[Par-lite] Parshat Masei - shiur

[Menachem Leibtag]

*********************************************
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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]

          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag

*********************************************
****************

 

                        PARSHAT MAS'EI

               The Borders of the Land of
Israel

                               

     What are the precise borders of the Land
of Israel?

     From the story of Bnei Gad & Reuven in
Parshat Matot

(chapter 32), it seems as though the borders
of Israel are

rather 'expandable', while in Parshat Mas'ei
(chapter 33) they

appear to be quite fixed.  In the following
shiur, we examine

the biblical roots of this complicated topic.

 

INTRODUCTION

     Two clichés, both based on psukim in
Tanach, are commonly

used to describe the expanse of the borders
of the Land of

Israel:

     (A) 'from the Nile to the Euphrate'

     (B) 'from Dan to Beer Sheva'

 

     The discrepancy between these two
borders is immense!

According to (A), Eretz Yisrael encompasses
almost the entire

Middle East, while according to (B), Israel
is a tiny country

not much bigger than the state of Rhode
Island.

     So which cliché is more 'correct'?

 

THE BORDERS IN PARSHAT MAS'EI

     We begin our study with chapter 34 in
Parshat Mas'ei, for

it contains what appears to be a very precise
description of

the borders of the Land of Israel:

  "And God spoke to Moshe saying: Command
Bnei Yisrael and

  tell them, when you enter Eretz Canaan,
this is the land

  which shall become your inheritance - Eretz
Canaan

  according to its borders.  Your southern
border, from

  Midbar Tzin... " (see 34:1-13).

 

     Over the centuries, many attempts have
been made to

identify each location mentioned in this
chapter.  In regard

to the eastern and western borders, i.e. the
Mediterranean Sea

(34:6) and the Jordan River (34:11-12), there
really isn't

much to argue about.  In regard to the
southern border, most

commentators agree that it follows a line
from the southern

tip of the Dead Sea until El-Arish, i.e.
slight south of the

Beer Sheva-Gaza line in the northern part of
the Negev.

  However, in regard to the northern border,
we find a variety

of opinions:

     The 'minimalist' opinions identify the
northern border in

the area of today's Southern Lebanon, i.e.
along the Litani

River - until it meets the Metulla area (what
used to be

called the 'good fence').   On the other
hand, the

'maximalist' opinions identify the northern
border somewhere

up in Turkey and Northern Syria.

 

THE EASTERN FRONTIER

  To complicate matters, the 'eastern border'
of the Land of

Israel presents us with another problem.
Even though Parshat

Mas'ei states explicitly that the Jordan
river forms the

eastern border of Eretz Canaan, the 'deal'
that Moshe Rabbeinu

makes with 'bnei Gad u-bnei Reuven' (see
31:1-54) clearly

indicates that that it is possible to expand
this eastern

border to include what is known today as
Transjordan.

     As you review that story, note how Moshe
Rabbeinu grants

the area of Transjordan to the tribes of Gad,
Reuven, and

Menashe as their official inheritance - even
though it's only

on the condition that they fulfill their vow
to help everyone

else conquer the western bank!  [The fact
that this area

indeed becomes their 'official inheritance'
can also be proven

from Yehoshua chapters 13->14, and 22.]

               ====

 

  So why are the borders of Eretz Yisrael so
ambiguous?  Are

they vast or small?  Are they fixed or
expandable?  Are

certain parts of the 'Holy Land' holier than
others?

     To answer this question, and to
understand why this topic

is so complicated, we must return to Sefer
Breishit and

carefully examine the psukim that describe
the land that God

promised to the Avot.

 

THE LAND PROMISED TO AVRAHAM AVINU

     Recall from Parshat Lech Lecha, that
when God first chose

Avraham Avinu to become His special nation,
at that same time

He also promised him a special land.  [See
Breishit 12:1-7.

See also Breishit 13:14-17, 15:18, 17:7-8.]

  [If you'd like to see additional sources
regarding the

  promise of the Land to our forefathers, see
Breishit

  22:17-18, 26:2-5, 28:3-4, 28:13-14,
35:11-12, 46:1-4,

  48:4 & 21.]

  

     In God's first three promises to
Avraham, note how He

describes the land in very general terms,
without any precise

borders.  For example:

1)  In Ur Kasdim:

  "Go forth from your native land & from your
father's

  house to the land which I will show you"
(see 12:1).

2)  At Shchem:

     "I will assign this land to your
offspring" (see 12:7).

