Conquest and Division

Initial actions in the Land of Israel.

Notable Sources

All Sources

Fair Division of the Promised Land

TANAKH

The method of land distribution among the Israelites ensured fairness by considering both the size of each group and the use of lots. The fourth book of the Torah, Bamidbar Rabbah, a medieval midrash on the book of Numbers, details the Israelites' journey and preparations for entering the Promised Land, including the method of apportioning the land.

“Among these shall the land be apportioned as shares, according to the listed names: with larger groups increase the share, with smaller groups reduce the share. Each is to be assigned its share according to its enrollment. The land, moreover, is to be apportioned by lot; and the allotment shall be made according to the listings of their ancestral tribes. Each portion shall be assigned by lot, whether for larger or smaller groups.”

Numbers 26:53-56

The Unique Inheritance of Eretz Yisrael

TALMUD

The inheritance of the land in Eretz Yisrael was unique in that the portions of land received by those who entered Eretz Yisrael were transferred to their fathers who left Egypt, and then inherited by the current generation, illustrating a reversal where the dead inherit from the living. Rabbi Yonatan's interpretation in the Talmudic tractate Bava Batra explains this unique inheritance process.

The baraita presents a second opinion. Rabbi Yonatan says: Eretz Yisrael was divided among those who entered Eretz Yisrael, as it is stated: “Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance” (Numbers 26:53). But how do I realize the meaning of the verse: “According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit” (Numbers 26:55)? This teaches that this inheritance is different from all other inheritances in the world, for in all other inheritances in the world…

Bava Batra 117a:3

A Future of Equal Portions

JEWISH THOUGHT

In the future, the division of the Land of Israel will be equal among all tribes, unlike the original division based on population. Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller, in his commentary on Ezekiel's vision, describes this future division as resembling the rows of a vineyard, ensuring each tribe receives a unique strip of land.

“So says God, the Lord, ‘This is the boundary for which you shall divide the land as an inheritance…. You shall divide it as an inheritance, for each [tribe] like his brother.’ ” These verses imply that the future division of the land will not resemble the original division, in which each tribe was given a portion according to its population. In the future time, all the tribes will be given equal portions. The division of the tribes’ portions will resemble the rows of a vineyard, with each portion spanning from the eastern border of Eretz Yisrael to the Sea on the west…

The Third Beit HaMikdash, Preface 1

Diplomacy and Ethics in Conquest

HALAKHAH

Joshua's conquest involved significant diplomatic and ethical considerations, including offering the Canaanites options for peace or war.Rambam, in his famed 12th-century code of Jewish law, Mishneh Torah, discusses the legal and moral dilemmas faced by the Israelites, particularly regarding their oath to the Gibeonites.

Joshua sent three letters to the Canaanites before entering the promised land: At first, he sent them: 'Whoever desires to flee, should flee.'
Afterwards, he sent a second message: 'Whoever desires to accept a peaceful settlement, should make peace.'
Then, he sent again: 'Whoever desires war, should do battle.'
If so, why did the inhabitants of Gibeon employ a ruse? Because originally, when he sent the message to them as part of all the Canaanite nations, they did not accept. They were not aware of the laws of Israel and thought that they would never be offered a peaceful…

Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 6:5

Women Who Changed the Law

JEWISH THOUGHT

The daughters of Zelophehad successfully challenged the biblical law of inheritance, leading to a significant change that favored women's rights. This text explores the biblical story of the daughters of Zelophehad, who petitioned Moses and God to grant them their father's inheritance, despite the existing law favoring male heirs.

It is noteworthy that whenever anyone challenged the rightness of a law taught by Moses, it was women, not men, who did so. According to the biblical law of inheritance, only sons had the right to inherit the land of their fathers. This law had its justification. The promised land was to be distributed among the twelve tribes in proportion to their numbers. If women were to inherit with their brothers, it would happen, as a result of marriages of women of one tribe to men from other tribes, that the land would pass from tribe to tribe…

Jewish Women in Time and Torah, i "Women Are a People by Themselves" 45

Moses' Quest for Spiritual Insight

MUSAR

Moses believed that his initial actions in the conquest and distribution of the land indicated that the decree preventing him from leading the Israelites into the Promised Land had been lifted. In his 17th-century work, Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz explores Moses' desire to continue leading the Israelites, driven by a quest for greater spiritual insights.

