Each Jew's Designated Portion
בענין המנין לאלה תחלק הארץ
Regarding the census, of which it is written, "To these the land shall be divided" (Bamidbar 26:53).
The Sfas Emes opens with the verse tying the census directly to the apportioning of Eretz Yisrael among Bnei Yisrael.
שיש לכל איש ישראל חלק מיוחד בא"י כמ"ש לעיל
For every individual of Bnei Yisrael has a unique portion in Eretz Yisrael, as was explained above.
He establishes the foundational point that every Jew has his own designated share in the Land.
וכן כתיב וישב כו' איש תחת גפנו כו' תאנתו
And so it is written, "And they dwelt... each man under his vine... and his fig tree" (Melachim I 5:5).
He brings a proof-text showing each man settled under his own vine and fig tree, reflecting personal, individual possession.
וזה הי' ענין הגורל שהכיר כל אחד מקום המיוחד לו כי נתינת א"י הי' בכלל ובפרט
This was the meaning of the lottery, that each one recognized the place uniquely designated for him, for the giving of Eretz Yisrael was both in a general sense and in a particular sense.
The lottery was the means by which each person recognized his own particular place, since the gift of the Land operated on two levels at once: the whole nation collectively and each person individually.
ויתכן לפרש בזה מ"ש וכרות עמו הברית לתת כו' הוא בכלל
And it is fitting to explain in this light that which is written, "And You made the covenant with him to give..." (Nechemiah 9:8) — this refers to the giving in a general sense.
He reads the verse in Nechemiah about Hashem's covenant with Avraham as describing the general, collective gift of the Land.
אח"כ לתת לזרעו הוא נתינה בפרט שנתן לכל א' חלק השייך לו
Afterward, "to give to his offspring" — this is the giving in a particular sense, that He gave to each and every one the portion that pertains to him.
The continuation, "to give to his offspring," expresses the particular gift, where each individual received precisely the portion belonging to him.
ובאמת זכו בנ"י בכח שהיו מיוחסים לכן הקדים מעשה פינחס תיקון הברית וגם שחתם שמו ית' עדות לישראל דכ' ועמך כולם צדיקים כו' יירשו ארץ
And in truth Bnei Yisrael merited this by the power of their pure lineage, and therefore the act of Pinchas, the mending of the covenant, was placed first; and also that Hashem sealed His name as testimony to Bnei Yisrael, as it is written, "And your people are all tzaddikim... they shall inherit the land" (Yeshayah 60:21).
Bnei Yisrael earned this through their unbroken, pure lineage; hence Pinchas's deed mending the covenant comes first, and Hashem's name is sealed as testimony that they are all tzaddikim who inherit the Land.
וכ"כ ואתה את בריתי תשמור כו'
And so too it is written, "And you shall keep My covenant..." (Bereishis 17:9).
He supports this with the command to Avraham to keep the covenant.
כי בזכות הברית שהוא לשמור כל אחד מקום הראוי לו שלא להתערב במקום שאינו שייך לו
For in the merit of the covenant, which is that each one guards the place fitting for him, so as not to intermingle in a place that does not pertain to him —
The essence of guarding the covenant is that each person keeps to the place fitting for him and does not encroach on what is not his.
ולכן ירשו כל א' מקומו הראוי לו
and therefore each one inherited the place fitting for him.
Because of this faithfulness, each one received exactly the portion fitting for him.
ומצד זה הי' אהבה ביניהם וזכו לבנין ביהמ"ק
And on account of this there was love among them, and they merited the building of the Beis HaMikdash.
This proper boundary-keeping produced love among them, and that love earned them the Beis HaMikdash.
מכלל שחרב ביהמ"ק על ידי שנאת חנם משמע שמכח השלום שהי' בבנ"י שלא הי' בהם קנאה ושנאה שהכיר כל אחד מקום הראוי לו זכו לבנין ביהמ"ק:
From the fact that the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed on account of baseless hatred, it is implied that it was through the peace that prevailed among Bnei Yisrael — that there was no envy or hatred among them, for each one recognized the place fitting for him — that they merited the building of the Beis HaMikdash.
Since the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed through baseless hatred, the reverse must have built it: the peace and absence of envy that came from each person recognizing his own fitting place.
Summary: The Sfas Emes teaches that the census preceding the division of Eretz Yisrael reflects how every individual of Bnei Yisrael has a unique, personally designated portion in the Land. The gift of the Land operated on two levels at once — a general gift to the nation as a whole and a particular gift to each person, revealed through the lottery by which each one recognized his own place. This precise allotment flowed from the covenant, whose very essence is that each person guards the place fitting for him and does not intrude upon what is not his. From such faithful boundary-keeping came genuine love among Bnei Yisrael, free of envy and hatred. And just as the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed through baseless hatred, so was it built through the peace of each one contentedly recognizing his own fitting place.