3)  At Bet-El:

  "Raise your eyes and look out from where
you are... for I

  give all the land which you see" (see
13:15).

 

     However, later on in Parshat Lech Lecha,
when Avraham

Avinu enters into two covenants ['britot']
with God concerning

the future homeland of his progeny, we
finally find a more

detailed definition of the land.  However, as
we will now

show, each covenant appears to describe a
different set of

borders!

 

1)  At BRIT BEIN HA-BTARIM: / 'HA-ARETZ'

     Let's begin by quoting the pasuk in
'brit bein ha-btarim'

where God promised the Land to Avraham,
noting how it details

the borders:

  "On that day God made a covenant with
Avraham, saying: to

  your offspring I assign this land, from the
river of

  Egypt [the Nile] to the river, the river
Euphrates, the

  Kenites, Knizites ...(the ten nations)"
(Breishit

  15:18-20).

  

     The land defined by these borders is
immense!  It extends

in the northeast from the Euphrates River
that flows from

northern Syria to the Persian Gulf, and in
the southwest from

the sources of the Nile River in Ethiopia
down to the port

city of Alexandria!  [Undoubtedly, this
covenant is the source

for the popular phrase 'from the Nile to the
Euphrates'.]

 

2)  At BRIT MILA: / 'ERETZ CANAAN'

     Two chapters later in Sefer Breishit, we
find how God

enters yet another covenant with Avraham, and
once again He

mentions the land as part of that covenant,
yet its

description is quite different:

  "And I shall establish My covenant between
Me and you,

  and your descendants... and I assign the
land in which

  you sojourn to you and your offspring to
come, all the

  land of Canaan,..., and I shall be for you
a God" (see

  17:7-8).

 

     Note how according to this covenant, the
'promised land'

is much smaller.  Although this is the first
time in Chumash

where we find the expression Eretz Canaan,
the borders of

Canaan, son of Cham, have already been
described in Parshat

Noach:

  "And the border of the Canaani was from
Sidon (the Litani

  valley in Lebanon) down the coastal plain
to Grar and

  Gaza, [and likewise from Sidon (down the
Syrian African

  Rift)] to Sdom, Amora... [area of the Dead
Sea]"

                           (see Breishit
10:19).

  [Note that this is the only border which is
detailed in

  the genealogies of Breishit chapter 10,
most probably

  because it is needed as background
information to later

  understand Parshat Lech Lecha!]

 

     This biblical definition of Eretz Canaan
correlates (more

or less) with the general locale in which the
forefathers

sojourned - 'eretz megurecha' (see 17:8).  In
the various

stories in Sefer Breishit, we find how the
Avot lived [and

traveled] in the area bounded by Beer Sheva
and Gerar to the

south (see 21:22-33, 28:10, 46:1), and the
area of Shchem and

Dotan (37:12-17) to the north.  Further
north, recall as well

how Avraham chased his enemy as far north as
Dan, in his

battle against the Four Kings (see Breishit
14:14)!

  [Undoubtedly, this border reflects the
popular phrase:

  'from Dan to Beer Sheva'.  This phrase is
used several

  times later in Tanach to define the people
living in the

  Land of Israel.  For example: "And all of
Israel, from

  Dan to Beer Sheva, knew that Shmuel was a
trustworthy..."

  (See Shmuel Aleph 3:20, see also Shoftim
20:1 and

  Melachim Aleph 5:4-5).

 

TWO BORDERS / TWO TYPES OF KEDUSHA

     In summary, the source for the
conflicting borders of

Eretz Yisrael appears to lie in these two
different

definitions of the Land, one in brit bein
ha-btarim and the

other in brit mila.  Therefore, we assume
that these different

borders reflect the different purpose of each
covenant.

  To appreciate their difference, we must
return to our study

of Sefr Breishit, and the purpose of those
two covenants.

  

  In our study of Sefer Breishit, we
discussed its theme of

'bechira' - i.e. how God entered a
relationship with Avraham

Avinu in order that his offspring would
become a 'model

nation' in a special land, whose purpose
would be to bring the

'Name of God' to all mankind.  Towards that
goal, God

fortified that special relationship with two
covenants - 'brit

bein ha-btarim' and 'brit mila', each one
reflecting a

different aspect of the future relationship
between God and

His nation.

     The very first time that God spoke to
Avraham, He had

already 'promised' the concept of a nation
and a land (see

12:1-8, 13:14-17).  However, the details of
how that nation

would form and ultimately inherit the land
only unfold several

chapters later.

