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Why did the Torah (תורה) use goral (lottery) when Moshe already knew each tribe's portion through divine prophecy? The shiur develops the principle that goral establishes corporate ownership - every tribe owns sovereignty in all of Eretz Yisrael while receiving private ownership only in their specific portion. This explains why women have no Biblical obligation to bench since they lack land ownership, while Kohanim and Leviim retain their obligation through corporate ownership.
The shiur opens with a Gemara (גמרא) in Brachos 20a regarding whether women are obligated in birchas hamazon from the Torah (תורה) or rabbinically. Rashi (רש"י) explains that since women received no portion in Eretz Yisrael, their obligation is only rabbinic. However, Tosafot challenges this logic: if land ownership determines the obligation, then Kohanim and Leviim should also only have a rabbinic obligation, which seems untenable. Rabbi Zweig addresses this difficulty by analyzing the seemingly contradictory pesukim about dividing Eretz Yisrael. The Torah states both that larger tribes should receive larger portions and that the land should be divided equally by lottery. The Ramban (רמב"ן) explains that each tribe received equal-sized portions, while individuals within larger tribes received smaller shares. Rashi argues the opposite - that each individual received equal portions, necessitating different-sized tribal territories.
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Brachos 20a
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What is the primary purpose of the cities of refuge - protecting the accidental killer or something else? The shiur argues that creating respect for law takes precedence over providing sanctuary. True deterrence comes from recognizing the gravity of murder itself, not fear of punishment.
