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Devarim -
Seventh Aliyah |
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The parsha (portion) of Devarim comes to an end with Moses’ brief recounting of how lands conquered to the East of the Jordan River were to be apportioned. The tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe were to inherit these lands, on condition that they took possession only after having joined their fellow tribes to conquer the entire Promised Land on the other side of the Jordan (see Numbers 32). The parsha concludes with an encouraging message to Joshua - the man who was to lead this conquest.
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| Thoughts to Consider and Discuss |
1. If the Eastern Jordan territory is to be the inheritance of two and a half tribes, why must they join the other tribes in all future battles?
2. “Do not fear them...[G-d] will wage war for you” (3:22). What role did G-d play in these biblical battles?
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The way Moses gave the land to two and a half tribes, on condition that they fulfilled their promise, became the foundation for the Jewish law of conditional contracts (tenaim). The four basic principles, learned from the original account of the episode (Numbers 32), are as follows: 1) the condition must be stated once positively and once negatively, 2) the positive condition must precede the negative one, 3) the condition must precede the act, and 4) the condition must be fulfillable.
Summary of Shulchan Aruch:
The Halacha on Conditional Contract:
Even Haezer 38:2, based on Kiddushin 61a
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 | | Points to Ponder | |
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Can you find these principles in the original account?
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