Pt2 Tu Be-Av as Turning Point: Inter-Tribal Marriage, the End of Wilderness Death, National Memory, and the Division of the Land (Bava Batra 121a-122a)

This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline of the series can be found at Part 1.

Baraita - 7 biblical figures “spanned the whole world”: Adam, Methuselah, Shem, Jacob, Amram, Ahijah the Shilonite, Elijah; Elijah still lives

תנו רבנן:

שבעה קפלו את כל העולם כולו:

1. מתושלח

   1. ראה אדם,

2. שם

   1. ראה מתושלח,

3. יעקב

   1. ראה את שם,

4. עמרם

   1. ראה את יעקב,

5. אחיה השילוני

   1. ראה את עמרם,

6. אליהו

   1. ראה את אחיה השילוני –

ועדיין קיים.

[...]

§ After discussing the generation of those who died in the wilderness, the Talmud mentions a tradition that relates to that generation.

A baraita states:

Seven people spanned¹ in their lifetimes the whole world in its entirety, i.e., their lives have spanned all of human history:

1. Methuselah

   1. saw Adam in his lifetime;

2. Shem

   1. saw Methuselah;

3. Jacob

   1. saw Shem;

4. Amram

   1. saw Jacob;

5. Ahijah the Shilonite

   1. saw Amram;

6. Elijah

   1. saw Ahijah the Shilonite;

and Elijah is still alive.²

[...]

Rav Hamnuna - the spies’ death-decree did not apply to Levi; infers from “counted from 20” vs Levi counted from 30 - Num 14:29

אמר רב המנונא:

לא נגזרה גזרה על שבטו של לוי,

דכתיב:

״במדבר הזה יפלו פגריכם

וכל פקדיכם

לכל מספרכם

מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה״ –

מי שפקודיו מבן עשרים;

יצא שבטו של לוי,

שפקודיו מבן שלשים.

[...]

Rav Hamnuna says:

The decree of death pronounced for the generation of the spies was not decreed upon the tribe of Levi,

as it is written:

“Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness,

and all those who were counted among you,

according to your whole number,

from 20 years old and upward” (Numbers 14:29).

The verse is interpreted: The decree applies to one whose count in the census is from the age of 20 and up,

excluding the tribe of Levi,

whose count is from the age of 30 and up.

[...]

Baraita - Yair and Machir ben Manasseh survived into conquest period; ties to casualties at Ai - Josh 7:5

תניא:

• יאיר בן מנשה

• ומכיר בן מנשה

נולדו בימי יעקב,

ולא מתו עד שנכנסו ישראל לארץ

שנאמר:

״ויכו מהם אנשי העי כשלשים וששה איש״,

taught in a baraita:

• Yair, son of Manasseh,

• and Machir, son of Manasseh,

were born in the days of Jacob,

and they did not die until the Jewish people entered Eretz Yisrael,

as it is stated: “And the men of Ai killed of them about 36 men” (Joshua 7:5).

Tanaitic dispute - R’ Yehuda - Reads Josh 7:5 literally: “36” actual deaths; R’ Neḥemya - Rejects literalism: since it says “about 36,” it refers to Yair ben Manasseh, “equivalent to a majority of the Sanhedrin” (36 out of 71) - Josh 7:5

ותניא:

שלשים וששה ממש,

דברי רבי יהודה.

אמר לו רבי נחמיה:

וכי נאמר ״שלשים וששה״?

והלא לא נאמר אלא ״כשלשים וששה״!

אלא זה יאיר בן מנשה,

ששקול כרובה של סנהדרין

[...]

And concerning this verse, it is taught in a baraita: :

Literally (ממש) 36 people were killed,

this is the statement of R’ Yehuda.

R’ Neḥemya said to him:

But is it stated that 36 were killed?

Isn’t it stated nothing other than: “About 36” were killed?

Rather, this unusual term is referring to Yair, son of Manasseh,

who was equivalent to the majority of the Sanhedrin,

whose maximum number of judges is 71, of which 36 is a slight majority.

[...]

Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov - the wilderness decree of death applied only to ages 20–60

אמר רב אחא בר יעקב:

לא נגזרה גזירה

• לא על פחות מבן עשרים,

• ולא על יתר מבן ששים.

Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said:

The decree of death was not decreed either

• upon those less than 20 years old

• or upon those more than 60 years old at the time of the sin of the spies.

Prooftext - Num 14:29 ; Lev 27:7

לא על פחות מבן עשרים –

דכתיב: ״מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה״.

ולא על יתר מבן ששים –

גמר

• ״ומעלה״

• ״ומעלה״

מערכין;

• מה להלן –

  • יתר מבן ששים כפחות מבן עשרים,

• אף כאן –

  • יתר מבן ששים כפחות מבן עשרים.

[...]

The Talmud explains: Not upon those less than 20 years old,

as it is written: “From 20 years old and upward” (Numbers 14:29).

And not upon those more than 60 years old,

because he learns that there is a verbal analogy between

• “and upward” in the verse cited,

• and “and upward” from the halakhot of valuations, in the phrase: “From 60 years old and upward” (Leviticus 27:7).

• Just as there, concerning valuations,

  • more than 60 years old is comparable to less than 20 years old, as there is a distinct category of those between the ages of 20 and 60,

• so too here,

  • more than 60 years old is comparable to less than 20 years old insofar as those older were not subject to the sentence.

[...]

Baraita - (Messianic) Future: Eretz Yisrael will be divided among 13 tribes; initial division was 12; compensation done “with money” (value equalization) - Num 26:56

תניא:

עתידה ארץ ישראל שתתחלק לשלשה עשר שבטים –

שבתחלה לא נתחלקה אלא לשנים עשר שבטים.

ולא נתחלקה אלא בכסף

שנאמר: ״בין רב למעט״.

taught in a baraita:

Eretz Yisrael is destined to be divided among 13 tribes during the messianic era, unlike the division in the time of Joshua.

As, initially the land was divided only among 12 tribes, as the Torah does not allot a portion to the tribe of Levi.

The baraita continues: And the land was divided only with money,³

as it is stated: “Between the more and the fewer.”

R’ Yehuda - Illustrates value differentials: 1 se’a-yield in Judea equals 5 se’a-yield in the Galilee

אמר רבי יהודה:

סאה ביהודה,

שוה חמש סאין בגליל.

R’ Yehuda said:

The area of land whose yield is a se’a of grain in Judea is so valuable

that it is equal in value to the area necessary to produce five se’a of grain in the Galilee.

Land division was by lottery and also via Urim VeTummim - Num 26:55-56

• ולא נתחלקה אלא בגורל –

  • שנאמר: ״אך בגורל״.

• ולא נתחלקה אלא באורים ותומים –

  • שנאמר: ״על פי הגורל״.

The baraita continues:

• And the land was divided only by a lottery,⁴

  • as it is stated: “Only by lot shall the land be divided” (Numbers 26:55).⁵

• And the land was divided only with the Urim VeTummim,

  • as it is stated: “By the pronouncement of the lot” (Numbers 26:56).

Mechanism: Elazar (with Urim VeTummim) announces (via Holy Spirit) which tribe/region will emerge, then lots are drawn accordingly (eg, Zebulun–Akko; Naftali–Ginnosar)

The baraita reconciles lottery and divine consultation by combining both.

Elazar,⁶ wearing the Urim VeTummim, stands before Joshua and Israel with 2 receptacles (קלפי): one for tribes and one for territorial regions.⁷

הא כיצד?

1. אלעזר

   1. מלובש אורים ותומים,

2. ויהושע וכל ישראל

   1. עומדים לפניו;

3. וקלפי של שבטים וקלפי של תחומין

   1. מונחין לפניו;

The baraita asks: How can these texts be reconciled?

One indicates that the land was divided by lottery and the other indicates that the land was divided with the Urim VeTummim. The baraita explains:

1. Elazar the High Priest

   1. was dressed with the Urim VeTummim,

2. and Joshua and all the Jewish people

   1. were standing before him,

3. and a lottery receptacle containing the names of the tribes and another lottery receptacle containing the names of the boundaries of the twelve different regions of Eretz Yisrael

   1. were placed before him.

Through the Holy Spirit, Elazar announces in advance which tribe will be paired with which region.

The subsequent drawing of lots then confirms the declaration, as the announced tribe and territory emerge from their respective receptacles.

