English translation — פנחס א

Sicha 1<pg>103</pg>

A.

On the verse<sup>1</sup>

"To these the land shall be divided as an inheritance according to the number of names" it is stated in the Sifri<sup>2</sup>,

"All are included: Israelites, Kohanim, and Levites, etc. 'And the Lord said to Aaron: In their land you shall not inherit'<sup>3</sup>

Kohanim among the children of Israel are excluded: they shall not inherit an inheritance<sup>4</sup>

Levites are excluded, etc."

And it is brought to halacha in the Rambam in the last chapter of Hilchos Shemittah and Yovel

: The entire tribe of Levi are warned that they shall not inherit in the land of Canaan, and likewise they are warned that they shall not take a portion in the spoils at the time when they conquer the cities, as it is said

There shall not be for the priests, the Levites, the entire tribe of Levi, a portion and an inheritance with Israel, a portion in the spoils and an inheritance in the land, and so it says

In their land you shall not inherit..

In the spoils.

And the Mishneh LaMelech wrote about this: The Semag wrote

That in the future they will take a portion in the land, as it is said

One gate of Levi, as it is stated in the chapter Yesh Nochalin.

And his intention is to the baraisa there

"In the future, the land of Israel will be divided into thirteen tribes, for initially it was divided only into twelve tribes,"

And according to the explanation of the Rashbam

"And later it explains what is that portion that is added there,

For if because of Levi, who will take an inheritance like the other tribes, as it is written there, 'One gate of Levi,' behold Menashe and Ephraim also will take only one portion, as it is written there

One gate of Yosef..

Initially, when they came to the land, it was divided only into twelve tribes, for Levi had no portion in the land, but each and every tribe gave them cities to dwell in, etc."

(But not so in the future,

as above).

And this is that according to the explanation of the Rashbam, the tribe of Levi will take one portion of the twelve portions into which the land was divided for the twelve tribes

(And the thirteenth portion is "for the prince" — "for the King Moshiach").

And behold in the Shitah Mekubetzet on Bava Batra there,

he brought the words of the Ran who wondered about the Rashbam¹⁴

from several verses in Ezekiel¹⁵

in which it is explained that Joseph will take two portions "and also what he said that the tribe of Levi will take a portion in the land, even this is not so, for it is explicit in the portion¹⁶

that he will not take a portion in the land, but rather they will have cities to dwell in, and it is from the category of the terumah which they will set aside etc.",

and he concludes "but rather this is the essence of the matter, that just as the tribe of Levi did not take<pg>104</pg>

a portion in the first [division], so too they will not take in the second, but they were given cities to dwell near Jerusalem, and they are from the category of the holy terumah"¹⁷.

B.

And one must examine this in the opinion of the Rambam,

who states plainly "every member of the tribe of Levi is warned that they shall not inherit in the land of Canaan" — what is his method regarding the inheritance of the tribe of Levi in the land in the future to come.

In the Minchas Chinuch¹⁸

he wrote in the opinion of the Rambam that also in the future to come the Levites will not take an inheritance in the land,

and he proved thus from the fact that the Rambam did not write explicitly — as he wrote explicitly in Hilchos Melachim¹⁹

"the King Moshiach takes from all the lands that Israel conquers one part out of thirteen"²⁰.

However, from the fact that the Semag "his way is always to follow in the footsteps of the Rambam and in most places in his book he is merely like a copyist etc."&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;,

it is reasonable to say,

apparently,

that also in this matter the Semag holds that such is the opinion of the Rambam

[and as is also evident from the plain language of the Semag,

who first brings the words of the Rambam in the law that follows&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;

that if a king of Israel conquered etc. that the priests and Levites take there a portion and inheritance,

and afterwards adds "and in the future to come they take a portion even in the Land as it is said 'gate of Levi one'"]&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;.

And it requires examination, from where does he have this&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt;.

