Parasha: Masei · Aliyah: Third (Tiferet)

והורשתם את כל יושבי הארץ, "You are to drive out all the inhabitants of the land, etc." Even though the Torah says in Deut. 20, 16 that: "you must not allow a single soul (of these seven nations) to survive," in this instance the Torah does not speak of the seven Canaanite nations but about others who lived amongst them. This is the reason the Torah chose its words carefully, i.e. "all the ones who dwell in the land," that the Israelites were to drive out even those people who lived there who were not members of the seven nations.

Alternatively, the Torah refers again to a nation which the Israelites do not possess the strength to kill. At least they should ensure that they would leave the land and not remain in it.

והורשתם את הארץ וישבתם בה, "and you will take possession of the land and dwell in it, etc." Rashi explains that the commandment is to drive out the people, whereas the words: "you will dwell in it" are a promise; Nachmanides explains that the commandment is to dwell in the land and that this verse is the halachic basis for Ketuvot 110 that הכל מעלין לארץ ישראל, "that one may force all the members of one's household to migrate to the land of Israel."

It would appear that Rashi referred to the plain meaning of the verse considering the conclusion of the verse which says: "for I have given it to you to dispossesss it (of its inhabitants)." If the commandment had been the dwelling in the land, the Torah should have indicated this by writing "for I have given it to you to dwell in it."

ואם לא תורישו את יושבי הארץ, "And if you will fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land, etc." According to Megillah 10 which says that wherever the word והיה occurs it alludes to something joyful, the meaning of the word here would be that although the reason the Israelites would decide to allow some of these inhabitants to remain would be in order that they perform menial duties for them, etc., i.e. in order to enjoy their services, G'd would see to it that instead these remaining inhabitants would prove to be thorns in their eyes and pricks in their sides and that these foreigners would harass the new owners.

וצררו אתכם על הארץ, "and they shall harass you in the land, etc." The Torah means that not only will they harass you in the part of the land that you did not drive them out of, but they will harass you even in the parts of the country which you have conquered and driven them out of and which you have settled. They will challenge you to leave what they consider to be their country. The meaning of the word על in this context is similar to Numbers 20,24: על אשר מריתם את פי, "because you have rebelled against My word." We have a similar meaning of the word על in Deut. 32,51.

כאשר דמיתי לעשות להם, "as I meant to do unto them, etc." My commandment was meant for your benefit. Seeing you have not fulfilled it, My commandment remains unfulfilled; I therefore have no choice but to fulfil it in respect of these people you have left in the land.

כי לקחו מטה בני הראובני, for the tribe of Reuven had taken it according to the houses of their fathers, etc. This verse provides the reason why the previous verse spoke about the West Bank being shared out amongst only nine and a half tribes. Had it not been for the fact that the two and a half tribes had already staked out their claims G'd would have been able to enlarge the shares of each tribe beyond the boundaries mentioned in our chapter.

לקחו נחלתם, "they took their inheritance, etc." The Torah had to repeat this statement a second time seeing that the half tribe Menashe had not been amongst the tribes Reuven and Gad who had initially requested to make their homes on the East Bank. The Torah therefore described that half tribe's taking possession of their share as a separate "taking." Accordingly, the words: לקחו נחלתם, refer back to the half tribe of Menashe. This is also the reason the Torah interrupted the sequence by writing לבית אבותם between the two tribes of Reuven and Gad and between the half tribe Menashe. Another meaning for writing the words: "they took their inheritance" twice is to confirm that what the half tribe of Menashe "took" was in accordance with what they were entitled to take as their inheritance.

שני המטות וחצי המטה לקחו נחלתם, The two and a half tribes took their inheritance, etc. The Torah wrote this verse to indicate that the inheritance of the half tribe of Menashe was part of the overall territory allocated by Moses to Reuven and Gad. Moses did not make separate boundaries for each of these tribes.