionites? As we mentioned, they were the ones who caused the Jewish people to sin with the idolatry of and with their promiscuity and not from the Moabites because the fact the re of the the reality is that the Moabites were afraid that the Jewish people were going to attack them. So therefore they were looking for tactics to be able to fend off what they perceived as an enemy. However, and at this point and as well they were afraid of the Jewish people after they saw what they did to the Amorites that they were next. Even though it says by the Moabites you should not make a war against them. And because as we mentioned we had to we had to warn them. We were allowed to take their property, but they weren't going to kill them. However, the Midianites, they came to a war that wasn't theirs. Nobody asked them to come over here. The Jewish people weren't even dealing with them. And because of that, God says, you go now and take revenge of them. They hated the Jews so much, you can go take revenge and wipe them out. Another explanation over here is do not hurt the Moabites because there are two beautiful birds. It's the terminology used good ones that are going to come from the Moabites. Who are they? Ruth Samia Ruth the Moabitete and Nama the Ammonite who both of them converted to Judaism and they were great and holy people which were the root of the king of the the lineage of the kingdom of Yehuda. And therefore, God doesn't tell them to get rid of the Moabites and the Ammonites. However, when it comes to the Midionites, as we mentioned previously, they mixed into a war that's not theirs. And with this, God tells them to attack the Midionites. And therefore Moshe speaks to the Jewish people saying arm from you arm from among you righteous men for the army and they should be able to go to battle against Midan to take revenge to carry out the revenge of God against Midion. Verse three, even though that Moshe knew that after this battle with the Midionites, he's going to pass. Still in all he did what God told him with joy and he did not delay. What is the word? Arm arm but do it in a hasteful way like hurry up let's get this done uses the terminology menim righteous people. So too we find in the book of Exodus when it talks about the war against pick for us righteous people wise people are well known as he uses in the terminology of Deuteronomy whenever the word anosim it means distinguished individuals nikmas the revenge of God over here he doesn't say your revenge over here he's telling because when God told Moshe take revenge from the Jewish people from the Midionites and he uses the terminology God's revenge This teaches us that somebody who wages war, God forbid, against the Jewish people, it's as if he is considered waging war against God. Recognize that when you start with the Jewish people, you're starting with God. Verse four, Moshe tells them how many pen should you get. So he says as follows, you should must send a thousand per tribe from each tribe of all the tribe from each tribe of the Jewish people. you're going to send to the army to tell us that even the tribe of Levy were taking part in this war even though in other wars they did not take part even in the ones of conquering the land of Israel. However, in this war they were going to take part. Verse five is and therefore was given from the thou it was given over from the thousands of Jewish people of thousands of each tribe which gives you a total of 12,000 armed for battle. to tell us the greatness of the shepherds of the Jewish people, how much the Jews love them. Meaning what the Jewish people when they heard when Moshe saying, "Oh boy, soon as we see in the book of Exodus, when the Jewish people were complaining that there was no water and Mosha says, "What am I going to do? They're going to kill me." Meaning when they were angry they were not worried about killing Mosha's life. But over here in this case when they heard that Moshe's life is dependent on the fact that they have to wage war against Midian and they knew that after the Midionite war Moshe is going to die. They said no no no we don't want to go to war. Therefore it says byru they had to be forced to be able to send their people and recognize that this was a war that they had to wage whether they like it or not. But they were reluctant because they knew that Mosha's passing was dependent on it. Verse six. Mosha sent them thousand to each tribe to the war and the son of the war and the vessels and the holy vessels with them the sacred vessels was with them and the trumpets of assembling of sounding were in his possession as well. Why did pin go along? Why was why say them and to tell us that was as valuable and was equal like all 12,000 in his righteousness. Why in this case was the one to go wage the war and not aler's father who was the high priest. God said the one who started the mitzvah that killing Kusby the daughter of Sur which was the Midionite princess with with Zimri. He should finish the mitzvah and destroy the rest of the Midionites. Another explanation, he went to take revenge for something for Yoseph, the father of his mother. What does this mean? That the Midionites were the ones that sold him as a slave. So he went to take revenge for his grandfather. Where do we find this? In the book of Genesis, it says that the Midionites sold him to Egypt. How do we know that it was the mother of Yseph? Because it says Allah are married from the daughters of so one that means there's different opinions of who this person was. So we have over here who is Putiel. So this Putiel from his father you have one from his father one from his mother. So from the children of Isra who gave who fattened calves for idolatry before he converted. And as well, he was also from the children of Yoseph who was able to con conquer his uh evil inclination that when the daughter when the wife of Patifer tried to seduce him, he was able to stand strong. So over here the word Putiel means that he was a descendant of both descendant of Israel and the descendant of Ysef as well. And therefore he's going to take revenge of the Midionites who sold him to Egypt. Another explanation is because why did Pinas go and not because Pinas was the one that was anointed and was