(Devarim 32:8) :When the Most High caused nations to inherit": Before the advent of our father Abraham, the L-rd judged the world with severity: The men of the flood sinned — He flooded them like sparks on the face of the waters. The men of the tower of Bavel sinned — He scattered them from one end of the world to the other. The men of Sodom sinned — He swept them away with fire and brimstone. But when our father Abraham came to the world, afflictions materialized (in place of destruction), viz. (Bereshith 12:9) "And there was a famine in the land, and Avram went down to Egypt." And if you would ask "Why are there afflictions?" (the answer is) Because of His love for Israel (i.e., to avoid destroying them!)
"When the Most High caused nations to inherit, when He separated the sons of man, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel": When the Holy One Blessed be He divided the world for inheritance by the nations of the world, He specified the boundary of each nation so that they not become intermixed. He sent the sons of Gomer to (the territory of Gomer; the sons of Magog to Magog; the sons of Madai to Madai; the sons of Greece to Greece; the sons of Tuval to Tuval. He specified the boundaries of the nations so that they not enter Eretz Yisrael.
Variantly: "When the Most High caused nations to inherit": When the L-rd gave Torah to Israel, He arose and looked and considered, viz. (Habakkuk 3:6) "He arose and measured the land. He saw and released the nations" (from the rule of Torah.) There was no nation but Israel which was worthy of accepting the Torah, viz. "He set the bounds of the peoples" (apart from those of Israel.)
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דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם, כְּשֶׁהִנְחִיל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹלָם לָאֻמּוֹת חִלְּקָם בְּגֵיהִנֹּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל לב כב): ״שָׁם אַשּׁוּר וְכָל קְהָלָהּ״, (שם לב ל) ״שָׁמָּה נְסִיכֵי צָפוֹן וְכָל צִידוֹנִי״, (שם לב כט) ״שָׁמָּה אֱדוֹם מְלָכֶיהָ״. וְאִם תֹּאמַר, מִי נוֹטֵל עָשְׁרָם וּכְבוֹדָם שֶׁל אֵלּוּ? הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, יַצֵּב גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים.
Variantly: "When the Most High caused nations to inherit": When the L-rd caused the fearers of sin and the virtuous among the nations to inherit, "when He separated the sons of man": an allusion to Lot, viz. (Bereshith 13:11) "And they separated themselves, the one (Lot) from the other" (Abraham). "He set the bounds of the peoples": R. Eliezer, the son of R. Yossi Haglili, says: It is written (Song of Songs) 6:8) "Sixty are the 'queens' (Abraham and his descendants), and eighty, the 'concubines'" (Noach and his sons until Abraham). Sixty and eighty are 140 — yet our forefathers descended to Egypt with only seventy souls. "He set the bounds of the peoples": It is not written "the bound of the peoples," but the bounds of "the peoples." The peoples merited taking twice the portions (140) of "the number of the children of Israel" (70).
(דברים לב ח) בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם, עַד שֶׁלֹּא בָּא אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ כִּבְיָכוֹל הָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא דָּן אֶת הָעוֹלָם בְּמִדַּת אַכְזָרִיּוּת. חָטְאוּ אַנְשֵׁי מַבּוּל – הֱצִיפָם כְּזִיקִים עַל פְּנֵי הַמַּיִם. חָטְאוּ אַנְשֵׁי מִגְדָּל – פִּזְּרָם מִסּוֹף הָעוֹלָם וְעַד סוֹפוֹ. חָטְאוּ אַנְשֵׁי סְדוֹם – שְׁטָפָם בְּגָפְרִית וָאֵשׁ. אֲבָל מִשֶּׁבָּא אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ לָעוֹלָם זָכָה לְקַבֵּל יִסּוּרִים וְהִתְחִילוּ מְמַשְׁמְשִׁים וּבָאִים, כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית יב י): ״וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ וַיֵּרֶד אַבְרָם מִצְרַיְמָה״. וְאִם תֹּאמַר, מִפְּנֵי מָה יִסּוּרִים בָּאִים? מִפְּנֵי חִבָּתָם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, יַצֵּב גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים לְמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
(Devarim 32:8) :When the Most High caused nations to inherit": Before the advent of our father Abraham, the L-rd judged the world with severity: The men of the flood sinned — He flooded them like sparks on the face of the waters. The men of the tower of Bavel sinned — He scattered them from one end of the world to the other. The men of Sodom sinned — He swept them away with fire and brimstone. But when our father Abraham came to the world, afflictions materialized (in place of destruction), viz. (Bereshith 12:9) "And there was a famine in the land, and Avram went down to Egypt." And if you would ask "Why are there afflictions?" (the answer is) Because of His love for Israel (i.e., to avoid destroying them!)
דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם, כְּשֶׁהִנְחִיל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹלָם לָאֻמּוֹת פֵּרֵשׁ תְּחוּמָהּ שֶׁל כָּל אֻמָּה וְאֻמָּה, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יְהוּ מְעֹרָבִים: שִׁלַּח בְּנֵי גֹּמֶר לְגֹמֶר, בְּנֵי מָגוֹג לְמָגוֹג, בְּנֵי מָדַי לְמָדַי, בְּנֵי יָוָן לְיָוָן, בְּנֵי תֻּבַל לְתֻבַל, פֵּרֵשׁ תְּחוּמָן שֶׁל אֻמּוֹת כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּנְסוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, יַצֵּב גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים.
"When the Most High caused nations to inherit, when He separated the sons of man, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel": When the Holy One Blessed be He divided the world for inheritance by the nations of the world, He specified the boundary of each nation so that they not become intermixed. He sent the sons of Gomer to (the territory of Gomer; the sons of Magog to Magog; the sons of Madai to Madai; the sons of Greece to Greece; the sons of Tuval to Tuval. He specified the boundaries of the nations so that they not enter Eretz Yisrael.
דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם, כְּשֶׁנָּתַן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא תּוֹרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עָמַד וְצָפָה וְנִסְתַּכֵּל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (חבקוק ג ו): ״עָמַד וַיְמֹדֶד אֶרֶץ רָאָה וַיַּתֵּר גּוֹיִם״, וְלֹא הָיְתָה אֻמָּה בָּאֻמּוֹת שֶׁהָיְתָה רְאוּיָה לְקַבֵּל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל, יַצֵּב גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים.
Variantly: "When the Most High caused nations to inherit": When the L-rd gave Torah to Israel, He arose and looked and considered, viz. (Habakkuk 3:6) "He arose and measured the land. He saw and released the nations" (from the rule of Torah.) There was no nation but Israel which was worthy of accepting the Torah, viz. "He set the bounds of the peoples" (apart from those of Israel.)
דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם, כְּשֶׁהִנְחִיל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹלָם לָאֻמּוֹת חִלְּקָם בְּגֵיהִנֹּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל לב כב): ״שָׁם אַשּׁוּר וְכָל קְהָלָהּ״, (שם לב ל) ״שָׁמָּה נְסִיכֵי צָפוֹן וְכָל צִידוֹנִי״, (שם לב כט) ״שָׁמָּה אֱדוֹם מְלָכֶיהָ״. וְאִם תֹּאמַר, מִי נוֹטֵל עָשְׁרָם וּכְבוֹדָם שֶׁל אֵלּוּ? הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, יַצֵּב גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים.
דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם, כְּשֶׁהִנְחִיל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִן הָאֻמּוֹת יִרְאֵי חֵטְא וּכְשֵׁרִים שֶׁבָּהֶם, בְּהַפְרִידוֹ בְּנֵי אָדָם, זֶה דּוֹר הַפַּלָּגָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית יא ט): ״וּמִשָּׁם הֱפִיצָם ה׳״. יַצֵּב גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בְּנוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר: הֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר (שיר השירים ו ח): ״שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים״, שִׁשִּׁים וּשְׁמֹנִים הֲרֵי מֵאָה וְאַרְבָּעִים. אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לֹא יָרְדוּ לְמִצְרַיִם אֶלָּא בְּשִׁבְעִים נֶפֶשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים י כב): ״בְּשִׁבְעִים נֶפֶשׁ יָרְדוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ״, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים, גְּבוּלֵי עַמִּים אֵין כָּתוּב כָּאן אֶלָּא גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים, זָכוּ אֻמּוֹת לִטּוֹל שְׁנֵי חֲלָקִים בְּמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Variantly: "When the Most High caused nations to inherit": When the L-rd caused the fearers of sin and the virtuous among the nations to inherit, "when He separated the sons of man": an allusion to Lot, viz. (Bereshith 13:11) "And they separated themselves, the one (Lot) from the other" (Abraham). "He set the bounds of the peoples": R. Eliezer, the son of R. Yossi Haglili, says: It is written (Song of Songs) 6:8) "Sixty are the 'queens' (Abraham and his descendants), and eighty, the 'concubines'" (Noach and his sons until Abraham). Sixty and eighty are 140 — yet our forefathers descended to Egypt with only seventy souls. "He set the bounds of the peoples": It is not written "the bound of the peoples," but the bounds of "the peoples." The peoples merited taking twice the portions (140) of "the number of the children of Israel" (70).