 

BRIT BEIN HA-BTARIM

     After Avraham's military defeat of the
Four Kings (and

hence his first conquest of the Land / see
chapter 14),

chapter 15 describes how God initiates a
'covenant' - better

known as brit bein ha-btarim - that
reinforces His original

promise from chapter 12.  However, even
though that covenant

reassures Avraham that his offspring will
indeed conquer

('yerusha') the Land one day; God also
informs Avraham at that

time that it won't happen immediately!
Instead, some four

hundred years will pass, during which his
offspring must

endure slavery in a foreign land; and only
afterward will they

gain their independence and conquer the
'promised land'.  [See

Breishit 15:1-19, especially 13-18.]

     As you review the psukim that describe
brit bein ha-

btarim, note how the land is consistently
referred to as 'ha-

aretz' (and not Eretz Canaan!), and its
borders will extend

from the 'Nile to the Euphrates' - the land
of [then occupied

by] the ten nations (see 15:18-20).

     Hence we conclude that this covenant
reflects the

historical / national aspect of Am Yisrael's
relationship with

God, for it emphasizes that Avraham's
children will become a

sovereign nation at the conclusion of a long
historical

process (better known as Yetziat Mitzrayim).

  Finally, note as well that throughout this
covenant, the

word yerusha is consistently used to describe
the future

conquest of the land, and Hashem's Name is
'shem Havaya'.

 

BRIT MILA (Breishit chapter 17)

     Several years later, immediately prior
to the birth of

his only son from Sarah, God enters yet
another covenant with

Avraham - better know as brit mila.  In
preparation for this

covenant, God first changes Avram's name to
Avraham and then

promises that He will enjoy a special
relationship with his

offspring - 'lihyot lachem le-Elokim' - to be
'a close God for

them'.  [See Breishit 17:3-9.]

     This covenant seems to reflect a more
'personal'

relationship between God and His people, not
only at the

national level, but more so at the personal -
family level; a

special intimacy with the Divine.  In this
covenant, note how

the Promised Land is referred to as Eretz
Canaan", and the

future inheritance of the land is referred to
as 'achuza' (in

contrast to the use of the word 'yerusha' in
brit bein ha-

btarim).

 

     Hence, we can conclude that there are
two aspects in

regard to the 'kedusha' (sanctity) of Eretz
Yisrael:

 

(A)  The NATIONAL aspect

     The 'kedushat ha-aretz' of brit bein
ha-btarim relates to

the conquest of the land (yerushat ha-aretz)
and the

establishment of a national entity - a
sovereign state.  This

kedusha is only realized once Bnei Yisrael
attain sovereignty,

as was the case in the time of Yehoshua.  For
example, the

obligation to give tithe from the land (i.e.
'trumot u-

ma'asrot') only begins once the land is
conquered.

               [See Rambam, Hilchot Trumot,
first chapter!]

 

(B)  The PERSONAL aspect -

     The kedushat Eretz Canaan of brit mila
already existed in

the time of the Avot and remains eternal.
This kedusha

reflects God's special Providence over this
land (see Vayikra

chapter 18), no matter who is living in the
land.  This

intrinsic kedusha is forever present no
matter who is

sovereign over the Land, be it Persians,
Romans, Crusaders,

Turks, British etc.  [Let's hope that there
will not be a need

to add any others to this list in our own
generation.]

 

     The following table summarizes our
analysis thus far:

 

        THE VAST BORDERS        THE LIMITED
BORDERS

       ================
===================

PHRASE:   Nile to the Euphrates   from Dan to
Beer Sheva

COVENANT:   Brit bein Ha-btarim    Brit mila

NAME:       ha-aretz               Eretz
Canaan

ASPECT:     National               Personal

ACQUIRED BY: yerusha=sovereignty   achuza

 

YERUSHA & ACHUZA

     To clarify this distinction, let's take
a closer look at

two key words that describe our acquisition
of Eretz Yisrael

in each covenant:

     (A)  In brit bein ha-btarim - yerusha
(Br.15:3,4,7,8);

     (B)  In brit mila - achuza (Br.17:8).

 

     In Chumash, the word 'ye-ru-sha' implies
conquest, which

leads to sovereignty, i.e. military control
over an area of

land.  [Not to be confused with its popular
usage, 'ye-ru-

sheh', usually referring to an inheritance
that one receives

from a parent.]

