The lands of Edom, Amon and Moav
The issur to fight against Amon, Moav and Edom
The Torah at the end of this week’s sedrah refers to the issur of taking land from Edom and Amon:
The benei yisroel did not wage war against Edom because Hashem had said (דברים ב׳):
Similarly, the Benei Yisroel were not allowed to attack Amon and Moav:
Rashi explains why they stopped at Amon:
Similarly for for Moav, the only reason the Benei Yisroel were allowed to take land that had formerly belonged to Moav from Sichon was because Sichon had conquered it first.
Do these issurim apply permanently?
The Rambam says that the issurim to attack Amon and Moav only applied at that time (sefer hamitzovs shoresh 3):
It is so obvious to the Rambam that these mitzvos do not apply for all generations that he asks this as a question that if someone would count temporary mitzvos as part of the 613 then he should include these as well.
The Ramban however says that these are 3 of the taryag mitzvos and that they apply permanently (מצות לא תעשה לדעת הרמב״ן בסוף ספר המצות):
And since Hashem explained the reason that we cannot fight them because the land is given to them as an inheritance if so the issur also applies for all generations that we should not rob them of their inheritance…”
Moshiach and the bris bein ha’besarim
At the bris bein ha’besarim Hashem promised the lands of Amon, Moav and Edom to Avrohom:
Rashi says:
How could Hashem promise these lands to Avrohom if there is an issur (according to the Ramban) of taking these lands?
Rashi in devarim explains that when moshiach comes we are allowed to take land from Edom:
Rashi – “…this is the literal transalation. The medrash says – [instead of translating ad midrach kaf regel as not even one foot-tread – you can transalate it as] until the day of treading of the foot on Har HaZeisim as the possuk says in Zecharia –
‘ועמדו רגליו ביום ההוא על הר הזיתים אשר על פני ירושלים מקדם’”
However – how could Hashem promise the land of Amon and Moav to Avrohom according to the Ramban? There is a permanent issur to take their land?
The 10 lands according to the ramban
The Avi Ezri (hilchos melachim 6:1) explains that according to the Ramban, the promise of the land of Edom, Amon and Moav made to Avrohom at the bris bein ha’besorim was not a promise that these lands would be given to the benei yisroel. Rather it was a promise that the lands would be given to Esav and the children of Lot. Esav is Avrohom’s grandson and Lot was Avrohom’s adopted son.
The later nevuah that these lands would be given to the benei yisroel relied on the fact that Sancheriv would move the world’s population around. The Ramban in the sefer hamitzvos explains that although the mitzva applies permanently, it is still mutar for moshiach to take these lands:
“Nevertheless since Sancheriv mixed up all the world’s population their land became mutar to the melech ha’mashiach as it says in Perek Chelek – that it was mutar for Moshe to conqeur the lands of Amon and Moav that were conquered by Sichon. Furthermore Hashem will cut them off and their inheritance will remain to us and therefore it says ‘וירשו הנגב אח הר שעיר’ – ‘they will inherit the south – Har Seir’”
The 10 lands according to the rambam
However, explains the Avi Ezri, because according to the Rambam that there is no permanent issur to take these lands – the promise at the bris bein ha’besorim referred to the benei yisroel (רמב"ם הלכות רוצח ושמירת נפש פרק ח' הלכה ד').
The Torah at the end of this week’s sedrah refers to the issur of taking land from Edom and Amon:
וַיִּשְׁלַח מֹשֶׁה מַלְאָכִים מִקָּדֵשׁ אֶל מֶלֶךְ אֱדוֹם כֹּה אָמַר אָחִיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֵת כָּל הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתְנוּ...נַעְבְּרָה נָּא בְאַרְצֶךָ לֹא נַעֲבֹר בְּשָׂדֶה וּבְכֶרֶם וְלֹא נִשְׁתֶּה מֵי בְאֵר דֶּרֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ נֵלֵךְ לֹא נִטֶּה יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול עַד אֲשֶׁר נַעֲבֹר גְּבוּלֶךָ...