Rashi as well as other commentators also explain the words רב לך אל תוסף דבר אלי עוד בדבר הזה "Enough for you; do not continue to speak to me about this subject" in a variety of ways. Seeing that so many commentators have had their say on this subject, I will add something of my own. This was part of the wars of conquest. The fact that Moses distributed these lands to some of the tribes who made their homes there proved that it was part of the land of Israel. If G–d did not allow all the land to be conquered by Joshua surely this was because He had relented from the decree in Numbers 20…

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Vaetchanan, Torah Ohr 22

The Divine Imperative of Conquest

COMMENTARY

The urgency and divine imperative of conquering the seven Canaanite tribes is framed as a rejection of a divine gift if delayed. Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, in his 18th-century Torah commentary, emphasizes the importance of promptly fulfilling God's command to conquer Canaan.

ואכלת את כל העמים, "You shall consume all these nations, etc." This is a positive commandment. Moses continues that this commandment applies to the nations whom G'd delivers into our hands (the seven Canaanite tribes). There is a clear implication that if the Israelites were to be tardy in carrying out this commandment this would be tantamount to despising a divine gift.

Or HaChaim on Deuteronomy 7:16:1

Divine Allotment of Tribal Lands

COMMENTARY

The intrinsic connection between the tribes and their allotted territories suggests that each naĥalah was divinely suited to its inhabitants. This text explores the allocation of tribal lands in ancient Israel, rooted in the Babylonian Talmud in tractate Moed Katan, and examines the significant bond between the land and its people.

Given these considerations, this work is based in no small part on the Talmudic approach above that the naĥalot were apportioned by divine hand, implying that the specific qualities of any given naĥalah were perfectly suited to those who dwelled within it. But even for those who cannot accept the doctrine of divine allotment, recognition of a certain connection between a region and those who inhabit it justifies an examination into the nature of that connection. Setting aside the philosophical pickle of whether the territory inspired the tribe or the tribe inspired the territory…

Tribal Lands, Preface 21

The Division of Hebron

TALMUD

The allocation of Hebron reveals the nuanced division of land and its significance in ancient Israel. The Gemara in Tractate Makkot clarifies that while the suburbs of Hebron were given to Caleb, the city itself was designated for priests.

The Gemara asks: And is Hebron a city of refuge? But isn’t it written: “And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had spoken” (Judges 1:20)? This indicates that Hebron belonged to Caleb from the tribe of Judah, and it was not a Levite city. Abaye said: Its suburbs [parvadaha] were given to Caleb; the city itself was a city of priests, as it is written in the context of the distribution of the Levite cities: “And they gave them Kiryat Arba…which is Hebron…and the field of the city and its courtyards they gave to Caleb, son of Jephunneh” (Joshua 21:11–12).

Makkot 10a:5

Land Inheritance in Joshua

GUIDES

The historical halakhot related to the distribution of Eretz Yisrael among the tribes during Joshua's time reveal the complexities of tribal inheritance and land division. Adin Steinsaltz's work delves into the specific laws and their historical significance, providing a deeper understanding of how the land was allocated and inherited.

Several halakhot that have only historical significance are also discussed in the chapter, i.e., the distribution of Eretz Yisrael among the tribes in the days of Joshua, and a particular halakha that pertained to that period with regard to the transfer of inheritance from the possession of members of one tribe to the possession of members of another.

Introductions to the Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra, Summary of Perek VIII 8

The Persistent Canaanites

TANAKH

The Manassites faced significant challenges in driving out the Canaanites, who persisted in remaining in their region. The Book of Joshua details the Israelites' conquest of Canaan and the subsequent division of the land among the tribes, highlighting the difficulties faced by the Manassites.

The Manassites could not dispossess [the inhabitants of] these towns, and the Canaanites stubbornly remained in this region.

Joshua 17:12

Setting Up Cities of Refuge

COMMENTARY

The detailed procedural and logistical aspects of setting up cities of refuge reveal the depth of care and justice in ancient Jewish law. Ramban’s commentary on Deuteronomy 19:1 provides an in-depth look at the establishment and utilization of cities of refuge for those who committed unintentional manslaughter.

