“This is Parashat Mattot. From here until the ending of B’midbar (Numbers), the subject of Tribes is in full view. HaShem is preparing the desert-weary people for entering into their long-awaited inheritance. After 40 years of wandering under the divine judging hand of the Almighty, coupled with over 400 years in physical, mental, and (in every way) spiritual bondage in a foreign land, the descendants of Avraham are finally ready to have a land of their own!”

“Parashat Masa’ei (say “mah-sah-ey”) marks the end of the book of B’midbar (Numbers). As the book closes, we find the people anxiously poised in the east side of the Yarden (Jordan) wanting to finally leave this Wilderness (Heb: midbar) and enter into the promise that HaShem made so long ago with their forefathers.

Moshe takes this opportunity to recount each significant encampment along the way of their long and arduous journey. In a way, his narrative in chapter 33 serves as a look back from where they’ve come, anticipating where they are headed.”