PARSHAT MATOT-MASEI
THE BIBLICAL BORDERS OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL
In recent times, the borders of the State of Israel seem to change every decade or so, but what were the precise Biblical borders of the Land of Israel? As we see in this week's Torah reading, the answer to this question is not so simple - for the story of Bnei Gad & Reuven in Parshat Matot (32:1-42) implies that Israel's borders are rather 'expandable' while Parshat Masei (33:1-15) details what appears to be a rather fixed geographical border.
So what are the exact borders of the Land of Israel? This week's shiur examines the biblical roots of this complex issue.
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 Euphrates';
(B) 'from Dan to Beer Sheva.'
The geographic discrepancy between these two boundary-lines 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 correct?
THE BORDERS IN PARSHAT MASEI
In Parshat Masei, the Torah presents the most precise delineation of the borders of the Land of Israel in Tanach:
"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 the parsha. With regard to the eastern and western borders, i.e. the Mediterranean Sea (34:6) and the Jordan River (34:11-12), there can be no question whatsoever as to their identity. With regard to the northern and southern borders, however, a variety of opinions exist:
The 'minimalist' approach identifies the northern border in the area of today's Southern Lebanon, i.e. along the Litani river until the Metulla area. The southern border, according to this view, runs along the Beer Sheva-Gaza line in the northern Negev. On the other hand, the 'maximalist' opinion identifies the northern border somewhere up in Turkey and Northern Syria, while the southern border is said to be situated somewhere deep in the Sinai desert.
THE EASTERN FRONTIER
Although the EASTERN border in Parshat Masei is clearly the Jordan river, the story of "bnei Gad u'bnei Reuven" in Parshat Matot(31:1-54) indicates the possibility of EXPANDING this border into present-day Jordan. Recall that Moshe Rabeinu allows the tribes of Gad, Reuven, and Menashe to establish their permanent settlement of Eretz Yisrael on the 'eastern bank' of the Jordan River, provided that they fulfill their vow to help everyone else conquer the land located on the westerb bank. [See also Yehoshua chapters 13->14, and chapter 22.]
So why are the borders of Eretz Yisrael so ambiguous? Are they vast or small? Are they rigid and unchanging or expandable? Are certain parts of the 'Holy Land' holier than others?
To answer these questions, and to understand why this topic is so complicated, we must return to Sefer Breishit and God's promise to the Avot regarding the Land of Israel.
THE LAND PROMISED TO AVRAHAM AVINU
In Parshat Lech Lecha, when God first chooses Avraham Avinu, He promises him a special land. [See Breishit 12:7, 13:14-17, 15:18, 17:7-8. See also 22:17-18, 26:2-5, 28:3-4, 28:13-14, 35:11-12, 46:1-4, 48:4 & 21. (That should keep you busy.)]
In His first three promises to Avraham, God describes the land in very general terms:
1) In Ur Kasdim:
"Go forth from your native land & from your father's house to the LAND WHICH I WILL SHOW YOU" (12:1).
2) At Shchem:
"I will assign THIS LAND to your offspring" (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…" (13:15).
Later in Parshat Lech Lecha, Avraham Avinu enters into two covenants with God concerning his future. Both covenants precisely define the Promised Land, but each covenant consists of an entirely different piece of land!
1) At BRIT BEIN HA'BTARIM: "HA'ARETZ"
"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 enormous! To the northeast, the border extends to the Euphrates River, which flows from northern Syria to the Persian Gulf, and to the southwest, it runs from the sources of the Nile River in Ethiopia down to the port city of Alexandria! [Undoubtedly, this covenant is the source of the popular phrase "from the Nile to the Euphrates."]
2) At BRIT MILAH: "ERETZ CANAAN"
"I assign the land in which you sojourn to you and your offspring to come, all the LAND OF CANAAN,..." (17:8).
In this covenant, the 'Promised Land' is much smaller. Even though the term "ERETZ CANNAN" appears here for the first time [see also Shmot 6:4, and compare with Br. 17:7-8.], the geographic definition of this area has already been mentioned in Parshat Noach. Let's take a careful look at that definition:
"And the border of the Canaani was from Sidon (the Litani valley in Lebanon) down the coastal plain to Grar and Gaza, [and from Sidon (down the Syrian-African Rift)] to Sdom, Amora... (the Dead Sea area)" (Br.10:19).