Also it requires examination regarding this very opinion

(as the commentators questioned&lt;sup&gt;25&lt;/sup&gt;),

that since it is a negative commandment in the Torah that the tribe of Levi shall not take a portion in the Land,

how will the commandment be uprooted in the days of the King Messiah,

and are these not the commandments&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;

etc. that no&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;

prophet is permitted to innovate a thing&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;.

And on the other hand, since&lt;pg&gt;105&lt;/pg&gt;

that the Rambam²⁹

and likewise the Semag counted this prohibition in the count of commandments,

and behold, the Rambam already wrote in Sefer HaMitzvos, Principle 3, "that it is not proper to count commandments that are not practiced for generations" — and if this commandment will be nullified in the division of the land in the future,

what place is there to count it in the count of prohibitions?

[In the words of the aforementioned Sifri — "To these shall the land be divided; all are included: Israelites, priests, Levites, converts, etc. 'And the Lord said to Aaron: In their land you shall not inherit'; priests among the children of Israel went out; they shall not inherit a portion; Levites went out, etc." — there are interpreters³⁰

that there is no commandment at all in this,

and the intention in this is only to remove their right in the inheritance of the land,

to say that priests have no portion and inheritance in the land, similar to converts, women, and slaves³¹.

But there is here no prohibition warning upon them that they shall not inherit, just as there is no warning upon converts, women, and slaves,

and the verse excluded them only to say that they have no right of portion and inheritance in the land, but if it is given to them, they are permitted to receive, and there is no prohibition in this, neither for the givers nor for the receivers

(and apparently it is implied from the plain sense of the verses in our portion "To these shall the land be divided as an inheritance" and later³²

"These are the records of the Levite, etc., and their records were, etc., they were not counted among the children of Israel, for no inheritance was given to them among the children of Israel").

But according to the Rambam and the Semag who count the prohibition in the count of commandments,

it is not understood — how is it possible to say that in the future the Levites will take a portion in the Land,

and since it will be nullified, it is not fitting to count it in the count of prohibitions]&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;.

3.

And it seems to me simply based on the precise language of the Rambam,

in his writing the warning "the entire tribe of Levi is warned that they shall not inherit in the land of Canaan",

and not in the usual language "in the land of Israel" or "in the land" and the like,

and it requires clarification what this excludes.

And apparently it can be said that he excludes thereby the other lands,

&lt;pg&gt;106&lt;/pg&gt;

The rule "All³⁴

the lands that Israel conquers with a king by the court's authority, this is a conquest of the many, and it is like the Land of Israel that Joshua conquered for all matters."

That even though it was included in the Land of Israel,

and as the Rambam wrote³⁵

"The Land of Israel mentioned everywhere refers to the lands that a king of Israel conquered etc. with the consent of the majority of Israel",

nevertheless in these lands they are not commanded "in their land you shall not inherit."

But it is forced to explain that only this the Rambam comes to negate,

for the Rambam negates this explicitly in the halacha after this²²

"It seems to me that these things are said only concerning a land that was covenanted to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their children inherited it and it was divided to them; but all other lands that a king of the kings of Israel conquers³⁶

behold, the kohanim and the Levites in those lands and in their spoils are like all Israel."

And simply his intention in "the land of Canaan",

to negate a land that essentially belongs to the Land of Israel but is not from the land of Canaan³⁷,

and it is the land of the Kenite, Kenizzite, and Kadmonite³⁸.

[And as the Rambam wrote in Hilchos Rotzeach&lt;sup&gt;39&lt;/sup&gt;

regarding the addition of cities of refuge in the days of King Mashiach: "And where do they add them? In the cities of the Keni, the Kenizi, and the Kadmoni, with whom a covenant was made with Avraham Avinu, and they have not yet been conquered, and concerning them it is stated in the Torah&lt;sup&gt;40&lt;/sup&gt;

And if Hashem will expand your border"].

And based on this it is understood that also according to the opinion of the Rambam it is possible to say and explain that which "one Levi gate",

that in the future they will take a portion in the Land&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;,

but&lt;pg&gt;107&lt;/pg&gt;

Not in the land of Canaan but

in the land of the Kenite

Kenizzite and Kadmonite.

