Nehar Deah

Mas’ei

“The Land of Canaan Within its Borders”

The promise of receiving the land is a central topic of the narratives in the book of Bereishit (Genesis) and is the axle around which the connection between God and the forefathers and their descendants revolved. The special status that the land has for Avraham, the father of the nation, and his descendants, is already clear from in the first time God reveals himself to him: “Go, for your sake, from your land, from your place of birth, from your father’s home, to the land I will show you … I will give this land to your seed” (Bereishit 12:1-7). This promise is repeated ten times by God in the Book of Bereishit. The wording of some of the promises there are echoes of legal terminology which promise both the giving of the land and the endorsement the legal validity of this promise, through the symbolic act of seeing the land (ibid 13:14-15), walking its length and breadth (ibid 13:17 [and compare also the Aramaic translation accredited to Yonatan, on this verse, according to which Abraham need to “buy” his possession of the land by walking through it]), or lying upon it (ibid 28:13). However none of this clarifies for the forefathers what the exact dimension of the promised land are.

Only in the Torah portion of Mas’ei does a full, precise and detailed description of the promised land appear. On the eve of the Children of Israel’s entry into the land God commands Moshe: “Because you are coming to the land of Canaan, this is the land which will fall to you as an inheritance, the land of Canaan within its borders” (Bamidbar 32:2). The next description after this introductory heading (verses 2-12) contains a full definition of the borders of the land and gives a detailed picture in the form of a type of verbal map of the four sides of the borders running in a continual line which starts in the south-eastern corner of the land, encompassing it till it returns to its starting point, the Dead Sea. The reader of this description feels as if they have set out on a journey: the border went out, crossed, encircled and descended through twenty geographic locations, among them settlements (like Kadesh-Barnea), paths (“Ma’aleh Akrabbim” [The Pass of the Scorpions]), mountains (“Hor Hahar” [Mount Hor]), rivers (the Jordan, Nachal Mitzrayim [literally ‘the river of Egypt’) and even seas (the Great Sea, the Yam Kinneret [Sea of Galilee], the Dead Sea). It is not unlikely that the inspiration for this method was an actual survey of the land which was undertaken before determining the borders, similar to what is told of in the story of the settling of the land: “And Joshua commanded those that went out walking to write [a description of] the land, saying: 'Go and walk through the land and write it … And the men went and passed through the land, and wrote it with its cities, in seven divisions in a book …” (Joshua 18:8-9).

What is the purpose of the list which describes the border that is found in this Torah portion? Why was a general promise, like those in the stories of the forefathers, not enough?

It seems that the answer to this question lies in the purpose of similar documents which we know of from the ancient world. We have preserved today descriptions of borders from the ancient east, mainly from the Hittite Empire (Anatolia, approximately 14th - 12th centuries BCE). At its pinnacle the Hittite Empire controlled vast areas of land and the Hittite king consolidated his connections with those rulers who submitted to his authority by means of treaties of vassalage. The treaties which are preserved today show that the Hittite kings saw not only the relationships between them and the rulers of their subject peoples as extremely important, but also the relationships among these rulers and the Hittite kings repeatedly emphasized to them that they not encroach on the territories of their neighbors. Even if it did not indirectly harm his own sovereignty, such encroachment was also regarded as a form of insult to the Hittite ruler, who ruled over all the land and had exclusive authority over border issues. According to the Hittite way of thinking, only the supreme king had the right to grant land to and alter the borders of states and he used this right to ensure the loyalty of the kings who were subject to him, like the proverbial carrot dangled on a string before them. Rebellion was punished by having territory taken away and given to others who were more loyal.

In some of the contracts the Hittite king describes, by a detailed description of borders, the area of control being given to a vassal. Therefore, for example, when the Hittite king a treaty containing the borders of the vassal kingdom Tarhuntassa, he addresses its king with the following words: “The land which I gave to you, Ulmi-Teshub (name of the vassal king), the borders which I set out for you, protect them, do not breach them. These are the borders I have set out for you.” After that he describes the four sides of the kingdom being discussed, moving from location to location. The points which form the border in the Hittite description are prominent geographic locations: cities, mountains, fields, water sources, and even a sanctified monument. The description sketches out the borders of the land of Tarhuntassa and its surroundings and including the borders with neighboring kingdoms who were not part of the treaty and even its western border that was not even under Hittite control. The description is written in the form of a bird’s eye view and its purpose is to define sovereignty. These border descriptions therefore served to define the exact area being given over to the control of the vassal ruler by means of a document which had legal and statutory validity.