"Moshe sent messengers from Kodesh to the King of Edom, “So says your brother Yisroel, ‘You know all the trouble that has befallen us… Let us pass through your land, we will not pass through any fields or vineyards and we will not drink well-water. We will go along the highway, we will not stray right or left until we have passed your border…”The benei yisroel did not wage war against Edom because Hashem had said (דברים ב׳):
אל תתגרו בם כי לא אתן לכם מארצם עד מדרך כף רגל כי ירושה לעשיו נתתי את הר שעיר
“Do not attack them because I will not give you from their land even one foot print because I have given Har Seir as an inheritance to Esav.”Similarly, the Benei Yisroel were not allowed to attack Amon and Moav:
וַיִּשְׁלַח יִשְׂרָאֵל מַלְאָכִים אֶל סִיחֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי לֵאמֹר...וַיַּכֵּהוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְפִי חָרֶב וַיִּירַשׁ אֶת אַרְצוֹ מֵאַרְנֹן עַד יַבֹּק עַד בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן כִּי עַז גְּבוּל בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן.
“Yisroel sent messengers to Sichon the King of the Emori saying…Yisroel smote him by the sword and inherited his land from Arnon to Yabok until the people of Amon because the border of Amon was strong.”Rashi explains why they stopped at Amon:
"כי עז" - ומהו חזקו התראתו של הקב"ה שאמר להם (דברים ב) אל תצורם וגו'
“Because it was strong: What is its strength? The warning of Hashem Who said to them ‘Do not harass them …’”Similarly for for Moav, the only reason the Benei Yisroel were allowed to take land that had formerly belonged to Moav from Sichon was because Sichon had conquered it first.
Do these issurim apply permanently?
The Rambam says that the issurim to attack Amon and Moav only applied at that time (sefer hamitzovs shoresh 3):
השורש הג׳ שאין ראוי למנות מצות שאין נוהגות לדורות...ואני נפלא מזה שמנה אלו הלאוין למה לא מנה במן איש אל יותר ממנו ואמרו יתברך אל תצור את מואב ואל תתגר בם מלחמה וכן האזהרה שבאה בבני עמון אל תצורם ואל תתגר בם
“The third principle is that it is not appropriate to count [as part of the tarya”g mitzvos] mitzvos that do not apply for all generations…I am astonished at the one who counted these as mitzvos lo sa’aseh [which do not apply for all generations] why did he also not count the issur to leave mon over till the morning or the issur to wage war against Amon and Moav?”It is so obvious to the Rambam that these mitzvos do not apply for all generations that he asks this as a question that if someone would count temporary mitzvos as part of the 613 then he should include these as well.
The Ramban however says that these are 3 of the taryag mitzvos and that they apply permanently (מצות לא תעשה לדעת הרמב״ן בסוף ספר המצות):
ואני חמה על כולם שהרי כתיב אל תצר אה מואב ואל תתגר בם מלחמה כי לא אתן לך מארצו ירושה כי לבני לוט נתתי אה ער ירושה וכתיב כי ירושה לעשו נתתי אה הר שעיר והדבר ידוע שלא תקרא ירושה אלא הדבר הניתן לדורות...ומאחר שהוא יחעלה ביאר טעם המניעה שמנענו ממלחמות אלו האומות מפני שנתן להם הארץ ירושה א״כ המניעה גם כן לדורות היא שלא נגזול נחלתן...
“I am astonished at all of them (who do not count the issur to wage war against Edom, Amon and Moav as part of the taryag mitzvos) because it says “אל תצר אה מואב ואל תתגר בם מלחמה כי לא אתן לך מארצו ירושה כי לבני לוט נתתי אה ער ירושה” and it says “כי ירושה לעשו נתתי אה הר שעיר” and it is known that inheritance means something that is given for all generations. And since Hashem explained the reason that we cannot fight them because the land is given to them as an inheritance if so the issur also applies for all generations that we should not rob them of their inheritance…”
Moshiach and the bris bein ha’besarim
At the bris bein ha’besarim Hashem promised the lands of Amon, Moav and Edom to Avrohom:
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כָּרַת ה' אֶת אַבְרָם בְּרִית לֵאמֹר לְזַרְעֲךָ נָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת מִנְּהַר מִצְרַיִם עַד הַנָּהָר הַגָּדֹל נְהַר פְּרָת. אֶת הַקֵּינִי וְאֶת הַקְּנִזִּי וְאֵת הַקַּדְמֹנִי. וְאֶת הַחִתִּי וְאֶת הַפְּרִזִּי וְאֶת הָרְפָאִים. וְאֶת הָאֱמֹרִי וְאֶת הַכְּנַעֲנִי וְאֶת הַגִּרְגָּשִׁי וְאֶת הַיְבוּסִי.
