Torah Feed

Parashat Matot-Masei

Matot and Masei are read together in most years. Together they cover Numbers 30:2 to 36:13, 244 verses.

Updated September 24, 2026

מַטּוֹת־מַסְעֵי

Book
Numbers
Reading
30:2 to 36:13
Verses
244
Position
42 of 54

Opening verse

וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־רָאשֵׁי הַמַּטּוֹת לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה׃

And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying: This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded.

Numbers 30:2

Read the full text from the start of the portion: Numbers 30 in Hebrew and English.

Summary

Matot (Numbers 30:2 to 32:42)

Moses teaches the tribal heads the laws of vows and oaths, and when a father or husband may annul them. God commands a war against Midian for the affair at Baal Peor; a thousand men from each tribe go out, and the spoils are divided between the soldiers, the community, the priests and the Levites. The tribes of Reuben and Gad, rich in cattle, ask to settle on the east side of the Jordan. Moses is furious, hearing in the request an echo of the scouts who discouraged their brothers. They agree to cross over armed and fight until the land is conquered, and Moses grants their request, adding half of Menashe.

Masei (Numbers 33:1 to 36:13)

The book of Numbers closes with a record of the forty-two stations from Rameses in Egypt to the plains of Moab, each one named. God sets the borders of the land to be inherited and names the leaders who will divide it. The Levites receive forty-eight cities with surrounding pasture, six of them cities of refuge where someone who killed by accident may flee from the blood avenger until the death of the high priest. A deliberate murderer may not ransom his life. Finally the tribe of Menashe raises a concern: if the daughters of Tzelofchad marry outside the tribe, their land will pass to another tribe. They agree to marry within it.

Key moments

  • Vows and oaths (30:2 to 30:17)
  • The war against Midian (31:1 to 31:54)
  • Reuben and Gad east of the Jordan (32:1 to 32:42)
  • The forty-two journeys (33:1 to 33:49)
  • The borders of the land (34:1 to 34:15)
  • Cities of refuge (35:9 to 35:34)

When is Matot-Masei read?

Upcoming Shabbat readings in the Diaspora calendar:

  • Saturday, July 31, 2027
  • Saturday, July 22, 2028
  • Saturday, July 14, 2029