— And the warning of "Not

shall be for the priests the Levites, all the tribe of Levi, a portion and inheritance with Israel",

it is a commandment that applies for generations in the land of Canaan.

However, the Rambam did not write explicitly that in the future the Levites will inherit in the land of Kini, Kenizi, and Kadmoni

(only in a hint alone,

exactly his language&lt;sup&gt;45&lt;/sup&gt;

that they will not inherit "in the land of Canaan"),

according to what is known in the rules of the Rambam&lt;sup&gt;46&lt;/sup&gt;

that his way is not to write novel matters and he is only a copyist of the Gemara

(and "a matter that did not come in the Gemara but only in a difficulty incidentally, their way is not to copy it").

4.

But it requires explanation:

In the reason that the tribe of Levi did not take a portion in the Land,

the Rambam wrote⁴⁷

"And why did Levi not merit an inheritance in the Land of Israel and in its spoils with his brothers? Because he was separated to serve God, to minister to Him, and to teach His straight paths and His righteous judgments to the many, as it is said⁴⁸

They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel. Therefore they were separated from the ways of the world: they do not wage war like the rest of Israel, and they do not inherit, etc., but they are the army of God, as it is said⁴⁹

Bless, God, his army, and He, blessed is He, grants them, as it is said³

I am your portion and your inheritance."

And according to this it is not understood,

why in the land of the Kenite, Kenizzite, and Kadmonite,

which are destined to be an inheritance in the future,

will the Levites take a portion?

<pg>108</pg>

And one could say the explanation of this:

The warning that they shall not inherit in the land "in their land you shall not inherit",

meaning⁵⁰

in the land of Israel

(the land of Canaan)

that was given to them in order that they should have a land to settle in

(in the manner that other nations have a land and inheritance in the world⁵¹).

And regarding this the tribe of Levi was warned "there shall not be for the priests the Levites etc. a portion and inheritance with Israel",

for a portion and inheritance in the land in this manner is in the category of "the ways of the world",

and the tribe of Levi "because he was separated to serve the Lord" this portion and inheritance does not pertain to them,

for "they were separated from the ways of the world".

But what Israel will receive in the future the land of the Kenite, Kenizzite, and Kadmonite,

is not in the category of "inheritance" like the land of Canaan,

the land of the seven nations that Israel has a land in the world⁵²,

but a special gift from G‑d.

And as it is written⁴⁰

"And if the L‑rd your G‑d will enlarge your border etc." — not from the necessity of their settlement in the land,

And thus indeed the Levites can receive in this.

5.

And in the inner aspect of the matters, it can be said:

The distinction between the land of Canaan — seven nations,

and the land of the Kenite, Kenizzite, and Kadmonite — the land of three nations,

explained in many places⁵³,

that in the service of G-d is the distinction between the refinement of the seven middot and the work in the three mochin,

that now the main work is in the refinement of the seven middot,

and in the future also the three mochin will be refined.

And the distinction in the manner of the work is analogous to the distinction between middot and mochin,

that middot relate to another,

namely that the matter of middot is the person's relation in feeling and emotion to something outside of himself,

and it is a descent relative to the person himself.

And the matter of mochin is for himself,

and as we see that people engaged in intellectual matters isolate themselves.

And so is the distinction in the manner of their refinement,

that the refinement of middot is through conquest and war,

namely through enrobement and refinement,

whereas the refinement of mochin its essence is not through enrobement in the garments of that which is being refined,

but rather on the contrary through separation and abstraction.

And this is the difference between "the land of Canaan",

the land of the seven nations,

and "Kenite, Kenizzite, and Kadmonite",

that the land of Canaan its subject is the service of conquest and clarification of the seven attributes,

and therefore the tribe of Levi because it was separated to serve God,

which is above conquest and above clarifications — does not belong to the inheritance&lt;pg&gt;109&lt;/pg&gt;

in the land of Canaan; whereas the land of Kenite, Kenizzite, and Kadmonite,

that is, the service in the intellect that is above clarifications and conquest — therefore it belongs

(also)

to the tribe of Levi.

