Inheriting Through Moshe Dveikus

בענין בני גד וב"ר כתבתי במקום אחר בשם הרב מפרשיסחא ז"ל פי' מקנה רב שהי' להם קנין דביקות במרע"ה ע"ש

Regarding Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuven I have written elsewhere in the name of the Rav of Pershischa, of blessed memory, who explained the words 'they had abundant livestock (mikneh rav)' to mean that they possessed an acquisition (kinyan) of dveikus to Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him; see there.

Bnei Gad and Reuven's 'abundant livestock' is read as their having acquired a deep bond of dveikus with Moshe Rabbeinu, and that bond is what they truly possessed.

וי"ל עוד כי רצו בזה כדי שיהי' להם החלוקה עפ"י מרע"ה בעצמו

And one may further say that they desired this so that the division of the land would be carried out for them through Moshe Rabbeinu himself.

Their request to settle outside the land was so that Moshe Rabbeinu himself, rather than someone else, would be the one to divide their inheritance.

ולזה הטעם רצה מרע"ה ליכנוס לארץ ישראל שאם הי' הוא המחלק להם לא הי' נשאר מהכנענים והי' חירות עולם

It was for this very reason that Moshe Rabbeinu desired to enter Eretz Yisrael, for had he been the one to apportion the land to them, none of the Canaanites would have remained, and there would have been eternal freedom (cheirus olam).

Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to enter Eretz Yisrael because, had he distributed it, his hand would have left no Canaanite remaining and the land would have been wholly free forever.

לכן מסר להם הגבולים שהיא התחלת קניית הארץ כי הגבולים הם הקצוות מקום דביקות בהשורש כמ"ש במ"א ובכח זה ניתן להם כל הארץ

Therefore he handed over to them the borders, which are the beginning of the acquisition of the land, for the borders are the outer extremities, the place of dveikus to the root, as I have written elsewhere; and through this power the entire land was given over to them.

Even though he could not enter, Moshe handed over the borders, which represent the outermost points that cling to the spiritual root, and through that he transmitted the power to acquire the whole land.

ובני גד וראובן רצו שיהי' משה רבינו ע"ה המחלק להם חלקם כנ"ל:

And Bnei Gad and Reuven desired that Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, should be the one to apportion their portion to them, as explained above.

Bnei Gad and Reuven specifically wanted Moshe Rabbeinu himself to apportion their share, drawing their inheritance directly from his power of dveikus.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that the 'abundant livestock' of Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuven hints at the great kinyan of dveikus they had attained to Moshe Rabbeinu. Their request was rooted in a desire that Moshe Rabbeinu himself apportion their portion of the land, so that their inheritance would flow directly through his power. This same yearning underlay Moshe Rabbeinu's own wish to enter Eretz Yisrael, for had he divided it, no Canaanite would have remained and the land would have enjoyed eternal freedom. Since he could not enter, he instead handed over the borders, the outer extremities that cling to the root, and through that act he transmitted to Bnei Yisrael the power to acquire the entire land.