[Par-lite] for Parshat Masei
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Wed Jul 23 02:28:13 EDT 2014
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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
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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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