6.

And still one needs to understand:

Regarding the time of the future, the Rambam wrote at the end of Hilchos Melachim that "the entire world's occupation will be only to know G-d alone",

thus it follows that in the future all of Israel will be separated from the ways of the world,

for all their occupation will be only in knowledge of G-d

(and in the manner of what the Rambam wrote at the end of Hilchos Shemittah v'Yovel that "not the tribe of Levi alone, but every individual etc. whose spirit moves him and whose intellect distinguishes him to separate to stand before G-d to serve Him and to worship Him to know G-d etc., behold he is sanctified as holy of holies, and G-d will be his portion and inheritance forever etc., just as the priests and Levites merited etc."),

and if so, why will there then be this distinction between Israelites and Levites,

that all Israel will have a portion and inheritance in the land of Canaan — the matter of refining the attributes and clothing in the garments of that which is refined,

but not so the tribe of Levi⁵⁴?

And the explanation in this:

At the end of Hilchos Melachim there, the Rambam⁵⁵

"The sages desired etc. the days of Mashiach..

so that they will be free in Torah and its wisdom and there will not be for them an oppressor and one who interrupts, so that they will merit the life of the World to Come",

And in continuation of this he writes⁵⁶

"And in that time there will not be neither famine nor war nor envy nor competition, for the good will be bestowed abundantly and all delights will be as common as dust, and the occupation of the entire world will be only to know G-d alone".

And based on this it is understood,

that this that in the future

(in the first period of the days of the Mashiach at least)

all Israel will be separated from the ways of the world and will be occupied only with knowing G-d — this is because of the state of the world at that time which makes this possible.

That is: this is not the nature of the children of Israel from themselves "at that time",

but rather a result of the state of the world.

For since "there will be there neither famine nor war etc. that the good will be influenced abundantly and all delicacies will be as common as dust",

behold there is no place for any occupation with worldly matters,

except — only "to know G-d alone".

And just as it is in physicality,

so too is it in spiritual service.

That this that all the children of Israel will then be in the status and state of the tribe of Levi "to be separated to stand before G-d to serve Him and to worship Him to know G-d",

this is not a separation from themselves that they are in this level,

but rather from the world which brought them to this; but not so that of the tribe of Levi which is separated to serve G-d,

is because the Holy One, blessed be He, separated them — "at that time G-d separated the tribe of Levi etc."⁵⁷,

that they were separated

(by the Holy One, blessed be He)

"to serve G-d to minister to Him",

and thus behold this is an intrinsic separation in the tribe of Levi and not from the state of the world which gives place to this.

And it is found that also for the future

(in the beginning of "that time"),

when all of Israel will be separated from the ways of the world,

there is a difference between all of Israel and the tribe of Levi.

&lt;pg&gt;110&lt;/pg&gt;

And for this reason there will also be a division in the inheritance of the land between all of Israel and the tribe of Levi: the level of service of the land of Canaan,

belongs only to the rest of the tribes,

and therefore they have a portion and inheritance in it.

But not so the tribe of Levi has no portion and inheritance in it; and only in the land of Keni, Kenizi, and Kadmoni,

which indicates the service of the intellect,

which is completely separated from the ways of the world — belongs it

(also)

to the tribe of Levi,

and therefore they have in it a portion and inheritance,

as above.

And through the service of each and every one of Israel now,

"to be separated to stand before the L-rd to serve Him and to worship Him to know the L-rd",

will be further brought closer "that time" that "the entire world's occupation will be only to know the L-rd alone",

and then "the L-rd will broaden&lt;sup&gt;40&lt;/sup&gt;

your border as He swore to your fathers and give you all the land which He spoke to give to your fathers" — including also the land of the Kenite, Kenizzite, and Kadmonite,

namely all ten nations,

by the king Moshiach who is revealed immediately and instantly.

(From the talk of Simchat Torah 5746)