Matot
Portion of Torah
Matot, Mattot, Mattoth, or Matos (מַּטּוֹת—Hebrew for "tribes", the fifth word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 42nd weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the ninth in the Book of Numbers. It comprises Numbers 30:2–32:42. It discusses laws of vows, the destruction of Midianite towns, and negotiations of the Reubenites and Gadites to settle land outside of Israel.
The parashah is made up of 5,652 Hebrew letters, 1,484 Hebrew words, 112 verses, and 190 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah). Jews generally read it in July or early August. The lunisolar Hebrew calendar contains up to 55 weeks, the exact number varying between 50 in common years and 54 or 55 in leap years. In some leap years (for example, 2014), parashah Matot is read separately. In most years (all coming years until 2035 in both the Diaspora and Israel), parashah Matot is combined with the next parashah, Masei, to help achieve the number of weekly readings needed.
Readings
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot.
First reading—Numbers 30:2–17
In the first reading, Moses told the heads of the Israelite tribes God's commands about commitments (נדרים, nedarim, commonly translated, or some say mistranslated, as "vows").
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Matot” is portion of Torah. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Matot, Portion and Torah, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “portion of Torah” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1634541. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2014 and 2035.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Matot”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Matot primary sources, Matot archive and Matot research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Matot” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.