Parashat Matot/Masei: What Is the Torah’s Path to Lasting Peace in the Land of Israel?

Parashat Matot/Masei

What Is the Torah’s Path to Lasting Peace in the Land of Israel?

 

What Does it Take to Achieve Lasting Peace in the Land of Israel?

I don’t consider myself a political person – meaning, I’m not deeply invested in any particular party or agenda. I don’t follow the news regularly, except for what filters through to me via my husband, circulating messages, or whatever everyone is talking about – the things that are impossible to ignore. Unwittingly, I still find myself dragged into political discussions with certain family members who are vehemently opposed to Israel’s leadership, specifically Prime Minister Netanyahu. During Israel’s current war, they go so far as to blame him – rather than the terrorists – for the deaths of some hostages, claiming he is prolonging the war to avoid prosecution for alleged corruption. When I hear such baseless claims, I cannot remain silent. I feel compelled to respond, “In Judaism, anyone who has not been proven guilty remains innocent.” I am not a warmonger – I don’t believe any Jew is. I don’t wish to drag out any war unnecessarily. What I do desire is true, lasting peace – not only in my lifetime, but for my children and grandchildren as well. I am proud of Israel’s leadership for rising like a lion to confront and eradicate evil that threatens not just Israel, but the entire world. Ending the war prematurely, before “finishing the job” of eliminating the terrorists and their hidden arsenals, would only invite more bloodshed, as these enemies will not stop on their own. King Shlomo provides the ideal model: he brought peace to Israel by commanding strength and awe, such that no terrorist dared raise even a stone against Israel. Since we eternally yearn for peace, but have always been surrounded by enemies – “as thorns in our sides” (Bamidbar 33:55) – the only path to true and lasting peace is through unwavering strength, rising like a lion against those antisemites whose very existence depends on the destruction of the Jewish people.
 
Is Lasting Peace Possible Without Possessing All of Eretz Yisrael?
Immediately after listing the forty-two encampments of B’nei Yisrael (Bamidbar 33), Hashem commands Moshe to tell the people:

ספר במדבר פרק לג פסוק נג וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ וִישַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ כִּי לָכֶם נָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ לָרֶשֶׁת אֹתָהּ אֹתָהּ:

“You shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given the land to you to

 possess it” (Bamidbar 33:53).

From here, we learn that it is a mitzvah to conquer the Land of Israel. This mitzvah applies to the Jewish people in every generation, as Rav Eliezer Melamed explains so eloquently:
הוֹרַשְׁתֶּם  – “You shall possess” denotes conquest and sovereignty, while וִישַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ  – “You shall dwell in it” implies settling the Land so that it will not remain desolate. Similarly, the Torah states, “You shall possess it, and you shall dwell therein” (Devarim 11:31).
Accordingly, the Ramban defines the mitzvah as follows: “We were commanded to take possession of the Land that G-d gave to our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’acov; and we must not leave it in the hands of any other nation or let it remain desolate” (Addendum to Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandment 4); (Peninei Halacha, Yom HaAtzmaut, Yom Yerushalayim, Yom HaZikaron, 1 – The Mitzvah of Settling the Land of Israel).
During our more than two-millennia exile, we lacked an army or weapons to fulfill this mitzvah to conquer and settle the Land. Even throughout the State of Israel’s 77 years, there have been ‘dovish’ leaders who not only refrained from fulfilling this mitzvah of conquering the land but even gave away parts of our land – such as Gush Katif (Gaza) in 2005 – to Arab terrorists. We now clearly see where that has led us.
Rashi comments:וִישַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ – וּכְבִישָׁהּ תֵּהֵא יְשִׁיבָה לָכֶם  – “And you shall dwell in it” – only by conquering it will your dwelling be secure…you shall clear out the Land. You shall vacate it of its inhabitants, and then you shall “settle in it.” Only then will you be able to survive there, but if you do not do this, you will be unable to survive there” (Rashi, Bamidbar 33:53).
As we are experiencing again each time the siren sends us racing to bomb shelters, if we want to live securely in our land, we have no choice but to fully “conquer it” – leaving no part of the Holy Land, whether above or below its surface, in the hands of our enemies.
 
Is it a Promise or a Mitzvah to Take Possession of the Land of Israel?