“On that day Hashem made a covenant with Avraham saying to your children I have given this land from the Egyptian River till the Euphrates: The keini, the kenizi, the kadmoni, the chiti, the perizi and the rephoim. The emori, the knaani, the girgashi and the yevusi.”Rashi says:
"את הקיני" - (ב"ר) עשר אומות יש כאן ולא נתן להם אלא שבעה גוים והשלשה אדום ומואב ועמון והם קיני קניזי וקדמוני עתידים להיות ירושה לעתיד שנאמר אדום ומואב משלוח ידם ובני עמון משמעתם (ישעיהו יא)
The Torah counted 10 nations here and He only gave them 7 nations. The other three, Edom, Amon and Moav, which are the Keini, the Kenizi and the Kadmoni will be given to the benei yisroel in the future as it says (ישעיהו יא) – “אדום ומואב משלוח ידם ובני עמון משמעתם” – “They will stretch their hand against Edom and Moav and Amon will be their subject”How could Hashem promise these lands to Avrohom if there is an issur (according to the Ramban) of taking these lands?
Rashi in devarim explains that when moshiach comes we are allowed to take land from Edom:
אַל תִּתְגָּרוּ בָם כִּי לֹא אֶתֵּן לָכֶם מֵאַרְצָם עַד מִדְרַךְ כַּף רָגֶל כִּי יְרֻשָּׁה לְעֵשָׂו נָתַתִּי אֶת הַר שֵׂעִיר
עד מדרך כף רגל" - אפי' מדרך כף רגל כלו' אפי' דריסת הרגל איני מרשה לכם לעבור בארצם שלא ברשות ומ"א עד שיבא יום דריסת כף רגל על הר הזיתים שנא' (זכריה יד) ועמדו רגליו וגו'
“Do not attack them because I will not give you from their land even one foot print because I have given har Seir as an ineritance to Esav.”Rashi – “…this is the literal transalation. The medrash says – [instead of translating ad midrach kaf regel as not even one foot-tread – you can transalate it as] until the day of treading of the foot on Har HaZeisim as the possuk says in Zecharia –
‘ועמדו רגליו ביום ההוא על הר הזיתים אשר על פני ירושלים מקדם’”
However – how could Hashem promise the land of Amon and Moav to Avrohom according to the Ramban? There is a permanent issur to take their land?
The 10 lands according to the ramban
The Avi Ezri (hilchos melachim 6:1) explains that according to the Ramban, the promise of the land of Edom, Amon and Moav made to Avrohom at the bris bein ha’besorim was not a promise that these lands would be given to the benei yisroel. Rather it was a promise that the lands would be given to Esav and the children of Lot. Esav is Avrohom’s grandson and Lot was Avrohom’s adopted son.
The later nevuah that these lands would be given to the benei yisroel relied on the fact that Sancheriv would move the world’s population around. The Ramban in the sefer hamitzvos explains that although the mitzva applies permanently, it is still mutar for moshiach to take these lands:
ומכל מקום כיון שבא סנחריב ובלבל את העולם הותרה ארצם למלך המשיח כמו שאמרו בחלק (דף צ"ד
:) שארצות עמון ומואב טיהרו בסיחון ועוד שיכריתם האל יתברך ויתעלה ותשאר ירושתם לנו ולכן כתיב וירשו הנגב אח הר שעיר
“Nevertheless since Sancheriv mixed up all the world’s population their land became mutar to the melech ha’mashiach as it says in Perek Chelek – that it was mutar for Moshe to conqeur the lands of Amon and Moav that were conquered by Sichon. Furthermore Hashem will cut them off and their inheritance will remain to us and therefore it says ‘וירשו הנגב אח הר שעיר’ – ‘they will inherit the south – Har Seir’”
The 10 lands according to the rambam
However, explains the Avi Ezri, because according to the Rambam that there is no permanent issur to take these lands – the promise at the bris bein ha’besorim referred to the benei yisroel (רמב"ם הלכות רוצח ושמירת נפש פרק ח' הלכה ד').
בימי המלך המשיח מוסיפין שלש אחרות על אלו השש. שנאמר ויספת לך עוד שלש ערים על השלש האלה. והיכן מוסיפין אותן בערי הקיני והקנזי והקדמוני שנכרת לאברהם אבינו ברית עליהן ועדיין לא נכבשו ועליהן נאמר בתורה ואם ירחיב ה' אלהיך את גבולך
“In the days of the melech ha’moshiach another 3 orei miklat will be added to these 6 as the possuk says “ויספת לך עוד שלש ערים על השלש האלה”. Where are they added? In the cities of the Keini, the Kenizi and the Kadmoni which were promised to Avrohom and they have not yet been conquered and concerning these lands it says in the Torah “ואם ירחיב ה' אלהיך את גבולך”.”
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