Lesson 2: The Inheritance of the Land — What Was Promised and What Was Given
Introduction: Where We Stood, and Where We Are Going
In the previous lesson we encountered the famous dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua regarding the redemption — whether it depends on teshuvah or not, and the language of the prophet Isaiah: "in its time I will hasten it" — two seemingly contradictory times in a single verse, "in its time" and "I will hasten it" together.
Now, notice what the Rebbe does at the beginning of section two. He does not jump straight to resolving it. He says — before we understand all this, we need a preface. And in his words:
"And to understand all this, one must first offer an introduction in order to understand the root of the dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua mentioned above in a general way, and afterward the three distinctions of 'in its time I will hasten it' mentioned above will be understood."
That is: in order to understand all this (כ"ז = all this), we need one preface. The preface will explain the root of the dispute of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua "in a general way" — broadly, from above. And only "afterward," subsequently, will the three distinctions in "in its time I will hasten it" be understood.
Grasp the structure: today's preface is seemingly about something entirely different — about the inheritance of the Land of Israel. And what does that have to do with the dispute about the redemption? That is exactly the question. Let us follow him step by step.
The Question: Eight—or rather, ten—nations were promised, yet only seven were given
Here is the introduction. The Rebbe opens with a well-known question:
"For behold, the well-known question concerning the matter of the inheritance of the Land of Israel and the seven nations that were given to Abraham, namely the Canaanite, the Hittite, etc."
There is a well-known question regarding the inheritance of the Land of Israel. The Holy One, blessed be He, gave the people of Israel the land of seven nations — the Canaanite, the Hittite, and so on. Seven nations, seven peoples who dwelled in the land, and Israel inherited their land.
What is the problem? Let us return to the original promise. The Rebbe quotes from the Covenant Between the Parts, that lofty event in Parashat Lech Lecha, in which the Holy One, blessed be He, makes a covenant with Abraham our father and promises him the land:
"For behold, at the Covenant Between the Parts (in Parashat Lech Lecha) it is said: 'And to your seed I will give the land etc., from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite etc.'"
"And to your seed I will give the land" — to your seed I will give, I shall give. And how far? "From the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates" — a very broad border. And then the verse enumerates the peoples, and there — pay attention — appear names that we do not recognize from the conquest: the Kenite, the Kenizzite, the Kadmonite.
And now count. The Rebbe emphasizes:
"Ten nations are named there (and in place of 'and the Hivite' it says there 'and the Rephaim')"
In the Covenant Between the Parts, ten nations are enumerated (yud = ten). Ten peoples were promised to Abraham. And the Rebbe adds a precise detail: in place of "and the Hivite" which appears in other places, here in the Covenant Between the Parts it says "and the Rephaim."
Now feel the question. Ten were promised. And in actuality?
"And in actual practice He gave them only the seven nations of the Land of Israel"
"In actual practice" — in literal reality — He gave them only (nothing but) the seven nations of the Land of Israel. Ten were promised, seven were given. Where did the three disappear to?
The Question Intensifies: Yitzchak Too Repeated the Same Promise
One might have thought — perhaps the promise of ten nations was said only to Avraham, and over the course of the generations it was reduced? The Rebbe closes off this avenue. This promise did not remain with Avraham alone; it was passed onward. In his words:
"And Yitzchak said to Yaakov: 'And may E-l Sha-dai give you the blessing of Avraham,' which is the Land of Israel, that He promised him also the Keini etc."
When Yitzchak blesses Yaakov, he says to him, "And may E-l Sha-dai give you the blessing of Avraham." What is "the blessing of Avraham"? The Rebbe explains: this is the Land of Israel — but not the reduced Land of Israel. This is that very same promise that included "also the Keini" etc., also those additional nations.
Feel how the question intensifies. We are not speaking of a one-time promise that was perhaps forgotten. The promise of ten nations passed from Avraham, through Yitzchak, to Yaakov — generation after generation it recurs. And yet, upon entering the Land, only seven were given.
The Three Missing Nations — and Why Moshe Did Not Take Them
Now the Rebbe enters into the particulars. Which, in fact, are the three nations that were not given? He focuses on one of them — the Refaim:
"And that which is written 'and the Refaim,' who are the giants who originally dwelt in the land of Amon and Moav, as it is written in Parshas Devarim, that it is called the 'land of Refaim'"
"Umah shekasuv" — and that which is written, "and the Refaim." Who are the Refaim? The giants — those nations of great stature — who originally dwelt in the land of Amon and Moav. And the Rebbe brings a proof: as it is written in Parshas Devarim, that this land is called the "land of Refaim."
And now, why did Israel not inherit it?
