במדבר כ״ו:נ״ב-נ״ו

לאלה תחלק הארץ. וְלֹא לַפְּחוּתִים מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים אַעַ"פִּ שֶׁבָּאוּ לִכְלַל עֶשְׂרִים בְּטֶרֶם חִלּוּק הָאָרֶץ; שֶׁהֲרֵי שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים כָּבְשׁוּ וְשֶׁבַע חִלְּקוּ, לֹא נָטְלוּ חֵלֶק בָּאָרֶץ אֶלָּא אֵלּוּ שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף וָאֶלֶף, וְאִם הָיוּ לְאֶחָד מֵהֶם שִׁשָּׁה בָנִים לֹא נָטְלוּ אֶלָּא חֵלֶק אֲבִיהֶם לְבַדּוֹ (בבא בתרא קי"ז):

The land shall be apportioned among these. But not among those below the age of twenty, even if they reach twenty before the apportioning of the land. Indeed, the conquest lasted seven years, and the apportioning seven, yet no one received a portion in the land except for these six hundred and one thousand. If one of them had six sons, they received nothing but their father’s portion.

לרב תרבה נחלתו. לְשֵׁבֶט שֶׁהָיָה מְרֻבֶּה בְּאֻכְלוּסִין נָתְנוּ חֵלֶק רַב, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹא הָיוּ הַחֲלָקִים שָׁוִים, שֶׁהֲרֵי הַכֹּל לְפִי רִבּוּי הַשֵּׁבֶט חָלְקוּ הַחֲלָקִים, לֹא עָשׂוּ אֶלָּא עַ"יְ גוֹרָל, וְהַגּוֹרָל הָיָה עַל פִּי רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ בְּבָבָא בַתְרָא (דף קכ"ב): אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן הָיָה מְלֻבָּשׁ בְּאוּרִים וְתֻמִּים וְאוֹמֵר בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ אִם שֵׁבֶט פְּלוֹנִי עוֹלֶה, תְּחוּם פְּלוֹנִי עוֹלֶה עִמּוֹ, וְהַשְּׁבָטִים הָיוּ כְתוּבִים בִּשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר פְּתָקִין וְי"ב גְּבוּלִין בְּי"ב פְּתָקִין, וּבְלָלוּם בַּקַּלְפִּי, וְהַנָּשִׂיא מַכְנִיס יָדוֹ לְתוֹכוֹ וְנוֹטֵל שְׁנַיִם פְּתָקִין, עוֹלֶה בְיָדוֹ פֶּתֶק שֶׁל שֵׁם שִׁבְטוֹ וּפֶתֶק שֶׁל גְּבוּל הַמְפֹרָשׁ לוֹ, וְהַגּוֹרָל עַצְמוֹ הָיָה צוֹוֵחַ וְאוֹמֵר אֲנִי הַגּוֹרָל עָלִיתִי לִגְבוּל פְּלוֹנִי לְשֵבֶט פְּלוֹנִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "עַל פִּי הַגּוֹרָל", וְלֹא נִתְחַלְּקָה הָאָרֶץ בְּמִדָּה, לְפִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ גְּבוּל מְשֻׁבָּח מֵחֲבֵרוֹ, אֶלָּא בְשׁוּמָא, בֵּית כֹּר רַע כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית סְאָה טוֹב, הַכֹּל לְפִי הַדָּמִים:

To the large [tribe], increase their inheritance. To the tribe with the greater populace, they gave a larger portion. Although the portions were unequal, as everything was assigned according to the size of the tribe, they implemented the apportioning solely by lots, and the lottery was inspired by the Sacred Spirit, as stated explicitly in Bava Basra. Elozor the kohein was clothed in the Urim veTumim, and said, with the Sacred Spirit, “If tribe so-and-so is drawn, then border so-and-so will be drawn with it.” The [names of the] tribes were written on twelve notes, and the twelve boundaries on twelve notes. They were mixed into a container, and the leader placed his hand into it and removed two notes. There appeared, in his hand, the note with the name of his tribe, and the note with the boundary specified for it. The lot itself would cry out, exclaiming, “I am the lot drawn for the so-and-so boundary, belonging to tribe so-and-so,” as it is said, “by word of the lottery.” The land was not apportioned dimensionally, since some boundaries were superior to others, but by assessed value. A poor Kor area was equivalent to a superior Seah area, all according to the value [of the soil.]

