Bava Basra - Daf 117
- Was Eretz Yisroel apportioned to the יוצאי מצרים or to the באי הארץ?
The Mishnah on the previous Daf said that the daughters of צלפחד received three portions in Eretz Yisroel: (1) The portion of their father צלפחד, who was among those who left מצרים, (2) צלפחד’s portion among his brothers in the estate of his father חפר, and (3) a second share in חפר’s estate, because צלפחד was the bechor. This Mishnah, which states that בנות צפלחד received their father’s portion because he left מצרים, holds like the opinion that Eretz Yisroel was apportioned to the יוצאי מצרים. This is a machlokes in a Baraisa, where Rebbe Yoshiyah says: ליוצאי מצרים נתחלקה הארץ – the Land was apportioned to those who left Mitzrayim, because a passuk says: לשמות מטות אבותם ינחלו – according to the names of their fathers’ shevatim they shall inherit, referring to those who left מצרים. Rebbe Yonasan says: לבאי הארץ נתחלקה הארץ – the Land was apportioned to those who entered the Land, because another passuk says: לאלה תחלק הארץ בנחלה – to these the Land shall be apportioned as an inheritance.
- כאן מתים יורשין חיין
Each Tanna in the above Baraisa explains how to interpret the passuk quoted by the other Tanna. Rebbe Yoshiyah, who says Eretz Yisroel was apportioned to the יוצאי מצרים, explains that the passuk which says it was given "לאלה" – to these, means כאלה – like these people who were at least twenty years old, להוציא את הטפלים – to exclude children from receiving a portion. Rebbe Yonasan, who holds the Land was apportioned to the באי הארץ, he explains that the passuk which implies it was given to those leaving מצרים means to teach: משונה נחלה זו מכל נחלות שבעולם – this inheritance was different from all inheritances in the world. Regarding ordinary inheritances, חיין יורשין מתים – the living inherit the dead. וכאן מתים יורשין חיין – But here, the dead inherit the living. After each person entering Eretz Yisroel received a portion, the portions reverted to their deceased fathers who had left מצרים and were redivided among the heirs of the fathers. For example, if two brothers left מצרים, and one had one son and the other had ten, the children would receive eleven portions upon entering Eretz Yisroel, which would be “inherited” evenly by their fathers, each receiving 5 ½ portions, which would then be inherited by their respective heirs.
- Opinion that Eretz Yisroel was apportioned both to יוצאי מצרים and באי הארץ
The Baraisa quotes a third opinion about whether Eretz Yisroel was apportioned to the יוצאי מצרים or the באי הארץ. Rebbe Shimon ben Elazar says: לאלו ולאלו נתחלקה הארץ – the Land was apportioned to these who left Mitzrayim and to these who entered Eretz Yisroel. The basis for this view isכדי לקיים שני מקראות הללו – in order to uphold both of these pesukim, since one implies it was given to the יוצאי מצרים, and the other implies it was given to those entering Eretz Yisroel. He explains that if someone was among those who left מצרים (but died in the מדבר), and his sons were not of age to receive among those entering Eretz Yisroel, they received his portion. If someone was among those entering Eretz Yisroel at age twenty, but their father did not leave מצרים at age twenty, they received their own portion. If someone was eligible from both groups, i.e., the father was twenty when leaving מצרים, and his son entered Eretz Yisroel at age twenty, נוטל חלקו מכאן ומכאן – he would take his portion from here and from there, meaning he received two portions. The Rashbam comments that our Mishnah can also reflect this opinion.
