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Why might women's obligation in Birkat Hamazon be only rabbinic if the blessing mentions thanking God for the land? The shiur develops a chiddush that every tribe maintained collective ownership of all Eretz Yisrael while receiving private portions, explaining why Levites have biblical obligations despite no territorial inheritance. Women lacked both forms of ownership, potentially distinguishing their status from that of Levites.
This shiur examines a fundamental question from Gemara (גמרא) Brachos 20b regarding women's obligation in Birkat Hamazon - whether it is biblical (d'oraisa) or rabbinic (d'rabbanan). Rashi (רש"י) suggests that women may only be obligated rabbinically because they did not receive a portion in the Land of Israel, as the blessing requires thanking God 'for the good land that He gave you.' Tosafot challenges this by noting that Kohanim and Levites also received no territorial inheritance, yet their obligation seems biblical. The lecture develops a revolutionary understanding of land inheritance in Israel. Rather than viewing the tribal portions as exclusive ownership, Rav Zweig explains that every tribe maintained collective ownership of all of Eretz Yisrael, while receiving private ownership of specific portions. This concept is demonstrated through the lottery (goral) system - the seemingly random selection process actually teaches that any tribe could have received any portion, because all tribes have a connection to the entire land.
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Brachos 20b
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What did Dovid mean when he reduced the 613 mitzvos to twelve principles? The Gemara reveals that mitzvos have two dimensions: fulfilling the obligation and achieving personal completion (hashlomah). Dovid identified twelve core principles that encapsulate the essential character development aspect of all mitzvos.