WHEN THE ETERNAL THY G-D SHALL CUT OFF THE NATIONS etc. 2. THOU SHALT SEPARATE THREE CITIES FOR THEE. This also is an explanatory commandment, since He has already commanded thereon, and now he went on to explain the ordinances thereof, saying and dwell in their cities, and in their houses, teaching that they are not obligated [to set aside the cities of refuge] until after taking possession of the Land and dwelling in it. And so Joshua did. He also added here, Thou shalt prepare thee the way…

Ramban on Deuteronomy 19:1:1

From Manna to Canaan's Produce

SECOND TEMPLE

The transition from manna to the produce of the land and the celebration of Passover upon entering Canaan marks a significant turning point in Jewish history. Josephus, a 1st-century Jewish historian, provides a detailed account of these events in his historical work, 'The Antiquities of the Jews'.

4. So the Hebrews went on farther fifty furlongs, and pitched their camp at the distance of ten furlongs from Jericho; but Joshua built an altar of those stones which all the heads of the tribes, at the command of the prophets, had taken out of the deep, to be afterwards a memorial of the division of the stream of this river, and upon it offered sacrifice to God; and in that place celebrated the passover, and had great plenty of all the things which they wanted hitherto; for they reaped the corn of the Canaanites, which was now ripe, and took other things as prey…

The Antiquities of the Jews 5:1:4

When Commandments Became Applicable

MIDRASH

Understanding the timeline of when various agricultural and religious obligations became applicable to the Israelites provides insight into the practical implementation of these commandments. The Sifra, an ancient midrash on the book of Leviticus from the land of Israel, details the specific sequence and timing for the application of commandments such as challah, orlah, chadash, and others after the Israelites entered the Land of Israel.

3) We find, then, that when Israel crossed the Jordan, they became subject to (the ordinance of) challah, orlah, and chadash. On the sixteenth of Nissan they became subject to the omer. After fifty days, they became subject to the two loaves. After fourteen years, they became subject to the tithes. When they began to count for shemitah (after fourteen years of conquest and apportionment), on the twenty-first year (after entering [i.e., seven years after the apportionment]), they observed shemitah. On the sixty-third year (i.e…

Sifra, Behar, Section 1 3

Obligations During Conquest and Division

TALMUD

During the initial conquest and division of Eretz Yisrael, the Jewish people had specific obligations that differed from their usual practices. The Talmudic tractate Bava Metzia discusses the unique requirement to separate ḥalla but not tithes during the seven years of conquest and the seven years of division.

The Gemara answers: This is not difficult, since in this baraita we are dealing with places outside of Eretz Yisrael, where there is no obligation of tithes. The Gemara raises a difficulty: If so, that this is referring to a place outside of Eretz Yisrael, the obligation to separate ḥalla also does not apply. Rather, the ruling in the baraita is actually stated with regard to Eretz Yisrael, and it is not difficult…

Bava Metzia 89a:10

Subjugation Over Dispossession

TANAKH

The Israelites, despite their strength, chose to subjugate the Canaanites to forced labor rather than completely driving them out. The Book of Judges describes the period of Israelite history when they lacked centralized leadership and faced cycles of sin, oppression, and redemption.

And when Israel gained the upper hand, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor; but they did not dispossess them.

Judges 1:28

Divine Decree and the Conquest of Canaan

TARGUM

The Israelites were given the land by divine decree and did not need to carry arms to possess it. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Torah, emphasizes God's promise to the patriarchs and the divine assurance of the Israelites' conquest of Canaan.

See, I have given up the inhabitants of the land before you; nor shall it be needful to carry arms; go in and possess the land, and appoint the allotters, and divide it, even as the Lord sware to your fathers, to Abraham, Izhak, and Jakob, that He would give it unto them and their sons after them.

Targum Jonathan on Deuteronomy 1:8

The Land of Israel as assigned to the Twelve Tribes by Joshua, W. & A. K. Johnston, 1895

Relatedראו גם

Joshua

Achan

Jericho

Crossing the Jordan River and Setting of the Stones

War Against Sichon and Og

Rahab

Israel

Possession of the Land of Israel

Gad and Reuben

Sheetsדפי מקורות

Related Sheets