Hidden Treasures

In Numbers 32:16, the people of Gad and Reuven say to Moshe: גִּדְרֹת צֹאן נִבְנֶה לְמִקְנֵנוּ פֹּה, וְעָרִים, לְטַפֵּנוּ — gidrot tson nivneh l’mikneinu poh, v’arim l’tapeinu, we will build sheepfolds for our cattle here, and cities for our little ones. But in Numbers 32:24, Moshe reverses the order saying, בְּנוּ-לָכֶם עָרִים לְטַפְּכֶם, וּגְדֵרֹת לְצֹנַאֲכֶם — banu lachem arim l’tapechem, ug’derot l’tsonakhem, build cities for your little ones and sheepfolds for your cattle.  Moshe then adds on another phrase in line 24: וְהַיֹּצֵא מִפִּיכֶם, תַּעֲשׂוּ — v’hayotsei mipikhem, ta’asu, and do that which has proceeded from your mouths. The Berditchever addresses this in the following teaching:

Why did Moshe reply to them in the reverse: “build cities for your little ones and sheepfolds for your cattle,” and what is the relationship here with “…which has proceeded from your mouths”?

The Chazal (sages of blessed memory) say that, once, people were fed on account of the innocent animals, cattle and sheep. As the Yerushalmi relayed in the story of Alexander of Macedonia:

Alexander of Macedonia once went into a country and attended the trial of two men. One of the men had purchased a ruin (old house) from the other and the buyer of the ruin found therein a great treasure. The buyer argued that he had purchased only the ruin and not what was inside it. Therefore, the treasure belonged to the seller. The seller argued that he had sold the ruin together with all that was found inside it and therefore, the treasure belonged to the buyer.

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