After the sons of Reuven and Gad asked to receive their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan River, Moshe agreed to their request ‘ bedi’avad’ (reluctantly), however, the result was that the other tribes lacked the strength to fulfill the entire command, and conquer all the territories of the borders mentioned in the Torah portion ‘ Masei‘. And why were they not commanded to conquer the entire Land? Because their numbers were insufficient to settle the entire Land, and consequently, the commandment was to first settle in the primary parts of the Land, on the western side of the Jordan River, and gradually spread to all parts of the country. The first is the border of the entire Land, as the Lord promised Abraham our father, as it is written: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the Egyptian River as far as the great river, the Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18) and then there are the narrower boundaries presented in the Torah portion ‘ Masei‘ (Numbers 34) that the ‘olei Mitzrayim’ were commanded to conquer. Whenever we talk about the borders of the Land of Israel, we must pay attention to two types of borders: the borders of the entire Land, and the borders of ‘olei Mitzrayim‘ (the Jews who came into the Land from Egypt, led by Yehoshua). Map of the borders of the Land of Israel according to the Biblical verses, Jewish law arbiters, and commentators * The borders of the Land conquered by the Israelites when they ascended from Egypt are only the basis * The borders of the Land of Israel are broader, however, the generation entering the Land was not large enough, and therefore, were commanded to conquer the primary territory * The various borders have significance in the settlement of the Land: places located within the borders of ‘olei Mitzrayim’ have higher priority * The borders are also significant regarding the commandments dependent on the Land, but places under Israeli sovereignty are mitzvoth-bound in any case

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