Another point of view of this weeks Torah portion. PARSHAT MASEI by Yehuda HaKohen. “You shall possess the land and you shall dwell in it, for to you have I given the land to possess it.” (BAMIDBAR 33:53) The Ramban, Rabbi Moshe Ben Nachman, offers a lengthy explanation of this verse, asserting that the mitzvah for the Jewish people to conquer and reside within the Land of Israel is a positive commandment of great consequence.
“In my opinion this is a positive commandment, in which He (HaShem) is commanding them (Israel) to dwell in the land and inherit it, because He has given it to them and they should not reject the inheritance of HaShem. Thus if the thought occurs to them to go and conquer the land of Shinar or the land of Assyria or any other country to dwell therein, they would be transgressing the command of G-D. And that which our rabbis have emphasized (Ketubot 110b), the significance of the commandment of dwelling in the Land of Israel and the prohibition against leaving it, and that they even considered a woman who does not want to ascend with her husband to live in the Land of Israel [as a `rebellious wife’] and likewise the man – the source of all these statements here (in this verse) where we have been given this commandment, for this verse constitutes a positive commandment. And this commandment is repeated in many places, such as `Come and possess the land’ (DEVARIM 1:8). Rashi, however, explains the statement `You shall possess the land’ as you shall possess it from those who have already settled there, and only then will you be able to inhabit and survive in it. Otherwise you will not be able to survive in it. Our interpretation of the verse, however, is the central understanding.”
While the Ramban acknowledges Rashi’s warning that Israel’s ability to survive and prosper in our homeland depends on the nation’s willingness to disinherit the foreign peoples who possess the country prior to our return, he clarifies that the main idea being taught by this verse is the eternal mitzvah for the Jewish people to exert sovereignty over the Land of Israel and to reside within its borders.
In his supplement to the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot (Positive Commandment #4), the Ramban emphasizes that the mitzvah of Hebrew sovereignty over the Land of Israel is an eternal commandment for every generation.
“This (a war to liberate Eretz Yisrael) is what our Sages call milchemet mitzvah (obligatory war). In the Talmud (Sotah 44b) Rava said, `Yehoshua’s war of liberation was an obligatory duty according to all opinions.’ And do not err and say that this precept is the commandment to vanquish the seven nations… this is not so. We were commanded to destroy those nations when they fought against us and had they wished to make peace we could have done so under specific conditions. Yet we cannot leave the land in their control or in the control of any other nation in any generation… Behold, we are commanded with conquest in every generation… this is a positive commandment which applies for all time… And the proof that this is a commandment is this: `They were told to go up in the matter of the Spies: `Go up and conquer as HaShem, G-D of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear and do not be discouraged.’ And it further says: `And when HaShem sent you from Kadesh Barnea saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you.’ And when they did not go up, the Torah says: `And you rebelled against the Word of G-D, and you did not listen to this command.'”
The Ramban states irrefutably that the conquest and settlement of Eretz Yisrael is a mitzvah for Israel in every generation and that we are forbidden from allowing any part of our country to fall into – or remain under – gentile control. It is found in the Shulchan Aruch that all of the arbitrators of Torah Law (Rishonim and Achronim) agree with the Ramban concerning this issue.
“All of the Poskim, both Rishonim and Achronim, decide the Law in this fashion on the basis of the Ramban.” (Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer section 75, Pitchei Tshuva 6)
The Ramban also offers a more lenient approach regarding the actions Israel must take against gentile nations inhabiting our country. While Rashi and others assert that upon our return home from exile, Israel must drive out the gentiles in possession of our land, the Ramban insists that peace could be achieved between Israel and these nations under certain conditions so long as the Jewish people possess exclusive and undisputed sovereignty over our entire ancestral homeland. Rashi disputes this position, noting the following verse:
“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those of them whom you leave shall be pins in your eyes and a surrounding barrier of thorns in your sides, and they will harass you upon the land in which you dwell.” (BAMIDBAR 33:55)
On this verse, Rashi explains that “pins in your eyes” means “liteidot ham’nakrot eineichem” – that sticks will be driven into your eyes, meaning that the wisdom of Israel’s leadership will be neutralized, such that they will be unable to see or understand what a child can clearly see and understand. There will be a situation in which Jews protect themselves behind fences and walls, which “enclose and imprison them such that none can come in or leave.”
The holy Ohr HaChaim supports Rashi’s explanation of this verse, commenting that:
“Not only will they hold on to the part of the land that you have not taken, but the part which you have taken and settled as well. They shall cause you trouble regarding the part that you live in, saying `Get up and leave it.'”
A reconciliation of these positions with that of the Ramban could be possible through making a distinction between foreign nations exerting sovereignty over the Jewish homeland and those who merely dwell within its borders. This would explain the multiple references throughout the Torah regarding the kindness Israelis must display towards the Ger toshav (gentile resident alien) living in Eretz Yisrael. By attempting to steal portions of the Land of Israel, however, a gentile can move himself from one category to the other.
This raises the obvious question of the “Palestinian National Movement,” which claims to speak in the name of all Arab inhabitants of our country while seeking to appropriate the Land of Israel from the Jewish people.
The Gaon of Vilna sheds light on this question in his commentary to CHABAKUK. Here he explains the concept of Peleshet and the uniqueness of its national function in this world. The Gaon points out that the verse in BEREISHIT 10:14, which introduces the Philistines to the stage of history, does not describe their birth as the Torah describes the birth of other nations.
“And Mitzraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehavim, Naphtuhim, Patrusim, and Casluhim, whence the Pelishtim (Philistines) came forth, and Caphtorim.” (BEREISHIT 10:13-14)
The Vilna Gaon teaches that the birth of the Philistines was completely unnatural and that they are entirely absent from the stage of world history except for when it is time for them to serve their sole function. When the Nation of Israel enters our homeland in order to build G-D’s holy Kingdom – the Kingdom that will bless and uplift all of humanity to previously unimaginable heights – the Philistines appear on the scene to try and prevent this Hebrew Kingdom from being established. This was true when our patriarch Avraham first entered the land (there was a “land-for-peace” deal proposed by Avimelech of Grar), it occurred when his son Yitzhak was faced with Philistine aggression and it was true throughout the period of the Judges up until the secure establishment of the Davidic dynasty when Israel finally implemented full Hebrew sovereignty.
The Philistines then inexplicably disappear from history until modern times where they (or their ideological descendents) once again attempt to hold up the construction of G-D’s earthly Kingdom. The Gaon explains that without the necessary force of Peleshet, Israel would be unable to rise up to our essential mission and realize the true significance of Jewish statehood in Eretz Yisrael. HaShem places this nation into our world as a catalyst for Israel to reach our true national potential.
The truth in the Gaon’s words is evident today. As a result of our difficult struggle with the “Palestinians” – a nation that materialized only upon our return home – Israel has failed to simply exist as a normal country but has instead been confronted with grueling questions of identity. The brutal conflict has forced us to examine who and what we truly are, as well as the inner reason for returning home and establishing a Hebrew state. Israel’s troubles with the “Palestinians” force us to question not only our innate connection to our soil, but also our national function in Creation. By forcing out the bigger answers to the difficult questions they create, the modern day Philistines cause Israel to understand what it is that we are fighting for. And by the time we are psychologically prepared to appropriately deal with those who threaten our sovereignty, we will have already grasped the true purpose of establishing a Jewish state and blessing the world with HaShem’s Divine light.
Shabbat Shalom
With Love of Israel,
-Yehuda HaKohen
Am Segula
