Mathoth-Masei: art of the deal

Matoth-Masei: art of the deal

The story of Torah ends with this weeks double parsha.  The first return to the Land of the Patriarchs begins. The leadership is transferred.  But some issues have to be cleaned up. 

The division of the land  by lot seems to have appropriately ascribed the newly conquered Transjordanian lands to the Hebrew Texans - the cattlemen of Reuben and Gad.  Their role in the conquest  of the remaining Promise needs to be defined.  When the contract is drafted, it is made a win-win deal.  If the lone star tribes stay with the Confederacy of tribes, they will retain their claim to the appended land.  Therefore, allowing them to have this extraterritorial claim does not diminish from the holdings of the the remaining 9 1/2 tribes, in fact it adds to the total territory to be divided.  But if they do not keep the bargain, the 2 1/2 tribes  that are on their apportionment will lose that,  and inherit  a portion in the main land, thus diminishing ( at least by the inconvenience of distance) the stake of their cousins.  Thus, everyone is motivated to join the deal.   Moshe the lawyer. 

Breaking up is hard to do. 

Moshe saw a way to make the best of it.