Pinchas פנחס

My Musing
One of the overarching themes of the book of Bemidbar is the struggle to become an independent nation while reconciling that drive towards independence with the understanding that God is in control of everything. This idea of destiny is difficult to understand and requires the key idea of miracle.

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת פינחס סימן ו
(במדבר כו:נה) "אַךְ בְּגוֹרָל יֵחָלֵק אֶת הָאָרֶץ לִשְׁמוֹת מַטּוֹת אֲבֹתָם יִנְחָלוּ"

"Notwithstanding, the land shall be divided by lot; according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit."

זה שאמר הכתוב (משלי יח:יח) "מִדְיָנִים יַשְׁבִּית הַגּוֹרָל וּבֵין עֲצוּמִים יַפְרִיד"
לפי שכתב סימן כל שבט ושבט מיעקב (בראשית מט:יג-יד) "זְבוּלֻן לְחוֹף יַמִּים יִשְׁכֹּן וְהוּא לְחוֹף אֳנִיּוֹת וְיַרְכָתוֹ עַל צִידֹן. יִשָּׂשכָר חֲמֹר גָּרֶם רֹבֵץ בֵּין הַמִּשְׁפְּתָיִם" (בראשית מט:כ) "מֵאָשֵׁר שְׁמֵנָה לַחְמוֹ וְהוּא יִתֵּן מַעֲדַנֵּי מֶלֶךְ" אין לך רשות לחלק אלא על פי הגורל.

This is what the scriptures said, "The lot causes strife to cease, and parts asunder the contentious." Since the sign of each tribe was written from Jacob, "Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea, and he shall be a shore for ships, and his flank shall be upon Zidon. Issachar is a large-boned donkey, couching down between the sheep-folds." "As for Asher, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties." You do not have any permission to distribute the land other than by lottery.

ומעשה נסים היה בגורל. אלעזר הכהן לובש אורים ותומים, וקלפי הגורלות לפני יהושע שנאמר, (יהושע יח:ו) "וְאַתֶּם תִּכְתְּבוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ שִׁבְעָה חֲלָקִים וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֵלַי הֵנָּה וְיָרִיתִי לָכֶם גּוֹרָל פֹּה לִפְנֵי יְדֹוָד אֱלקֵינוּ"

And it was a miraculous event with the lottery for the land. Elazar the priest would wear the Urim and Tumim, and the parchments with the tribes were in front of Joshua as it says, "And ye shall describe the land into seven portions, and bring the description hither to me; and I will cast lots for you here before the LORD our God."

ועד שלא יעלה הגורל, אלעזר אומר ברוח הקדש, 'גורל שבט פלוני עולה שיטול במקום פלוני', ויהושע פושט ידו ועולה. שנאמר, (יהושע יט:נא) "אֵלֶּה הַנְּחָלֹת אֲשֶׁר נִחֲלוּ אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן וְרָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְמַטּוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגוֹרָל בְּשִׁלֹה לִפְנֵי יְדֹוָד פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיְכַלּוּ מֵחַלֵּק אֶת הָאָרֶץ" וזו היתה יתירה, שהיה הגורל צווח בשעת עלייתו, 'אני גורל שבט פלוני, עליתי לו במקום פלוני'.

And until the lot would be drawn, Elazar would say with the Divine inspiration, "the lot of such tribe comes up that they will take such place" and Joshua would reach his hand and take out (the very lottery as predicted by Elazar). As it says, "These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tent of meeting. So they made an end of dividing the land." And that was superfluous, because the lottery would call out as it was being drawn, 'I am the lot of such tribe, I was drawn for such place'.

ומנין שהגורל מדבר? שנאמר (במדבר כו:נו) "עַל פִּי הַגּוֹרָל תֵּחָלֵק נַחֲלָתוֹ בֵּין רַב לִמְעָט"

And from where do we know the lottery spoke? As it says, "According to the mouth of the lot shall their inheritance be divided between the more and the fewer."