Bava Batra 117

גמ׳ תנן כמאן דאמר ליוצאי מצרים נתחלקה הארץ

GEMARA: The Gemara comments: In the mishna that teaches that Zelophehad and Hepher were entitled to portions in Eretz Yisrael, we learned in accordance with the opinion of the one who says: Eretz Yisrael was divided among those who left Egypt.

דתניא רבי יאשיה אומר ליוצאי מצרים נתחלקה הארץ שנאמר לשמות מטות אבתם ינחלו אלא מה אני מקיים לאלה תחלק הארץ בנחלה לאלה כאלה להוציא את הטפלים

The Gemara cites a baraita that presents three opinions as to how Eretz Yisrael was divided. As it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yoshiya says: Eretz Yisrael was divided among those who left Egypt, as it is stated: “According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit” (Numbers 26:55), which teaches that the Jewish people would inherit Eretz Yisrael according to the names of their fathers, i.e., those who left Egypt. Rabbi Yoshiya continues: But how do I realize the meaning of the verse: “Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance” (Numbers 26:53), which indicates that the land was to be divided among those recently counted in the wilderness, i.e., those who would enter Eretz Yisrael? He answers: “Unto these” teaches that the land will be divided among those who are like these people who were counted, in that they were adults above the age of twenty, to exclude the children, who were not entitled to a portion in Eretz Yisrael, as they were not of age at the time of the Exodus.

רבי יונתן אומר לבאי הארץ נתחלקה הארץ שנאמר לאלה תחלק הארץ בנחלה אלא מה אני מקיים לשמות מטות אבתם ינחלו משונה נחלה זו מכל נחלות שבעולם שכל נחלות שבעולם חיין יורשין מתים וכאן מתים יורשין חיין

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, the living inherit from the dead, but here, the dead inherit from the living. In other words, 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, as the Gemara will now explain.

אמר רבי אמשול לך משל למה הדבר דומה לשני אחין כהנים שהיו בעיר אחת לאחד יש לו בן אחד ואחד יש לו שני בנים והלכו לגורן זה שיש לו בן אחד נוטל חלק אחד וזה שיש לו שני בנים נוטל שני חלקים ומחזירין אצל אביהן וחוזרין וחולקין בשוה

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: I will tell you a parable. To what is this matter comparable? To two brothers who were priests and who were in one town. One brother has one son, and one brother has two sons, and the sons all went to the threshing floor to collect teruma. This brother, who has one son, takes one portion of the teruma from his child, and that brother, who has two sons, takes two portions from his sons. And the brothers then return with the three portions to their father, and then redivide the portions among themselves equally, so that each brother receives one and one-half portions. When the brothers give their shares to their children, the son of the first brother will receive all that his father had received, while the sons of the other brother will divide what their father had received.

רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר

The baraita presents a third opinion. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says:

לאלו ולאלו נתחלקה הארץ כדי לקיים שני מקראות הללו הא כיצד היה מיוצאי מצרים נוטל חלקו עם יוצאי מצרים היה מבאי הארץ נוטל חלקו עם באי הארץ מכאן ומכאן נוטל חלקו מכאן ומכאן

Eretz Yisrael was divided to these and to those, so as to uphold these two verses. How so? If one was from among those who left Egypt, he takes his portion along with those who left Egypt. If one was from among those who entered Eretz Yisrael, he takes his portion along with those who entered Eretz Yisrael. If one was from both here and there, i.e., he was among those who left Egypt and also entered Eretz Yisrael himself, he takes his portion from here and there, as he is entitled to two portions.

מרגלים יהושע וכלב נטלו חלקם מתלוננים ועדת קרח לא היה להם חלק בארץ הבנים נטלו בזכות אבי אביהן ובזכות אבי אמותיהן

The baraita continues: With regard to the twelve spies sent to survey Eretz Yisrael prior to the Jewish people’s entry into the land, Joshua and Caleb took all of the spies’ portions of the land. Additionally, the protesters and the assembly of Korah did not have a portion of Eretz Yisrael. Nevertheless, their sons took portions of the land in the merit of their paternal grandfathers and in the merit of their maternal grandfathers if they were among those who left Egypt. This concludes the Gemara’s citation of the baraita.

מאי משמע דהאי לשמות מטות אבתם ביוצאי מצרים כתיב דלמא לשבטים קאמר לה דכתיב ונתתי אתה לכם מורשה אני ה׳ ירושה היא לכם מאבותיכם וליוצאי מצרים קאמר להו:

The Gemara asks: From where may it be inferred that this verse, which states: “According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit” (Numbers 26:55), is written with regard to those who left Egypt; perhaps the verse was stated in reference to the progenitors of the tribes, and teaches that the land should be divided among the twelve tribes? The Gemara answers: The inference is from a verse, as it is written: “And I will bring you in to the land, concerning which I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am the Lord” (Exodus 6:8). This verse states that Eretz Yisrael is an inheritance for you from your forefathers, and this verse was told to those who left Egypt, indicating that those who left Egypt inherit the land.

(סימן לרב צלפחד ויוסף איכפל מנשה יחשב):

The Gemara presents a mnemonic device for the following series of questions posed by Rav Pappa to Abaye relating to the division of Eretz Yisrael: To the more; Zelophehad; and Joseph; contested; Manasseh; will count.

אמר ליה רב פפא לאביי בשלמא למאן דאמר ליוצאי מצרים נתחלקה הארץ היינו דכתיב לרב תרבה נחלתו ולמעט תמעיט נחלתו

The Gemara presents the first question. Rav Pappa said to Abaye: Granted, according to the one who says that Eretz Yisrael was divided among those who left Egypt, this is the meaning of that which is written: “To the more you shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give the less inheritance” (Numbers 26:54). The verse may be understood as teaching the novelty that even though the number of Jewish people entering Eretz Yisrael differed from the number who left Egypt, the land is nevertheless divided according to the numbers at the time of the Exodus, not according to the count at the time they received the land.