A Piece of the Rock

Everybody wants a NACHALA, a permanent possession of real estate which came to me through my ancestors and I will bequeath to my progeny. We expect this scenario to play out in Eretz Yisrael. Perhaps, this passion for property in our eternal homeland is based on this week’s Torah reading. This week we read about the division of the Land by Tribes. The fascinating aspect of this apportionment (CHALUKA) is that there seem to be two totally different ways of accomplishing it.

But before we investigate the CHALUKA, I want to share my affection for the term NACHALA. It’s very different from the normal term for a legacy, namely YERUSHA or inheritance. A YERUSHA is assets, you know stuff. These are resources which I can use up or dispose of. On the other hand, there is NACHALA, perhaps heirloom or legacy. These are items which I want to benefit from in my lifetime and pass on to future generations.

The term NACHALA is related to the word NACHAL or stream (really seasonal watercourse). It flows towards where I am from a distant source and, then, flows past me to others downstream. So, too, NACHALA, I have it for my term and then pass it along to those who follow me. 

Okay, back to CHALUKA. The pertinent verses state: 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…The land, moreover, is to be apportioned by lot (Bamidbar 26:53-55).

There seems to be two conflicting processes at work. The first is a human effort to apportion the Holy Land according to the size of each Tribe as determined by the second census of the MIDBAR, sort of like the American House of Representatives, where about a million citizens equals a seat. But then we’re told that there must be a GORAL, a lot drawn from a vessel indicating that Tribe’s portion, which we assume indicates the Divine Will.

So, what’s going on? Is this a logical apportionment based on reason and rationality or a mystical process based on the ‘luck’ of the draw?

So, Rashi explains that the sizes of the portions were decided by the reckoning based upon the census. But because the land in different areas may be better or worse for agriculture and business, the locations of the portions were decided by the GORAL. 

On the other hand, the Ramban explains that the Tribes got equal portions based on the GORAL, while the census was for apportioning the parcels amongst the families within each Tribal holding. There are other more complicated approaches to explaining the dual obligation of mathematical apportionment versus Divine CHALUKAH by means of the GORAL, but I like the more straightforward approach of Rav Amnon Bazak.

I have a special feeling for Rav Bazak because we served together in MILU’IM in the 90’s, and he has developed into a wonderful Torah scholar and thinker over the succeeding decades. In any case, his approach to the conundrum is both elegant and profound:

It seems that the Torah points out two totally different methods of figuring the division of the Land (CHALUKAH). Each one expresses a different philosophic position. The first method of division describes an intellectual approach by the Tribes, delineated by TZEDEK and YOSHER (as in Rashi)…The second methodology expresses a totally different approach. This method expresses the idea that Eretz Yisrael is not directly connected to Am Yisrael, rather it belongs to God. The lottery (GORAL) describes a division totally in the hands of God, for Land totally controlled by God, as in: The lot is cast into the bosom, but its every decision is from the Eternal (Mishlei 16:33). These are both fundamental concepts, which form the foundation for the entire process of CHALUKAH-TZEDEK and YOSHER from the point of view of humanity, with simultaneous recognition of the BA’ALUT (ownership, control) of God in the sphere of spirituality. 

Cool! As a result of this reality, Eretz Yisrael holds a unique position within world history. There were some very ancient and important sites around the world, but most of them, like Gobeki Tepe, in Turkey, or the Indus Valley in India are no longer front page headlines, unlike Jerusalem and Eretz Yisrael. Since 1967, Israel has been the most reported country in American news services. Why the continued interest? I think the answer is spiritual rather than geopolitical.

We Jews understand. We’ve been saying ‘Next Year in Jerusalem’ since the year 70. What I have trouble understanding is the phenomenon of pious, sincere Jews intoning that phrase with tremendous devotion, perhaps even tears, but making absolutely no effort to fulfill it, in spite of the reality that there are no restraints on Jewish immigration to Eretz Yisrael. You can even get a free trip AL KANFEI EL AL.

There’s another fascinating phenomenon, which I have mentioned before, called the MASHIACH Clause. Since at least 2014 (that’s the first reporting of it that I’ve seen), there are Jews in the Diaspora who buy property in Yerushalayim and immediately rent it. However, these rental agreements often contain a condition that the tenant must vacate immediately when Mashiach arrives. 

There is something cool about that, but wouldn’t it be even cooler to be here to greet Mashiach. What if Mashiach isn’t rushing to arrive, because neither are our Jewish brethren rushing to arrive!

What are we supposed to learn from the episode of the CHALUKAH, and the story of the Daughters of TZELAFCHAD,too? That having a place in Eretz Yisrael is really a big deal when you actually live in it.

I really think Rav Bazak is right. God wants us to know how important it is to have your home in the Holy Land, because we share its ownership with God. It’s good to have a piece of this Rock of our people.