Бамидбар 34:2 Комментарий: Rashi, Ramban, Rashbam & Sforno

ואת הארץ אשר תפול לכם וגו׳ THIS IS THE LAND THAT SHALL FALL TO YOU [FOR AN INHERITANCE] — Since many divine commandments have to be practised in the Land of Canaan and are not to be practised outside the Land, it (Scripture) feels compelled to describe the limiting lines of the boundaries of its sides all round, in order to tell you: from these boundaries and inward the divine commands have to be practised (cf. Gittin 8a).

EL HA’ARETZ KENA’AN’ (INTO THE LAND OF CANAAN). “This is like [the expression]: and the prophecy of Oded the prophet,⁵⁰II Chronicles 15:8. See above in Seder Beha’alothcha, Note 284, for the grammatical reason why the verse requires the additional expression “a prophecy” after the initial words and a prophecy. Here too, the meaning of the verse is: into the land, the land of Canaan. [which is to be understood as: ‘and the prophecy, a prophecy of Oded the prophet’]. The sense [of the verse thus] is: ‘into the land, the land of Canaan.’” This is the language of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, and so also did Rashi write.⁵¹This is not found here in our texts of Rashi. However, Ramban may be referring to Rashi on Genesis 31:13, where this interpretation is clearly implied. See Vol. I, p. 382. Scholars have brought a similar example: [I am] ‘ha’E-il beith eil’⁵²Genesis 31:13. [which they interpreted to mean: “I am G-d, who is the G-d of Beth-el”]. And I have already explained [there] the secret thereof.
The correct interpretation of [the phrase] el ha’aretz kena’an appears to me to be that the name of this land is Canaan, like Mitzraim (Egypt), and the name of the land is identical with that of the people. Similarly, the inhabitants of Canaan,⁵³Exodus 15:15. and O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.⁵⁴Zephaniah 2:5. These two verses indicate clearly that Canaan is not only the name of a people, but of the land also. Thus the expression here el ha’aretz kena’an is as one says, “‘the’ city Jerusalem;” and ‘the’ King David;⁵⁵I Kings 1:1. and ‘the’ man Gabriel.⁵⁶Daniel 9:21. — In other words, el ha’aretz kena’an does not mean “into the land [of the people] of Canaan” but “into the land [called] Canaan.” There is therefore no problem necessitating the above interpretation of Rashi and Ibn Ezra. See above in Seder Beha’alothcha, Note 284.

ואת הארץ אשר תפול לכם בנחלה, my grandfather explained the boundaries and landmarks in detail; nonetheless, I wish to add a brief commentary. The verse first details the southern boundary followed by the western boundary, i.e. the Mediterranean Sea, followed by the northern boundary, followed by the eastern boundary.

תפול לכם [THE LAND WHICH] FALLS FOR YOU — Because it (the land) had to be divided by lot (which is said to fall upon a person), the division is expressed by the term “falling”. — And a Midrashic explanation of why this term is employed here states: It is because the Holy One, blessed be He, cast down (more lit., made fall) from heaven the tutelary angels of the seven nations of Canaan and placed them in fetters before Moses, He said to him, (Deuteronomy 1:21) “Behold the Lord God hath put before thee the tutelary angels of the land” — there is no more strength in them (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Masei 4 and Rashi on Deuteronomy 2:31).