Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 26:55/רמב"ן על במדבר כ״ו:נ״ה
אאַךְ בְּגוֹרָל יֵחָלֵק אֶת הָאָרֶץ לְשִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּשְׁמוֹת מַטּוֹת אֲבֹתָם שֶׁהֵם שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר מַטּוֹת יִנְחֲלוּ אוֹתָם. וְחָזַר וְאָמַר: ״עַל פִּי הַגּוֹרָל תֵּחָלֵק נַחֲלָתוֹ״ שֶׁל מַטֶּה "בֵּין רַב לִמְעָט", כִּי גַּם בֵּין הַמִּשְׁפָּחוֹת יַטִּילוּ גּוֹרָל, וְיִהְיֶה חֵלֶק הַחֲנוֹכִי בָּרוּחַ וּבַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יַעֲלֶה לוֹ הַגּוֹרָל, וְחֵלֶק הַפַּלֻּאִי בְּאוֹתוֹ מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יַעֲלֶה לוֹ הַגּוֹרָל, אַךְ נַרְבֶּה לָרַב וְנַמְעִיט לַמּוּעָט בַּמִּשְׁפָּחוֹת. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּסֵדֶר אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי: ״וְהִתְנַחַלְתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ בְּגוֹרָל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיכֶם, לָרַב תַּרְבּוּ אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ וְלַמְעַט תַּמְעִיט אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ, אֶל אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא לוֹ שָׁמָּה הַגּוֹרָל לוֹ יִהְיֶה, לְמַטּוֹת אֲבֹתֵיכֶם תִּתְנֶחָלוּ״ (במדבר ל״ג:נ״ד). הִנֵּה בֵּאֵר שֶׁתִּהְיֶה הַנַּחֲלָה לַמִּשְׁפָּחוֹת בְּגוֹרָל אֶל הָרוּחַ אֲשֶׁר יִפּוֹל לוֹ הַגּוֹרָל, שָׁם נַרְבֶּה לָרַב וְנַמְעִיט לַמְעַט בַּמִּשְׁפָּחוֹת. וְאָמַר שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לְמַטּוֹת אֲבוֹתָם, כְּלוֹמַר שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה מַטּוֹת. וּמַה שֶׁכָּתַב רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר כ״ו:נ״ה): ״לִשְׁמוֹת מַטּוֹת אֲבוֹתָם" - אֵלּוּ יוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם - אֵינוֹ נָכוֹן, שֶׁאֵין "מַטּוֹת" רַק שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״וְלֹא תִסֹּב נַחֲלָה מִמַּטֶּה לְמַטֶּה אַחֵר כִּי אִישׁ בְּנַחֲלָתוֹ יִדְבְּקוּ מַטּוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל״ (במדבר ל״ו:ט׳), וְכֵן ״אֶלֶף לַמַּטֶּה לְכָל מַטּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל״ (במדבר ל״א:ד׳), וְכֵן בַּמְּרַגְּלִים (לעיל יג ב-טו), וְכֵן בְּכָל מָקוֹם. וְשֵׁם שֵׁבֶט וּמַטֶּה אֶחָד הוּא. אֲבָל מַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ בַּגְּמָרָא (ב״ב קיז): רַבִּי יֹאשִׁיָּה אוֹמֵר: לְיוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם נִתְחַלְּקָה הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: "לִשְׁמוֹת מַטּוֹת אֲבוֹתָם יִנְחָלוּ" - מִדְרָשׁ מֵרִבּוּי הַכָּתוּב, שֶׁהָיָה דַּי שֶׁיֹּאמַר ״אַךְ בְּגוֹרָל יֵחָלֵק הָאָרֶץ לִשְׁמוֹת הַמַּטּוֹת״, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהִזְכִּיר "אֲבוֹתָם יִנְחָלוּ", דָּרְשׁוּ שֶׁהָאָבוֹת - וְהֵם הַנִּזְכָּרִים בְּמִצְרַיִם ״אֵלֶּה רָאשֵׁי בֵית אֲבוֹתָם״ (שמות ו יד) - הֵם נוֹחֲלִים אֶת הָאָרֶץ, וּמֵהֶם תָּבֹא לְאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר תֵּחָלֵק לָהֶם:
1HOWEVER, THE LAND SHALL BE DIVIDED BY LOT amongst the tribes of Israel, and ACCORDING TO THE NAMES OF THE TRIBES OF THEIR FATHERS who constituted twelve tribes THEY SHALL INHERIT them [i.e., the twelve equal portions of the Land]. And then He repeated: 56. ACCORDING TO THE LOT SHALL THE INHERITANCE of the tribe BE DIVIDED BETWEEN THE MORE AND THE FEWER, meaning that they should also cast lots amongst the [individual] families, so that [for instance] the portion of the Hanochites should be in the direction and place which the lot chooses for him, and the portion of the Palluites should be in the place which the lot chooses for him, but we are to allot more [of the land] to the larger [families], and give less to the smaller families. This is the meaning of that which it says in the section131. of Eileh Mas’ei: And ye shall inherit the land by lot according to your families — to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance; wheresoever the lot falleth to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers shall ye inherit.132 Thus He explained that the inheritance should be allotted to families by the lot, and in whichever direction the lot chooses for him [any individual family], there we shall give a larger [portion] to the larger of the families and a smaller [portion] to the smaller [families]. He [furthermore] said that it [the division of the Land] should be according to the tribes of your fathers, meaning to say twelve tribes.133Now that which Rashi said — “According to the names of ‘matoth’ of their fathers, this means those who came out of Egypt” — is not correct, for the term matoth always means “the tribes” of Israel, just as it is written, So shall no inheritance remove ‘mimateh’ (from one tribe) ‘l’mateih acheir’ (to another tribe); for ‘matoth’ (the tribes of) the children of Israel shall cleave each one to its own inheritance.134 Similarly [it is written], a thousand ‘l’mateh’ (of every tribe) throughout all ‘matoth’ (tribes of) Israel,135, 31:4. and so also in the case of the spies,136 (of every tribe) of their fathers. and likewise in all other places — for the terms sheivet and mateh are identical. And when the Rabbis said in the Gemara:137 “Rabbi Yashiyah says: The Land was divided amongst those that came out of Egypt, for it is said, according to the names of ‘matoth’ of their fathers they shall inherit” — this interpretation [is not based, as Rashi understood, on the meaning of the word matoth itself, but] is deduced because of the [seeming] redundancy of the verse, for it would have been enough for Scripture to say: However, the Land shall be divided by lot according to the names of the tribes [and to omit the concluding phrase … of their fathers they shall inherit]. But since He did mention … of their fathers they shall inherit, the Rabbis interpreted that it is ‘the fathers’ — namely those who are mentioned [as having left] Egypt, [as it says]: These are the heads of their fathers’ houses.138 It is they who are to inherit the Land, and it is through them that the Land is to come to those who [actually] divided it.