01 Jun BEAUFORT CASTLE AND THE NORTHERN BORDER OF THE PROMISED LAND

After the
remarkable capture
of Beaufort Castle
in Lebanon—a
symbolic
stronghold long
associated with Hezbollah—the bravery
and determination of Israeli soldiers once
again came into focus. Alongside the
military achievement, an earlier discussion
we wrote about during a previous escalation
on the Lebanese front has resurfaced: how
the Torah defines the northern boundary of
Eretz Yisrael, and whether present-day
Lebanon falls within that biblical
framework.
While 44 years ago the battle for Beaufort
Castle was fierce and costly, claiming the
lives of many soldiers, this time the fortress
was captured relatively quickly and with
far less resistance. How can we understand
this contrast?
In the past I suggested an explanation based
on a well-known Rashi (Bereshit 28, 13).
When Yaakov Avinu arrived at Har
HaMoriah and went to sleep, Rashi explains
that Hashem, so to speak, folded the entire
Land of Israel beneath him. The purpose
was to show Yaakov that the land would be
inherited by his descendants with ease.
The deeper message may be that when
something truly belongs to a person, it
naturally gravitates back to its rightful
owner—but only after the owner
demonstrates that he genuinely desires it.
The struggles and obstacles along the way
may be real, yet ultimately the object seeks
to return to where it belongs.
Perhaps the same idea can be applied here.
Forty-four years ago, capturing Beaufort
required a bitter and costly battle. Today,
after decades of sacrifice, perseverance,
and unwavering attachment to the Land of
Israel, the same stronghold fell with
remarkable speed. Perhaps this is because
the Jewish people have demonstrated, time
and again, that they truly desire the land
promised to them.
It may also reflect the unfolding process of
the Geulah. As we have discussed in
previous articles, the horn of Israel
continues to rise, and the redemption
advances step by step, sometimes in ways
that become apparent only in hindsight.
Of course, we do not presume to know
Hashem’s calculations. Yet the image is
striking. When a land has been promised by
Hashem to the Jewish people, its ultimate
destiny is to return to them. What once
required immense effort may one day come
with surprising ease, because, in a deeper

sense, it is simply returning to its rightful
owner.
Is Lebanon within Israel’s promised
borders?
The Torah does not leave the borders of the
Land of Israel undefined. In the covenant
with Avraham Avinu, Hashem promises:
“To your descendants I have given this
land, from the river of Egypt until the great
river, the Euphrates (Perat)” (Bereishit
15:18). This establishes a sweeping
geographic vision of the promised land that
extends far beyond the settled borders
familiar from later Jewish history. The
expansive region described in these

pesukim reaches across parts of modern-
day Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon,

Syria, Jordan, and Iraq, all the way to the
Euphrates River, which flows through
Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.
A fascinating Rashi on this pasuk notes that
the Torah’s promise here refers to the
inheritance of ten nations, whereas
throughout history Bnei Yisrael has only
conquered seven. From this its proven that
the full realization of the promise was
never meant to be completed in earlier
generations, but is reserved for the future
redemption, in the days of Mashiach, when
the entire promised territory will ultimately
be attained. Ohr Hachayim writes that this
understanding should strengthen us in
exile, reminding us that Hashem’s promise
has not been exhausted, and that the
complete fulfillment of the land’s
boundaries will yet come.
His interpretation may be based on sources
in the Yerushalmi (Kidushin 1, 8), which
states that Hashem said to Israel: your
forefathers conquered the land of seven
nations, but you—in the future—will
conquer the land of ten nations.
Another reference appears in Parshat Ekev,
where the Torah describes the territory that
will be given to Israel in conquest: “Every
place upon which the sole of your foot shall
tread shall be yours—from the wilderness
and Lebanon, and from the river, the
Euphrates River, until the western sea shall
be your boundary” (Devarim 11:24). Here,
Lebanon is not merely implied but
explicitly named as part of the northern
direction of expansion described by the
Torah.
A further indication is found in the very
beginning of Sefer Yehoshua (1:3–4):
“Every place on which the soles of your
feet will tread I have given to you, as I have
spoken to Moshe. From this desert and
Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates,
all the land of the Hittites to the great sea

westward shall be your boundary.”
The inheritance of Shevet Asher extends
along the northern coastal region, including
areas adjacent to what is today southern
Lebanon. Cities such as Akko and the
regions north of Mount Carmel reflect how
the biblical settlement naturally stretches
toward that northern axis. The repetition of
this formulation reinforces that the northern
boundary described in the Torah continues
into the era of entry into the land under
Yehoshua.
When these sources are viewed together, a
consistent picture emerges: the Torah
describes a far broader conception of Eretz
Yisrael than the borders most commonly
associated with the modern State of Israel.
Lebanon appears in the Torah’s language as
part of the northern directional boundary of
that promised land, and is treated by several
classical sources as falling within that
biblical scope.
From the river to the sea
Geographically, this becomes even more
striking when considering the river
identified with the biblical Perat—the

Euphrates—which flows through modern-
day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq before

continuing toward the Persian Gulf. The
Torah’s description of the land thus spans a
vast territory that extends far beyond its
commonly perceived dimensions.
While the practical realization of these
borders is a subject of its own discussion,
the Torah’s language presents a clear and
expansive vision of the land promised to
Avraham and his descendants, in which
Lebanon occupies a significant place

within the northern boundary descriptions.
The Northern Front: A Milchemet
Mitzvah?
Within Chazal and the Rishonim, these
pesukim are not treated merely as poetic
language. The Ramban, in his commentary
to Parshat Ekev (Devarim 11:24),
understands these descriptions as defining
the scope of the biblical inheritance
promised to the Jewish people. According
to his approach, Lebanon is included within
the territory that Hashem commanded
Israel to conquer. He distinguishes it from
regions such as Syria, whose conquest is
classified as a milchemet reshut (a
discretionary war). Lebanon, by contrast,
falls within the borders promised by
Hashem and is therefore included in the
obligation of conquest, giving it the status
of a milchemet mitzvah.
Also the Rambam (Hilchot Melachim,
chapter 5) explains that a war fought to
conquer the Land of Israel within the
borders promised by Hashem is classified
as a milchemet mitzvah—a commanded
war. This designation reflects the unique
status of the land and the obligation to
establish Jewish sovereignty over the
territory that Hashem assigned to the
Jewish people.
The events unfolding—remarkable on both
a historical and biblical scale—may be
understood by many as an indication that
the process of Geulah is advancing with
increasing momentum. We can only pray
that this continues, and that our soldiers
and the entire nation should remain safe
and well.