appointed to be the one to wage war that was a Cohen who was appointed for to speak to the Jewish people and prepare them for war and this was because the Cohen Guttle cannot be the one to go out to war because at times there's impurities and so on. So therefore there was a co who his job was responsible for the wars and this was responsibility. What are the sacred vessels that went with him that was the ark and the tits? The sits was the headband that the co were what was the reason why they needed this and that is because with them and he was able to make the kings of Midian fly in the air through magic and he would also fly with them with magic and therefore it was very difficult to kill them. What the pinn did was he showed them the headband of the that the coal were that God's name was engraved on it and when they would show it towards them they would fall and they would be killed they would fall on the dead bodies from the sky that's why it says byum for Yeshua that it says that bum the son of Bor who was the magician he was killed with the Jewish people by sword on the dead bodies of the Jewish people in his hand not that he was holding the ark and the trumpets It's literally in his hand at all times. It wasn't in his domain. The terminology that he took his whole hand. What does it mean? It took his whole land with his hand. He took it into his property. He took it into his domain. Verse seven. And they mounted an attack against Midan like God commanded Moshe. And they call and they killed every male. Verse eight. and the kings of Midian they killed on their um on their on their bodies meaning they were killing they killed all the kings of Midan he names them these were the five kings of Midan the son of they killed by sword if I count them I can count and I see that there is five. Why does the Torah have to enumerate and tell me number five? The Torah is not redundant. The Torah is not superflous and telling me things that are self- obvious. So why does the Torah have to tell me I count the five if I can see that there are five there? They were both all agreeing in the same idea to be able to plot against the Jewish people to seduce them and cause them with this idolatry and because of that both of them got the same punishment as well. as well as we find how was bum there at the time of the war. Why was bum there? So over here bum went to be able to get paid because he says look I was a success. I got 24,000 Jews killed because of my plot that I told you to seduce the Jewish women the the men that he went from to give to towards the Jewish people and give them bad advice. He said to them if there was 60,000 600,000 you weren't able to challenge them with 600,000 you couldn't get us. And now with 12,000 you think. So therefore [snorts] they gave him the reward. They paid him and did not hold back his payment. And therefore they killed him as well together with everybody else because his whole job over here was only coming to show terrible things against the Jewish people because as over here bum was trying to convince the Jewish people to go back and said look you weren't successful at 600,000. Why do you think you're going to get them with 12? However, they killed Bum by sword. What is this telling us? Why is he tell us specifically? Because Bum came along and he tried changing warfare for warfare. Meaning that the Jewish people's warfare is with words. He tried using words to be able to hurt them because the Jewish people are helped with words, meaning through prayer and asking God for forgiveness. And he came along and used their warfare to try to curse them with his mouth. of therefore when they attacked they used his warfare because his warfare is sword because God blessed blessed that he will be able to fight again that that he lives by the sword. So the Jewish people came by the sword and killed Bam with his warfare as he tried to use their warfare against them. Verse N. And the Jewish people took the Midionite women, their small children captive, and they plundered all their beasts, livestock, and all their possessions. Verse 10, and all their and all the residential cities, their castles, they set in they set on fire. What does it mean? They're protected places. The place where the important people will live. Translated as the castles. Another explanation. The place where the important people would sit. The leaders of the so we find the same terminology which means their castles, their empires, the place where they would uh be. Verse 11. They took all the booty and all the plunder that of the man and the beast. And they brought it to motion to the community of the Jewish people. I'm sorry we verse 11, we missed the rashy there. Rashi verse 11. It tells us about the people that went to war that they were holy and great. They did not steal to take booty that wasn't theirs. They took everything that was there and about these people of war. It's mentioned in the book of song of songs meaning in the words of the prophet that was that we received in prophecy. That's why Rashi calls it words of kabalo that their teeth of these strong people was like the ones of sheep that you didn't see any blemish in them. All the people that went to war were purely righteous and holy people. The booty we're referring to over here the movable items like clothing and jewelry. The other booty which refers to over here is because he uses two terminology as we'll see in the following verse. He uses the terminology the shal and the buzz. What is the buzz? That is the beauty of movable items which is not jewelry. over here the word Maloyak as he says in verse 12 as we're soon going to see is the as well the captives and all the plunder that they were able to get. So we see the word Malayak when it uses the word Malayak alone it's referring to livestock as well as it can mean people captives or animals and where it says by the word so then the refers to the people refers to the livestock verse 12 they brought to the community the Jewish people the captives and the animals and the plunder to the camp to the plains of yaldi that are by the Jordan River that the Jewish people at the time were by the Jordan River. This concludes the first Torah reading for parases mates and mass combined.