A comparison of the descriptions of borders in the Hittite kingdom and the description of “the land of Canaan within its borders” shows a surprising number of similarities.

The biblical description is also in the form of an bird’s eye view and the document describes the area of land that the owner of the land gives over to the sovereignty of Israel. Like those of the Hittites, the description of the borders of the promised land in this Torah portion are exact and specific and reflect substantial geographical knowledge of the land and significant acquaintance with its territory. The clear and quasi-legal formulation, which cannot be understood in more than one way, is indicative of a worldview similar to that which was found in the Hittite Kingdom. There is a familiarity with the dimensions of the land given to the Children of Israel, on one hand, and an recognition of the existence of neighbors with their own territory, one the other hand. This recognition, which is part of the exacting description of the border, come to full fruition in the beginning of the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy). On their way to the promised land, the nation of Israel passes through the territory of its future neighbors on the eastern bank of the Jordan: Edom, Moab and Ammon. God invites the Children of Israel to take possession of the land: “See, I have given before you the land, come and inherit the land” (Devarim 1:8), but they are forbidden to go to war with Edom, Moab and Ammon, because he has also these nation their lands as an inheritance (ibid, verses 5, 9, 19). We therefore have here the universal God, who “when dividing the people of nations, he set down the borders of nations” (ibid, 32:8). In the same way that the Hittite king saw himself as responsible for the welfare and security of all the nations under his authority, God also protects the interests of many nations.

Despite being similar to the Hittite border descriptions, we must also note the basic differences between the Hittite and the biblical descriptions. The Hittite border descriptions are found in archival documents, in contrast to the biblical text which is literary and tendentious in nature. The relationship of a sovereign king and a ruler who is subject to him, which is political in nature, is reassigned by the Bible to the realm of the religious. God plays the role of the supreme king who rules the world. In the framework of the covenant made between him and the nation of Israel (which is similar to a covenant of vassalage), the promised land plays an important role. God grants the land - a specific area, defined precisely - to His nation, on the condition that they remain loyal to Him and fulfill their part of the covenant.

Therefore, the biblical viewpoint which can be seen in the description “the land of Canaan within its borders” establishes that the borders of the promised land have divine validity and it is He that has established them and only He has the right to change them, but what he has given he also has the right to take. According to this pint of view, the biblical narrator presents a full description of “the land of Canaan within its borders” from a bird’s eye view which provides a legal definition of sovereignty with no hint of generalizing or unclear language.

Dr Nili Wazana
Bible Department and Jewish History Department

Geography - Kadesh, Kadesh Barnea and Operation Kadesh

The settlement Kadesh, or by it’s full name Kadesh Barnea, which is mentioned three times in the double Torah portions of Mattot-Mas’ei (32:8; 33:37; 34:4), was an important oasis in the Sinai Peninsula and is also part of the description of the southern border of the Land of Israel (Bamidbar 34:4).

Kadesh is mentioned already in the stories of Avraham and Yitzchak (Bereishit 14:4; 16:14; 20:1), but most of the traditions connected to it are from the period which the Children of Israel were wandering in the desert. From there that the spies were sent to investigate the land and to there they returned (Bamidbar 13:26; Devarim 1:19 and onwards; Yehoshua 14:6-7; et al); Aaron died at Mount Hor which is near Kadesh (Bamidbar 20:22, et al); the Children of Israel dwelt there for a significant period of time (Devarim 1:46) and from there they began their wanderings in the desert (Devarim 2:14). One of the most significant events that took place at Kadesh is the event that is reported in Bamidbar 20:2-13: Moses sin transgressed God’s explicit command by hitting the rock instead of speaking to it and due to this sin it is decreed that he and Aaron will not enter the land. In connection with this story, when God speaks to Moses and Aaron, there is a Midrash concerning Kadesh - God says: “Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the Children of Israel” (verse 12). Due to what transpired there, the name of this place is changed and from then onwards it is called “Mei Merivah” (Waters of Dispute, Bamidbar 20:13, et al), “Mei Merivat Kadesh” (Waters of the Dispute of Kadesh, Bamidbar 17:14, et al) or “Mei Merivot Kadesh” (Waters of the Disputes of Kadesh, Yechezkel 37:19). The name “Barnea” is mentioned in approximately ten verses, but it is not known what this name means.