ספר במדבר פרק לג פסוק נד וְהִתְנַחַלְתֶּם אֶת הָאָרֶץ בְּגוֹרָל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיכֶם לָרַב תַּרְבּוּ אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ וְלַמְעַט תַּמְעִיט אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ אֶל אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא לוֹ שָׁמָּה הַגּוֹרָל לוֹ יִהְיֶה לְמַטּוֹת אֲבֹתֵיכֶם תִּתְנֶחָלוּ: (נה) וְאִם לֹא תוֹרִישׁוּ אֶת ישְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ מִפְּנֵיכֶם וְהָיָה אֲשֶׁר תּוֹתִירוּ מֵהֶם לְשִׂכִּים בְּעֵינֵיכֶם וְלִצְנִינִם בְּצִדֵּיכֶם וְצָרְרוּ אֶתְכֶם עַל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם ישְׁבִים בָּהּ:

“You shall give the Land as an inheritance to your families by lot; to the large, you shall give a larger inheritance and to the small, you shall give a smaller inheritance; wherever the lot falls shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers, you shall inherit. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the Land from before you, then those whom you leave over will be as spikes in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land in which you settle (Bamidbar 33:54-55).
 
Rashi’s commentary captures precisely what we have experienced in the modern State of Israel, especially since October 7: “Those whom you leave over” – will bring misfortune upon you; “as spikes in your eyes” – they will blind you; “they will harass you” – they will cause you distress (Rashi, Bamidbar 33:55). So, if we are looking to assign blame for October 7, as some do toward Israel’s current leadership, we must not ignore the deeper spiritual root. The tragic expulsion from Gush Katif is undeniably a key cause. Rather than pointing fingers at political figures, we would do better to examine the Torah’s warning: that failing to fully dispossess the Land brings distress upon its people and threatens our security.
Without contradicting Rashi, the Ramban emphasizes that the command to “dispossess the Land and dwell in it” is not merely practical advice for security or survival, but a positive mitzvah obligating the Jewish people to actively conquer and settle the Land of Israel. Choosing to settle in another land, even one that appears strategically advantageous, is a transgression of Hashem’s will. The Land of Israel is a divine inheritance that we are commanded to claim and inhabit, not to abandon or exchange (Ramban, Bamidbar 33:53). For the Ramban, this mitzvah applies perpetually. It defines the Jewish people’s spiritual mission in the physical world.
Rather than focusing on the mitzvah itself, the Malbim highlights the conditional nature of Hashem’s gift. The promise to inherit and dwell securely in the Land depends entirely on dispossessing all its former inhabitants, without leaving any remnant or forging covenants with them. Only under this condition will the Land become a true and lasting possession for our children, offering peace and security for future generations. This is the deeper meaning of the verse: “For to you I have given the Land to possess it” – it was given exclusively to the Jewish people, not to be shared with hostile nations (Malbim, Bamidbar 33:51–52).
Living in the Land of Israel during such challenging times instills in us a deep appreciation –         both for the gift of the Promised Land and for the brave soldiers who are risking their lives to fulfill the Torah’s vision of taking true possession of it.

Let the Borders of the Land Shape Your Soul!
Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter explains that the borders are not mere lines on a map. They reflect the limits within which holiness can manifest fully in the material world. Just as the Mishkan had precise measurements to allow the Divine Presence to dwell, so too Eretz Yisrael has divinely ordained borders to make it a vessel for kedushah (Sefat Emet, Matot 5640).
Spirituality, in Judaism, is not unbounded. It must be anchored in physical space and guided by halachic structure. Eretz Yisrael becomes the stage upon which the Jewish people are meant to live out a life of Torah in its most complete form – in time, space, and soul.
Today, many Jews are rediscovering their connection to Eretz Yisrael – not only through visits or political commitment, but through learning its spiritual role in the Torah, walking its hills, breathing its air, and living a life aligned with its sanctity. As we complete the Book of Bamidbar and prepare for entry into the Land in Sefer Devarim, we are invited to do the same.
We are called to let the borders of the Land shape the contours of our soul and let its holiness guide our journey. May the promise of Eretz Yisrael perpetually remind us that we are part of a people destined not just to wander, but to dwell in Hashem’s chosen place – with purpose, presence, and peace.