     This sovereign power can then apportion
that land, or

sell it, to its inhabitants.  Once acquired
in this manner,

the purchaser of this land can then sell or
give his portion

to anyone he may choose.  Usually, if the
owner dies, the land

is automatically inherited by his next of
kin.  In Chumash,

this type of ownership is known as achuza
(and/or nachala).

 

     For example, when Sarah dies Avraham
must acquire an

'achuzat kever' - a family burial plot (see
Breishit 23:4).

He must first purchase the plot from the
Hittites, for at that

time they are the sovereign power.
Accordingly:

  (A)  Brit bein ha-btarim, the national
aspect, uses the

  word yerusha for it foresees Am Yisrael's
conquest of the

  Land.

  (B)  Brit mila uses the word achuza for it
emphasizes

  one's personal connection to the land.

 

AT THE CROSSROADS OF THE MIDDLE EAST

     Based on our understanding of these two
covenants, their

conflicting borders can be reconciled.

     Avraham Avinu was chosen to be a nation
that would become

a blessing for all nations (see Br. 12:3).
In that promise,

the special land set aside for that nation is
called ha-aretz.

In brit bein ha-btarim, ha-aretz is defined
as the land

between the Nile and Euphrates.  These two
rivers don't

necessarily need to be understood as borders;
rather as

'limits' of expansion!  Let's explain why.

    Never in the history of mankind have
these rivers marked

the border between two countries.  Instead,
these rivers were

the underlying cause for the formation of
thohe two centers of

ancient civilization - i.e. Mesopotamia
('nehar Prat') and

Egypt ('nehar Mitzrayim').  [See 15:18-21.]

     Therefore, as brit bein ha-btarim
reflects the national

aspect of our relationship with God, its
borders - or the

'limits of its expansion' - reflect our
nation's destiny to

become a blessing to all mankind.  We are to
become a nation

'declaring God's Name' at the crossroads of
the two great

centers of civilization.  The location of
this land between

these two rivers enables that goal, and hence
reflects this

aspect of our nation purpose.

 

THE 'KERNEL'

     The more precise geographic borders of
this special land

are defined in brit mila as Eretz Canaan -
'the land in which

our forefathers sojourned'.  Because this
land is destined to

become the homeland for God's special nation,
it possesses

intrinsic kedusha.  It is this sanctity which
makes the land

sensitive to the moral behavior of any of its
inhabitants (see

Vayikra 18:1-2,24-28).

     Hence, the most basic borders of Eretz
Yisrael are those

of 'Eretz Canaan', i.e. 'from Dan to Beer
Sheva', as promised

in brit mila.  These borders constitute a
natural geographic

area; Eretz Canaan is bordered by the
Mediterranean Sea on the

West, the Negev desert on the South, the
Syrio-African Rift

(Jordan River) to the East, and the Lebanon
Mountain Range to

the North [the Litani River valley].

     Once this 'kernel' area is conquered, in
potential its

borders can be (but do not have to be)
extended.  The limits

of this expansion - from nehar Mitzrayim to
nehar Prat (as set

in brit bein ha-btarim) could be understood
as 'limits' rather

than 'borders'; as each river represents a
center of ancient

civilization.

     After conquering Eretz Canaan, Am
Yisrael can, if

necessary, expand its borders by continuous
settlement

outward, up until (but not including) the two
ancient centers

of civilization, Egypt and Mesopotamia.

 

EXPANDING KEDUSHA

     This interpretation explains why
Transjordan does not

acquire kedushat ha-aretz until Eretz Canaan
is conquered.

Bnei Gad & Reuven must first help conquer the
'kernel' area of

Eretz Canaan.  Afterwards, this kedusha can
be 'extended' to

Transjordan.  [Note the use of the phrase
'lifnei Hashem' in

Bamidbar chapter 32, especially in 32:29-30.]

     When Bnei Gad & Reuven follow the terms
of their

agreement with Moshe, not only do they help
Bnei Yisrael

conquer Eretz Canaan, they also facilitate
Transjordan

becoming an integral part of Eretz Yisrael
('ha-aretz').

 

THE RAMBAM's DEFINITION OF ERETZ YISRAEL

     In his Yad HaChazaka, the Rambam must
provide a

'halachic" definition of Eretz Yisrael, for
many mitzvot apply

only in that Land.  He does so in the first
chapter of Hilchot

Trumot & Ma'asrot [in Sefer Zraim]

     As trumot & ma'asrot are laws that apply
only in Eretz

Yisrael, the Rambam must provide a precise
definition of its

borders.  Although one would expect a
geographical definition,

to our surprise we find instead a 'political'
one!

