Parshas Chukat begins the story of the conquest of the Holy Land by the children of Israel. There is a presupposition that when the nations saw the parting of the Red Sea that they would melt away and Israel would take possession of the land of Canaan without war (see Exodus 15:15). However the conclusion is like Rashi on the first verse of the Chumash. He comments what is the reason that the Torah starts with the creation of the world? It is because of the verse in Psalms, “The power of His deeds He told to His people in order to give them the heritage of the nations”, (Psalm 110:1). Therefore if the nations of the world accuse Israel of being thieves saying you robbed the land of the seven nations; the correct reply would be the world belongs to the Holy One blessed be He. He created it and he can give it to whoever He pleases. He wanted to give it to them and He wanted to take it from them and give it to us.
It is somewhat of a tautology. The idea is that if a nation can control territory, including by war and physical force, morally it belongs to them. In other words, concerning national territory, might makes right. The idea of the peaceful acquisition applied, if Israel was a saintly nation. The commentaries also say that Hashem saw that the righteous were few therefore he planted them in every generation. The popular expression is, “and if I had wings I'd be an angel”.
Israel’s first battle is when the Canaanites in the Negev desert attack them while travelling. Israel vows to totally destroy them and their cities. The vow finds favor in the eyes of Hashem and He gives them victory. Next Israel requests passage through the nations of Edom and Moab. The requests are denied with hostility and God tells them to respect their decisions. Next Israel requests safe passage from Sichon, king of the Amorites. In response Sichon attacks. Israel conquers the land of Sichon and annihilates the people. When Og the second Amorite king attacks, the Chumash recounts, “Hashem said to Moses, ‘Do not fear him, for I give him and all his people and his land into your hand. You shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon’. They defeated him and his sons and all his people, until no remnant was left him; and they took possession of his country”, (Numbers 21:34-5).
Later on the tribes of Reuben and Gad ask to be given this land in lieu of sacred land west of the Jordan River. Moshe rabenu objects on the grounds that they will not participate with their brothers in the war to conquer the land of Canaan. When they agree he not only gives the land to them but also a portion of it is given to half of the tribe of Manasseh. In the book of Joshua there is ill will against Reuven and Gad because they refuse to accept any land west of the Jordan, which is considered sacred.
The objection to land outside the borders of Israel, delineated in the Chumash, is because it is not holy land. On the contrary it is considered dirty and profane. However Israel acquired good title to it in the wars against the two Amorite kings. In addition Sichon and Og acquired good title to it when they seized it from Ammon and Moav. Israel is free to settle it and use it as they see fit. The Chumash considers the Amorites to be evil and it is appropriate to kill them off.
The lesson of the Torah is that there are times when a war is required. Sometimes a tsadik can avoid a war and it will be fought by somebody else. There are certain lessons that can only be learned by war be it the victor or the vanquished. Sometimes there are people who must be destroyed perhaps even in a painful and humiliating way. Another lesson is that war booty including land that is seized is just compensation for the people who had to fight.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
העלון ניתן לקבל בדואר אלקטרוני וגם באתר http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com
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