Bava Batra 117a — the Talmud in English

Gemara:

As stated, in our Mishna

we learned in accordance with the one who says, “For those who went out of

Egypt the Land was apportioned.”

The Gemara brings the dispute concerning this matter:

For it was taught in a baraita: Rabbi Josiah says: For those who went out of Egypt the Land was apportioned.

That is, when they apportioned the Land to those who entered the Land, they apportioned it according to the reckoning of those who went out of Egypt. And whoever among them now had one son at the time of entering the Land received his entire portion, whereas whoever had ten sons, they received only their father’s portion.

As it is stated

in the census of those who entered the Land

, “According to the names of the tribes of their fathers

that is, those who were counted at the Exodus

shall he apportion it to him.”

But how do I establish, “To these the Land shall be apportioned as an inheritance,”

which implies that it was apportioned to those who entered the Land?

We derive:

“To these,” like these.

Who are twenty years old.

To exclude the minors

who are younger than twenty, who did not receive a portion in the Land by their own right, but only by the right of their inheritors. And this is, for example, when they had a father or a brother who died without other sons.

But

Rabbi Jonathan says: To those who entered the Land the Land was apportioned.

As it is stated

in the census of those entering the Land

, “To these the Land shall be apportioned as an inheritance.”

But how do I establish, “According to the names of the tribes of their fathers shall they inherit,”

which implies that we must follow those who went out of Egypt?

To tell you:

This inheritance differs from all inheritances in the world. For all inheritances in the world, the living inherit from the dead. But here, the dead inherit from the living.

That is, although the Land was apportioned to those who entered the Land, nevertheless it is then apportioned again according to those who went out of Egypt, as follows.

And the baraita explains:

Rabbi said: I will give you a parable. To what is this comparable? To two priestly brothers who were in one city.

And they stipulated between themselves to divide equally the terumot that would come to them,

one having one son, and the other having two sons.

And they went to the threshing floor. The one who had one son took one portion, and the one who had two sons took two portions. And they returned them to their father ,

and they went back and divided them equally.

So too with the division of the Land: for example, Reuben and Simeon were brothers who went out of Egypt; Reuben had ten sons, and Simeon had one son.

When they entered the Land, Reuben’s sons took ten portions, and Simeon’s son took one portion. Then the portions returned to Reuben and Simeon, and they divided them equally, and then they bequeathed them to their sons again. Reuben’s sons took half of the eleven portions, and Simeon’s son took half of the eleven portions.

And accordingly, we expound the two verses: “To these the Land shall be apportioned,” teaches us that each one shall take one portion. And “According to the names of the tribes of their fathers” teaches us that the portions shall return to their fathers, and they shall divide among themselves what their sons took, as though it had been apportioned to those who went out of Egypt.

And the practical difference between the one who says “for those who went out of Egypt” and the one who says “for those who entered the Land” is in the case of two who were not brothers who went out of Egypt, one of whom had nine sons and the other one son.

According to the one who says “for those who went out of Egypt,” the two of them take equal portions.

And according to the one who says “for those who entered the Land,” this one takes nine portions, and his fellow one portion,

since the law of returning was stated only with regard to two brothers .