## Sforno on Numbers Chapter 26

###### Sforno on Numbers 26:4:1
[Sforno on Numbers 26:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/26:4:1)

**לֵאמֹר מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמָעְלָה.** מֹשֶׁה וְאֶלְעָזָר אָמְרוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ וְיַגִּידוּ כָּל פְּרָטֵיהֶם שֶׁהֵם בְּנֵי עֶשְׂרִים.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
לאמר מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה; Moses and Eleazar told the Israelites to inform them with a list of all the details of the males who had attained the age of 20. This was parallel to what we were told in Numbers chapter 1 at the previous census, hence the words “as G’d had commanded,” etc.; if these words had referred to what occurred now there would have been no need for this phrase. At that time G’d’s instructions had included the words: “according to their families, the houses of their fathers,” i.e. the co-operation of each family in the census had been requested.


###### Sforno on Numbers 26:4:2
[Sforno on Numbers 26:4:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/26:4:2)

**כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ אֶת מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹצְאִים מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.** שֶׁאָמַר אָז לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם.


###### Sforno on Numbers 26:54:1
[Sforno on Numbers 26:54:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/26:54:1)

**לָרַב תַּרְבֶּה נַחֲלָתוֹ.** בְּכַמּוּת הַקַּרְקַע, כִּי אָמְנָם נִתְחַלְּקָה הָאָרֶץ לִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֲלָקִים שָׁוִים בְּעֵרֶךְ הַדָּמִים, בִּלְתִּי שָׁוִים בְּכַמּוּת, אֶלָּא כּוֹר רַע כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית סְאָה טוֹב. וְנָטַל הַשֵּׁבֶט הַמְרֻבֶּה בָּאֻכְלוּסִין הַחֵלֶק רַב הַכַּמּוּת, וְהַשֵּׁבֶט שֶׁהָיָה מוּעָט נָטַל הַחֵלֶק הַקָּטָן בְּכַמּוּת, שָׁוֶה בְּעֵרֶךְ הַדָּמִים אֶל הַחֵלֶק רַב הַכַּמּוּת, כְּאָמְרוֹ לָרַב תַּרְבֶּה נַחֲלָתוֹ. וּבָזֶה הָאֹפֶן נָטְלוּ מְנַשֶּׁה וְאֶפְרַיִם שְׁנֵי חֲלָקִים בִּשְׁבִיל בְּכוֹרַת יוֹסֵף, כְּאָמְרוֹ (בראשית מח:כב) ״נָתַתִּי לְךָ שְׁכֶם אַחַד עַל אַחֶיךָ״, וְכֵן בֵּאֵר בְּאָמְרוֹ (דברי הימים א ה:א) ״וּבְחַלְּלוֹ יְצוּעֵי אָבִיו נִתְּנָה בְכֹרָתוֹ לִבְנֵי יוֹסֵף בֶּן יִשְׂרָאֵל״. וְלִשְׁמְעוֹן שֶׁהִתְמַעֵט בָּאֻכְלוּסִין יוֹתֵר מִכָּל שְׁאָר הַשְּׁבָטִים בְּעֵת כְּנִיסָתָן לָאָרֶץ, נָתַן חֵלֶק מוּעָט בְּכַמּוּת, יָקָר הַרְבֵּה בַּדָּמִים. וּבִהְיוֹת שֶׁלֹּא נִמְצָא חֵלֶק קַרְקַע יַחַד שָׁוֶה כָּל כָּךְ מַסְפִּיק לְשִׁמְעוֹן, בֵּרְרוּ אוֹתוֹ הַחֵלֶק בְּכַמָּה מְקוֹמוֹת בְּתוֹךְ אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה, כְּאָמְרוֹ (יהושע יט:ט) ״וּמֵחֶבֶל בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה נַחֲלַת בְּנֵי שִׁמְעוֹן״. וּבָזֶה נִתְקַיֵּם בְּשִׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל שִׁמְעוֹן (בראשית מט:ז) ״אֲחַלְּקֵם בְּיַעֲקֹב״.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
לרב תרבה נחלתו, a reference to the amount of land, for although the land was being divided 12 tribes in shares of equal value in terms of money, the size of the allocations varied according to the quality of the soil each tribe received. A tribe who numbered many souls received a quantitatively larger piece of real estate as is spelled out here by the words לרב תרבו נחלתו, “you shall give a larger inheritance to the numerically superior tribe.”
This is the reason why Menashe and Ephrayim received 2 separate territories seeing that their father Joseph had been a firstborn and treated as such in Yaakov’s final blessing, they were entitled to two such shares. (Genesis 48,22) This is also the way we must understand Chronicles I 5,1 ובחללו יצועי אביו ניתנה בכורתו ליוסף בן ישראל, “and when he defiled the bed of his father his birthright was given to Joseph, son of Yisrael.”
 Shimon, who numbered fewer people than any other tribe at this count, received a relatively small parcel of land, which itself was an enclave within the territory allocated to the tribe of Yehudah. (compare Joshua 19,9 on this subject) This also was the fulfillment of Yaakov’s wish in Genesis 49,7 “I will divide both Levi and Shimon among the tribes of Israel.”


###### Sforno on Numbers 26:55:1
[Sforno on Numbers 26:55:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/26:55:1)

**אַךְ בְּגוֹרָל.** אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁעָשׂוּ חֲלָקִים גְּדוֹלִים וּקְטַנִּים כְּפִי צֹרֶךְ הַשְּׁבָטִים וְכַמּוּתָם, לֹא נָתְנוּ לְכָל שֵׁבֶט חֶלְקוֹ אֶלָּא עַל פִּי הַגּוֹרָל, וּבָזֶה הָאֹפֶן קִבֵּל כָּל שֵׁבֶט חֶלְקוֹ עַל פִּי ה׳.


###### Sforno on Numbers 26:56:1
[Sforno on Numbers 26:56:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/26:56:1)

**עַל פִּי הַגּוֹרָל תֵּחָלֵק נַחֲלָתוֹ.** וְכֵן כְּשֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַשֵּׁבֶט מְחַלֵּק אֶת חֶלְקוֹ לְגֻלְגְּלוֹתָיו, יִתֵּן לְכָל אֶחָד חֶלְקוֹ עַל פִּי הַגּוֹרָל.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
על פי הגורל תחלק נחלתו, when it came to the actual distribution of the land, the result of the lottery confirmed what Joshua had announced as the fair share for each tribe. It was found that the tribes who numbered more people did indeed receive parcels that were larger than those who numbered fewer people.