This procedure is repeated for each tribe.⁸

והיה מכוין ברוח הקדש ואומר:

• זבולן עולה,

• תחום עכו עולה עמו.

• טרף בקלפי של שבטים –

  • ועלה בידו זבולן,

• טרף בקלפי של תחומין –

  • ועלה בידו תחום עכו.

And Elazar would ascertain the assignments of land with the Holy Spirit and say, in accordance with the notification of the Urim VeTummim:

• The name of the tribe Zebulun now emerges from the receptacle in the lottery,

• and the region whose boundary is Akko emerges with it from the other receptacle.

After stating this,

• he would mix the lots in the receptacle of the tribes

  • and the lot of Zebulun would emerge in his hand.

• He would then mix the lots in the receptacle of the boundaries,

  • and the boundary of Akko would emerge in his hand.

וחוזר ומכוין ברוח הקדש ואומר:

• נפתלי עולה,

• ותחום גינוסר עולה עמו.

• טרף בקלפי של שבטים –

  • ועלה בידו נפתלי,

• טרף בקלפי של תחומין –

  • ועלה בידו תחום גינוסר.

וכן כל שבט ושבט.

And Elazar would repeat the process and ascertain the assignments with the Holy Spirit and say:

• The name of the tribe Naftali now emerges,

• and the region whose boundary is Ginnosar emerges with it from the other receptacle.

After stating this,

• he would mix the lots in the receptacle of the tribes

  • and the lot of Naftali would emerge in his hand.

• He would then mix the lots in the receptacle of the boundaries,

  • and the boundary of Ginnosar would emerge in his hand.

And so he would proceed for each and every tribe.

Eschatological contrast: in this world, each person has only one land-type; in the World-to-Come (ie messianic future) everyone has mountain/lowland/valley

• ולא כחלוקה של עולם הזה,

• חלוקה של עולם הבא.

• העולם הזה,

  • אדם יש לו שדה לבן –

    • אין לו שדה פרדס,

  • שדה פרדס –

    • אין לו שדה לבן.

• לעולם הבא,

  • אין לך כל אחד ואחד שאין לו

    • בהר

    • ובשפלה

    • ובעמק,

The baraita continues:

• And unlike the division in this world, i.e., in the time of Joshua,

• will be the division of portions in the World-to-Come, i.e., in the messianic era.

• In this world,

  • if a person has a field of grain⁹

    • he does not have a field for an orchard (פרדס);

  • if he has a field for an orchard,

    • he does not have a field of grain.

• But in the World-to-Come (i.e., in the Messianic future),

  • you do not have any person who does not have a portion in Eretz Yisrael

    • in the mountain,

    • and in the lowland¹⁰

    • and in the valley,

Prooftext - Ezek 48:29-31

שנאמר:

שער ראובן אחד,

שער יהודה אחד,

שער לוי אחד״.

as it is stated:

“The gate of Reuben, one;

the gate of Judah, one;

the gate of Levi, one” (Ezekiel 48:31),

which is to say that everyone’s portion will be the same.

God will personally distribute (Eretz Yisrael’s land, in the messianic future)

הקדוש ברוך הוא מחלק להן בעצמו,

שנאמר:

״ואלה מחלקתם נאם ה׳״.

And God will distribute it to them personally,

as it is stated:

“And these are their portions,

says YHWH” (Ezekiel 48:29).

This is the conclusion of the baraita.

1. קפלו - literally: “folded”, i.e. overlapped.

On this word, see Jastrow (modernized), entry “קָפַל I“:

1) to double, fold, roll up.

[…]

Transferred sense: to overlap, combine.

• Midrash Tanḥuma Lekh 11 - תשע … הקב”ה וכ׳ - “God combined 980 generations in order to give the law of circumcision to Abraham (alluding to Psalms 105:8)”

• ibid. - תתקע”ד דור וכ׳ - “God combined 974 generations in order to give the Law to the generation of the wilderness”

• Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:4:8 (referring to אלף המגן, ibid.) - אלף דור קָפַלְתִּי וכ׳ - “I combined a thousand generations and brought that shield (the Law) which was the desire of your heart”

• Bava Batra 121b:6 - שבעה קָפְלוּ וכ׳ (Rashbam: קִיפְּלוּ) - “seven persons overlapped an entire world (lived through many generations): Methusalem saw Adam, Shem saw Methuselah etc.”