"Moshe did not give it to them, for He said: 'To the children of Lot I have given etc.' (as will be explained)"
Moshe Rabbeinu did not give them this land. Why? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, said: "To the children of Lot I have given" — the land of Amon and Moav I have given to the children of Lot. Amon and Moav are the descendants of Lot, the nephew of Avraham, and the Holy One, blessed be He, designated this land for them and forbade Israel to touch it.
Note the title of the discourse itself — "Do not distress Moav" — do not distress them, do not lay siege to them, do not wage war against them. This is precisely the commandment of which we are speaking. The Rebbe notes "kemo sheyisba'er" — as will be explained — that is, we will return to this later. For now this is enough to set up the question: three nations were promised, and upon entering the land they were not given, and one of them — the land of the Refaim — was even explicitly forbidden, for it is reserved for the children of Lot.
The Resolution: The Complete Promise Is Reserved for the Future
Now we begin to enter the depth of the matter. The Rebbe gives the resolution — and he gives it, in his words, "briefly," in short, for he is only opening a doorway:
"But behold, the resolution to this, in brief, is that which we find in Yechezkel (47) regarding the borders of the Land of Israel in the time to come"
There is an answer, and it is found in Yechezkel, chapter 47. There the prophet describes the borders of the Land of Israel "in the time to come" — in the days of Mashiach. And in his words:
"As it is written: 'On the northern side, from the Great Sea, etc.' — these are other borders that the first ones, Moshe and Yehoshua, did not delineate at all in the borders of the Land"
Yechezkel describes borders — "on the northern side, from the Great Sea," etc. — and the Rebbe emphasizes: these are other borders. Borders that Moshe and Yehoshua, the "first ones" who delineated the borders of the Land upon entering it, did not delineate at all. That is to say: the Land of Israel of the time to come is greater than the Land of Israel of now.
And here the penny drops. The Rebbe explains:
"And this is because in the time to come there will be given to Israel also the Keini, the Kenizi, and the Kadmoni, as explained in Parshat Lech Lecha"
The secret is this: the three missing nations — the Keini, the Kenizi, the Kadmoni — were not removed from the promise. They are simply reserved for the time to come. The promise of ten nations in the Covenant Between the Parts will be fulfilled in its entirety — but only in the time to come, not now.
The Land of Israel That Will Expand Throughout the Entire World
The Rebbe reinforces this point with the promise to Yaakov:
"As it is written in the explanation of His promise to Yaakov: 'And you shall spread out westward and northward and southward, etc.' — to the four directions without any limit at all, and it is called an inheritance without boundaries"
The promise to Yaakov was "and you shall spread out" — you shall burst forth! "Westward and northward and southward" and eastward — to all four directions. Note the Rebbe's language: "without any limit at all" — without boundary. This is an inheritance that has no "metzarim" — and the word "metzarim" here is not the land of Egypt (Mitzrayim), but rather a term meaning meitzar, a boundary. "An inheritance without boundaries" — an inheritance without limits.
And the Rebbe concludes with the statement of our Sages:
"As they said: In the future the Land of Israel is destined to expand throughout the entire world, etc."
"As they said" — as our Sages stated: In the future the Land of Israel is destined to expand throughout the entire world. Imagine — not a small land between rivers, but a Land of Israel whose boundaries are the boundaries of the world.
Therefore, the Rebbe summarizes:
"And therefore the boundaries of the Land of Israel will automatically change in the time to come, etc., and the promise also concerning the three nations, the Keini, etc., will be fulfilled in the time to come specifically, and not now — and this is sufficient for the discerning."
"And therefore" — the boundaries of the Land of Israel will automatically change in the time to come. And the promise concerning the three additional nations will be fulfilled "in the time to come specifically" — specifically in the time to come — "and not now."
Summary and the Bridge Onward
So what have we shown today? We made an introduction. We encountered a difficulty: ten nations were promised to Abraham, yet seven were given. The difficulty was reinforced through Isaac's blessing to Jacob. We saw that one of the missing nations — the land of the Refaim, the land of Ammon and Moab — was explicitly forbidden, "to the sons of Lot I have given it." And we received an answer "in brief": the complete promise is reserved for the time to come, when the boundaries of the land will expand and the promise will be fulfilled in its entirety.
But notice what remains open. The Rebbe opened section ב with the promise that all this would explain the root of the dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, and the three distinctions in "in its time / I will hasten it." And still — what is the connection? What does the inheritance of three nations in the time to come have to do with the dispute about the redemption? We will continue to spin this thread in the next lesson. Now it is becoming clear what is reserved for the time to come; later we will understand why this is the very heart of the matter of the entire redemption.