[Note that this is the only border detailed in the genealogical record of Breishit chapter 10. Most likely, this delineation is recorded as critical background information for Parshat Lech Lecha!]
This biblical definition of Eretz Canaan more or less coincides with the general region that the Avot inhabited - "eretz m'gurecha" (see 17:7-8). The Avot lived and sojourned in the area between BE'ER SHEVA and Grar to the south (see 21:22-33, 28:10, 46:1), and the area of Shchem and Dotan (37:12-17) to the north. And during his battle against the Four Kings, Avraham chased his foes as far north as DAN (14:14)!
[Undoubtedly, these borders inspired the popular phrase: "from Dan to Beer Sheva." This phrase is used several times later in Tanach to define the populace of the Land of Israel. For example: "And all of Israel, from Dan to Beer Sheva, knew that Shmuel was a trustworthy prophet..."(Shmuel I 3:20). See also I Melachim 5:5.]
In summary, the source of the conflicting borders of Eretz Yisrael appears to be its different presentations in BRIT BEIN HA'BTARIM and BRIT MILAH. Now, we must explain the relationship between each "brit" and its respective definition of the land.
TWO BORDERS / TWO TYPES OF KEDUSHA
To understand the significance of these conflicting borders, we must determine the exact nature of each covenant.
In our shiurim on Sefer Breishit, we analyzed the significance of both covenants with the AVOT and the unique contribution of each (= Bein Ha'Btarim - b'shem HAVAYA, and Milah - b'shem ELOKIM). For our purposes here, we will just briefly review our conclusions:
BRIT BEIN HA'BTARIM
After Avraham's defeat of the Four Kings, God promises him that his offspring will one day CONQUER ("yerusha") the land, just as Avraham himself had just done. However, this conquest will take place only after several generations of bondage in a foreign land, after which they will gain their independence and their oppressor will be punished. The land in which they will establish their sovereignty is described as expanding from the Nile to the Euphrates [the land then occupied by the ten nations, see chapter 15, especially 18-21].
This covenant with Avaraham Avinu reflects the HISTORICAL/ NATIONAL aspect of Am Yisrael's relationship with God, as it focuses on the long-term, historical process required for Avraham's offspring to achieve their sovereignty (better known as the process of Yetziat Mitzrayim). Notice that in this covenant, the Promised Land is consistently referred to as "ha'ARETZ"; and its conquest as "YERUSHA." (The significance of these terms will become clear a bit later in the shiur.)
BRIT MILAH
In preparation for this covenant, God first changes Avram's name to Avraham, in anticipation of the birth of a child from Sarah [formerly Sarai]. God then promises Avraham that He will establish and maintain a special relationship between Himself and Avraham's descendants - "lihyot lachem l'Elokim" - He will be a close, intimate God for them. [See Breishit 17:3-9.]
This covenant reflects the RELIGIOUS/ PERSONAL aspect of Am Yisrael's relationship with God, as it emphasizes a unique, intimate relationship with the Divine. In this covenant, the Promised Land is referred to as "ERETZ CANAAN." [Note that its inheritance (from father to son) is referred to as "achuza," as opposed to the use of the word "yerusha" in Brit Bein Ha'Btarim, as noted earlier.]
Hence, there are two aspects latent in 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 achieved once Bnei Yisrael gain sovereignty, upon Yehoshua's conquest of the land. For example, the obligation of tithing the land's produce (i.e. "trumot u'maasrot"), a requirement contingent upon this 'national sanctity' of the Land, begins only once the land is conquered.
[See Rambam, Hilchot Trumot, chapter 1.]
(B) The PERSONAL aspect
The "kedushat Eretz Canaan" of Brit Milah 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), even while inhabited by other nations. This intrinsic "kedusha" is forever present regardless of who seizes control over the Land, be it Persians, Romans, Crusaders, Turks etc. [If you are a "n'turei karta'nik" you can add Zionists to the list.]
The following table summarizes our analysis thus far:
