In this week’s portion we get to the division of the Land of Israel among the tribes. That within each tribe they divided the land among the families. The Torah is emphasizing the concept of private property. That your land is yours and that it cannot be taken away by the government.
Now for a quick Devar Torah.
As we continue through this week’s parashah, we come to the division of the Land of Israel. At first glance, it may seem like a long list of boundaries and inheritances, but it teaches one of the Torah’s most important principles.
Last week, we read about the daughters of Zelophehad. Their concern was that because their father had no sons, their family’s portion of the land would be lost. They emphasized that their father had been a loyal member of the Jewish people. He had not joined Korach’s rebellion or participated in the other great sins of the wilderness. They simply wanted to preserve the inheritance that rightfully belonged to their family.
Now we see why that issue was so important. The land is divided among the tribes, and then each tribe divides its inheritance among its families. Every family has its own permanent inheritance.
The Torah is teaching something remarkable: it recognizes the importance of private property. Your farm is your farm. Your inheritance is your inheritance. Even the king cannot simply seize it because he wants it. While land could be transferred under certain circumstances, in the Jubilee year it returned to the original family. The land ultimately belongs to God, but He entrusted it to individual families as a permanent inheritance.
This was revolutionary in the ancient world. In many kingdoms, everything ultimately belonged to the king. He could confiscate property or change the rules whenever he wished. The Torah rejects that idea. Even the king is subject to God’s law.
This reminds me of a famous statement by the eighteenth-century British statesman Edmund Burke. He described the poorest man living in a humble cottage. The wind may blow through the cracks. The rain may come in. The snow may enter. But the king may not enter without permission. In other words, even the poorest person’s home is protected from arbitrary government power.
That idea has deep biblical roots. The Torah teaches that ownership carries dignity, responsibility, and independence. It is one reason the daughters of Zelophehad fought so passionately for their father’s inheritance. They understood that this was not merely about land. It was about preserving the family’s place, identity, and future within the nation of Israel.
Today we sometimes hear the claim that “property is theft.” The Torah teaches something very different. If property is honestly and legally acquired, it is to be respected and protected. Even rulers are limited by law. No one—not even a king—is above God’s justice.
That is one of the enduring lessons of this week’s parashah: freedom is sustained not only by faith, but also by respect for law, responsibility, and the rights of every individual.
Something to think about.
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