In Parshat Pinchas we read about B’nai Yisrael’s inheritance
of the
In Bamidbar 26:54 we read: “To the large tribe, increase
their inheritance, and to the small, diminish their inheritance, each person
according to his number, shall be given his inheritance.”
Rashi comments: “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 Ruach HaKodesh (The
Sacred Spirit) as stated explicitly in Bava Batra122a. Elazar the Kohen was
clothed in the Urim v’Tumim (the oracle worn in the breastplate of the Kohen
Gadol which conveyed Divinely formulated information), and said with 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
were written 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 the tribe of so and so’ as it is said in verse 56 ‘by
word of the lottery.’”
They went through all of this trouble to make sure that
there would be no in fighting amongst the tribes and no jealousy of one tribe
feeling that he didn’t get as good an inheritance as another tribe.
The important lesson that can be learned here is that we
should go out of our way to make sure that everything that we do is done in a
fair and honest manner. We must be as sensitive as possible in order to help
eradicate jealousy from this world and help bring about the true redemption
including the return of all of the Jewish people to the