As an aside, there are also a number of other cities in the land which are called “Kadesh”, or have “Kadesh” as part of their name, such as “Kadesh Naphtali” (Shofetim 4:6) and it seems that all of these places had some form of kedusha (holiness) associated with them.

Today we commonly identify Kadesh as being a group of four wells found about 25km south of Nitzana, one of which is know as “Ein el Kudis” and it seems that through this the ancient name of the place was preserved. Remains of fortresses from the period of the Kings of Judea have been found in this area, which shows that it was important even in later times.

Finally, the series of military battles between Israel and Egypt which took place between 29 October and 6 November 1956 were named “Mivtza Kadesh” (Kadesh Operation), an operation also know as the Sinai Campaign. Apparently, in the early 1950’s Israel had contingency plans for conflicts with its various neighbors and the plan which dealt with Egypt was called “Siftach”. For reasons unknown, when the plan was put into action the name was changed to “Mivtza Kadesh”. It is likely that the name was chosen due to the clear connection between the Sinai Peninsula and the settlement around which so many stories were woven, in the days that ancient Israel dwelt in the region.

Literature of the Sages - Bamidbar Rabbah

As this is the concluding Torah portion of the book of Bamidbar, it is worthwhile to mention a few things about “Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah”, which accompanies this book.

The Book of Bamidbar comprises of ten Torah portions which do not differ significantly in terms of length, however, Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah does not treat them all equally. The first two portions in the book - “Bamidbar” and “Naso” - have 14 chapters dedicated to them, while all of the remaining portions have a total of nine chapters dedicated to them. Therefore a fifth of the biblical book has three quarters of the Midrash dedicated to it. Why did this happen?

It seems that the first half of the Midrash (chapters 1-14 on Torah portions “Bamidbar” and “Naso”) are very different from the second half (chapters 15-23) and in fact what we have here are two halves of different Midrashim that have been joined together. The second half, the shorter of the two, is for all intents and purposes an alternative version of Midrash Tanchuma on the Book of Bamidbar, with only a few additions and expansions. The first half, in contrast, is based on Midrash Tanchuma, but there are many extensions and lengthy additional sections found exclusively here. The accepted assumption is that the first half came from the Torah learning academy of Rabbi Shimon HaDarshan, who lived in Narbonne in the eleventh century and who is also known to be one of Rashi’s main teachers and is quoted quite often in his commentaries. As far as is known, the two halves were combined at the beginning of the twelfth century, probably in Provence. Bamidbar Rabbah is therefore chronologically one of the later Midrashic compositions.

The last chapter in this Midrash, chapter 23, deals with a number of issues and among them is the list of the stages of the Children of Israel’s journey in the wilderness: “These are the travels of the Children of Israel” etc (Bamidbar 33:1). The Midrash asks: “Why did all these travels merit to be written in the Torah?”, or in other words: why did the Torah bother to describe each leg of the journey, in the form “and they traveled from Rephidim and camped at Mount Sinai, and they traveled from Mount Sinai and they camped at Kivrot-Hata’ava” and so forth? It answers this question with two answers, one negative and one positive.

The negative - ‘A parable is drawn with a king who’s son was sick and he took him to a specific place to heal him. When they returned, the father began to list all the legs of their journey: here we slept, here we caught a cold, here your head hurt. In the same way, God says to Moses: list all the places where they angered me and therefore he said “these are the travels” (paragraph 3)’. This passage, written as a parable with the lesson it teaches, explains that the Torah lists all the places where the children of Israel stopped in the wilderness as a form of reminder of their sins and acts of rebellion which made God angry.

The positive - the various places are mentioned in the Torah because they “welcomed Israel and hosted them graciously”. Therefore, “in the future God will grant their reward” (paragraph 4). For example, in the future the wilderness which hosted Israel will flower, as is written: “The wilderness and the parched land will be glad and the desert will rejoice and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1). Also: “I will transform the desert into a lake of water” (Ibid 41:18) and “cedar, acacia, and the myrtle and oil-tree” will grow there (ibid, verse 19).

Even a seemingly dry, technical list of places and stations in the desert can serve as raw material in the hands of the homiletical commentators, who are able to draw educational lessons from them.