Midrash sur Les Nombres 26:55
אַךְ־בְּגוֹרָ֕ל יֵחָלֵ֖ק אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ לִשְׁמ֥וֹת מַטּוֹת־אֲבֹתָ֖ם יִנְחָֽלוּ׃
Toutefois, c’est au sort qu’on distribuera le pays; chacun aura son lot selon la désignation de sa tribu paternelle.
Midrash Tanchuma
"But with a lot, etc." (Numbers 26:55). This is [the meaning of] that which is stated (Proverbs 18:18), "The lot puts an end to strife." Since a sign was written for each and every tribe from Yaakov - "Zevulun will dwell on the shore of the seas" (Genesis 49:13); "Yissachar is a boney donkey, etc." (Genesis 49:14); "From Asher, his bread is fat" (Genesis 49:20) - you are only permitted to divide [the land] by the lot. And there were miraculous acts in the lottery: Elazar the Priest wears the Urim and Tumim. And the slips of the lottery were in front of Yehoshua, as stated (Joshua 18:6) "And I will cast the lot for you here in front of the Lord, our God." But before the lot went up, Elazar said with the holy spirit, "The lot of tribe x is coming up, to take place y." And Yehoshua would extend his hand and [it] would come up [into his hand. It was] as it is stated (Joshua 19:51), "These are the inheritances that Elazar the Priest and Yehoshua ben Nun apportioned." And this was [even] more; that the lot would yell out at the time that it went up, "I am the lot of tribe x; I have gone up to it in place y." And from where [do we know] that the lot speaks? As it is stated (Numbers 26:56), "By the mouth of (according to) the lot."
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Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
We are taught (Num. 26) It was divided only by lots. Except Joshua and Caleb, What does this mean? Shall we assume that they did not take any land at all? Is it possible? If, as said above, they took the shares that were not theirs, how much more ought they take their own? It means they did not take by lots, but by the decree of Heaven. Joshua, as it is written (Joshua 19, 50) By the order of the Lord did they give him the city which he had asked — Timnath Serah on the mountains of Ephraim. And Caleb — as it is written (Jud. 1, 20) And they gave Hebron unto Caleb as Moses has spoken. But was not Hebron one of the cities of refuge? Abaye said: "It refers to the suburbs and village surrounding the city, as it is written (Josh. 21) But the field of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Yephunah for his possession.
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Sifrei Bamidbar
(Bamidbar 26:55) "By the names of the tribes of their fathers": to exclude proselytes and bondsmen. (56) "between the large and the small": We are hereby apprised that Eretz Yisrael was apportioned by estimate — beth-kor (a large measure [of relatively inferior land]) against a beth-sa'ah (a small measure [of relatively superior land]) and vice versa.
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