לשמות מטות אבתם. אֵלּוּ יוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם; שִׁנָּה הַכָּתוּב נַחֲלָה זוֹ מִכָּל הַנְּחָלוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁכָּל הַנְּחָלוֹת הַחַיִּים יוֹרְשִׁים אֶת הַמֵּתִים וְכָאן מֵתִים יוֹרְשִׁים אֶת הַחַיִּים, כֵּיצַד? שְׁנֵי אַחִים מִיּוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם שֶׁהָיוּ לָהֶם בָּנִים בְּבָאֵי הָאָרֶץ, לָזֶה אֶחָד וְלָזֶה שְׁלֹשָׁה, הָאֶחָד נָטַל חֵלֶק אֶחָד וְהַשְּׁלֹשָׁה נָטְלוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לָאֵלֶּה תֵּחָלֵק הָאָרֶץ, חָזְרָה נַחֲלָתָן אֵצֶל אֲבִי אֲבִיהֶן וְחָלְקוּ הַכֹּל בְּשָׁוֶה, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לשמות מטות אבתם ינחלו — שֶׁאַחַר שֶׁנָּטְלוּ הַבָּנִים, חִלְּקוּהָ לְפִי הָאָבוֹת שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְאִלּוּ מִתְּחִלָּה חִלְּקוּהָ לְמִנְיַן יוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם לֹא הָיוּ נוֹטְלִין אֵלּוּ הָאַרְבָּעָה אֶלָּא שְׁנֵי חֲלָקִים, עַכְשָׁו נָטְלוּ אַרְבָּעָה חֲלָקִים (ספרי; בבא בתרא קי"ז):

According to the names of their fathers’ tribes. This refers to those who left Egypt. Scripture deviates, with this inheritance, from all the others in the Torah. With every inheritance, the living inherit the dead, but here, the dead inherit the living. How is this? Two brothers among those who left Egypt had sons who entered the land, one had one son, the other, three. The single son received one portion, the three, three portions, as it is said, “the land shall be apportioned to these.” Their inheritance reverted to their grandfather, and they then shared everything equally. This is [the meaning of] what is said, “according to the names of their fathers’ tribes, they shall inherit” — after the sons received it, they reapportioned it according to the fathers who left Egypt. But if they had apportioned it originally among those numbered in the exodus from Egypt, the four would have received only two portions, whereas they now received four portions.

אך בגורל. יָצְאוּ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָלֵב, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר "וַיִּתְּנוּ לְכָלֵב אֶת חֶבְרוֹן כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה" (שופטים א'), וְאוֹמֵר (יהושע י"ט) "עַל פִּי ה' נָתְנוּ לוֹ אֶת הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר שָׁאָל" (ספרי):

Only by lot. This excludes Yehoshua and Kalev. And similarly it says, “they presented Kalev with Chevron, as Moshe had said.” And it says, “by the word of God they gave him the city which he requested.”

מטות אבתם. יָצְאוּ גֵרִים וַעֲבָדִים:

Of their fathers’ tribes. This excludes proselytes and [gentile] slaves.

על פי הגורל. הַגּוֹרָל הָיָה מְדַבֵּר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי, מַגִּיד שֶׁנִּתְחַלְּקָה בְרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ {לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר (יהושע י"ט) "עַל פִּי ה'"}:

By word of the lottery. The lots spoke, as I explained above. This informs us that it was apportioned by the inspiration of the Sacred Spirit. This is why it is said, “By the word of God.”