2. קיים - literally: “exists”.

This aligns with a recurring Talmudic motif in which Elijah appears within contemporary narratives. See especially my anthology of some relevant passages in “ “He appeared to him as a [X]”: Talmudic Stories of Incarnations of God, Eliyahu, Satan, and Demons“

Also note Maimonides’ well-known juxtaposition of Ahijah the Shilonite and Elijah as two of the forty links in the chain of tradition—likely influenced by this Talmudic passage—in my “Pt1 The 40-stage, 1800-year chain of transmission of the Oral Law From Sinai to the Redaction of the Talmud According to Maimonides’ Introduction to Mishneh Torah“, sections “Joshua to Achiah of Shiloh (34) [thru 10th c. BCE] - A List of 5“ and “Prophets: Elijah (33) to Ezra (19) [thru 5th c. BCE] - A List of 15“.

And compare also the same statement (of immortality) made about Jacob, in Taanit 5b#9:

בתר דסעוד

אמר ליה:

הכי אמר רבי יוחנן:

יעקב אבינו לא מת

After they had eaten,

R’ Yitzḥak said to Rav Naḥman that

R’ Yoḥanan said as follows:

Our patriarch Jacob did not die.

אמר ליה:

וכי בכדי

1. ספדו ספדניא

2. וחנטו חנטייא

3. וקברו קברייא?!

Rav Naḥman asked him in surprise:

And was it for naught that

1. the eulogizers eulogized him

2. and the embalmers embalmed him

3. and the buriers buried him?!

(See Genesis 50:2-13)

אמר ליה:

מקרא אני דורש,

שנאמר:

״ואתה אל תירא

עבדי יעקב

נאם ה׳

ואל תחת

ישראל

כי הנני מושיעך מרחוק

ואת זרעך מארץ שבים״,

מקיש הוא לזרעו:

• מה זרעו

  • בחיים

• אף הוא

  • בחיים

R’ Yitzḥak replied to Rav Naḥman:

I am interpreting a verse,

as it is stated:

“Therefore do not fear,

Jacob My servant,

says YHWH,

neither be dismayed,

Israel,

for I will save you from afar,

and your seed from the land of their captivity” (Jeremiah 30:10).

This verse juxtaposes Jacob to his seed:

• Just as his seed (i.e,, Jacob’s descendants, the Jews)

  • is alive

• so too,

  • Jacob himself is alive.

3. I.e. by value, see also next section, which clarifies.

Steinsaltz:

such that each tribe that received a portion more valuable than average compensated another tribe that had received a portion less valuable than average

4. The exact method is clarified in the next sections.

For another Talmudic mention of the usage of lottery for the initial division of Eretz Yisrael, see “Pt1 The Confession, Punishment, and Atonement of Achan in Joshua 7 (Sanhedrin 43b-44b)“, section “Joshua Defends Cleromancy (Numbers 26:55): Joshua Pleads with Achan; Future Implications for undermining apportioning by lot in Eretz Yisrael“.

5. For the actual execution of division by lottery, see Joshua 14:2, 18:10:

6. Aaron’s son, who was the High Priest at the time of Joshua.

7. תחומין - “boundaries, borders”.

8. Thus aligning prophetic determination with formal lottery (=cleromancy).

The passage uses a prediction → verification formula:

First, Elazar announces a specific outcome via the Holy Spirit (tribe X with territory Y). Then the lottery is performed, and the lots mechanically confirm the prior declaration.

The repetition of this sequence for each tribe creates a standardized pattern that fuses revelatory authority with procedural randomness, presenting the lottery as confirmatory rather than determinative.

9. שדה לבן - literally: “white field”.

On this term, see Jastrow (modernized), entry “לָבָן II”, section “שְׂדֵה“:

a bright, shadeless field, vegetable or grain field, as opposed to שדה אילן orchard.

• Mishnah Sheviit 2:1;

• Moed Katan 1, 4c

• and frequently.

10. שפלה - compare Wikipedia, “Shephelah”; the usage here may be generic, and not to that specific area.