  "Eretz Yisrael - whenever which is
mentioned anywhere (in Yad

  Hachazaka) - includes those lands that are
conquered by a

  King of Israel or by a 'navi' with the
backing of the

  majority of Am Yisrael ..." (see I:1-2).

 

     Note how Rambam defines the borders of
Eretz Yisrael as

the area under Israeli 'conquest' [=
yerusha].  Whatever area

within the Land is under Am Yisrael's
sovereignty is

considered 'halachically' as Eretz Yisrael.

     Based on the above shiur, we can
understand the reason

for this strange definition.

     Certainly, Jewish sovereignty doesn't
make any geographic

area 'holy'.  As Rambam himself explains in
the third halacha,

it is only if this conquest takes place
within an area of 'the

land that was promised to Avraham Avinu -
i.e. the borders of

Eretz Canaan as promised to Avraham at brit
mila, and defined

in Parshat Mas'ei.  However, this area
reaches it fullest

level of kedusha only once Am Yisrael
conquers it.

     Then, once this 'kernel' area is
conquered, Am Yisrael

can expand its borders up until Bavel [=
nehar Prat] and

Mitzrayim [= nehar Mitzrayim].  However, as
Rambam explains in

the third halacha, this expansion can take
place only after

the 'kernel' area of Eretz Canaan is first
conquered.

     Finally, in the fifth halacha, Rambam
uses this to

explain why the kedusha of the Land [=
'kibbush rishon'] was

annulled when the first bet ha-mikdash was
destroyed.  Because

the kedusha of the land (in relation to
trumot u-ma'asrot) is

a function of its conquest (yerusha or
'mi-shum kibbush'),

therefore as soon as Bnei Yisrael lost their
sovereignty, the

kedusha of the land was lost as well ['batla
kedushatah'].

Similarly, during the second Temple period,
because the land

was not conquered, rather it remained under
the sovereignty of

other nations (e.g. Persia, Greece and Rome),
the kedusha

never returned.  Instead, Ezra instituted a
rabbinic kedusha

to obligate the produce of the land with
trumot u-ma'asrot,

because the original kedusha did not return.

     I recommend that you review this Rambam
inside (see also

the final halacha of perek aleph), and note
how these laws

relate directly to the primary points of our
shiur.

 

'LAND FOR PROGRESS'

     We have shown that our relationship to
the Land of

Israel, just as our relationship with God,
exists at both the

national and individual level. God chose this
special land in

order that we fulfill our destiny.

     While kedushat Eretz Yisrael at the
individual level may

be considered a Divine gift, its kedusha at
the national level

is most definitely a Divine challenge.  To
achieve its fullest

borders and to be worthy of them, we must
rise to that

challenge.

 

                         shabbat shalom,

                         menachem

 

======================

FOR FURTHER IYUN

 

A.  MITZVAT KIBBUSH ERETZ CANAAN

     Our interpretation enhances our
understanding of the

Torah's presentation of the mitzva to conquer
Eretz Yisrael in

Parshat Mas'ei (Bamidbar 33:50-56).  First,
Bnei Yisrael are

commanded to conquer the land = yerusha:

     (A)  "ve-horashtem et kol yoshvei
ha-aretz mipneichem...

     ve-horashtem et ha-aretz vi-yshavtem
bah, ki lachem

natati et ha-aretz lareshet otah."

Only once the land is conquered, can it then
be apportioned to

each family, according to the tribal
households:

     (B)  "ve-hitnachaltem et ha-aretz
be-goral le-

mishpechoteichem... le-matot avoteichem
titnachalu..."

 

     The conquest is referred to as
'ye-ru-sha'', while the

distribution of the land afterward is
referred to as

'nachala':

     Yerusha is achieved by the joint effort
of military

effort by all twelve tribes [Yehoshua
chapters 1-12].

Afterwards, nachala is achieved when each
tribe settles and

establishes communities in its portion
[Yehoshua chapters 13-

19].

     Note that the word nachala could be
considered synonymous

with achuza; achuza is usually used when
purchasing a piece of

land, as when Avraham buys a burial plot and
field from Efron

(see Br. 23:9,16-20), while nachala is
usually used in

reference to a family inheritance.]

 

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