But There Is a G-d in Israel

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byou did possess and settle in—they will distress you and say: bRise and get out. . . ” (Ohr Ha’Chayim—Rabbi Chaim ben bAtar).

bAnd so, the Talmud tells us: “Joshua sent three messages bto the inhabitants [of Canaan]. He who wishes to evacuate— blet him evacuate; who wishes to make peace—let him make bpeace; to make war—let him make war” (Va-Yikra Rabah 17).

bThe choices are given. Either leave, or prepare for war—or bmake peace. The choice of “making peace” is explained by the brabbis as involving three things. To begin with, the non-Jew bmust agree to adopt the seven basic Noahide laws, which in- bclude prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, immorality, bbloodshed, robbery, eating flesh cut from a living animal, and a bpositive action—adherence to social laws. Once he has done bthis, he has the status of a resident stranger (ger toshav) who is ballowed to live in Eretz Yisrael (Talmud, Avoda Zara 64b), if he balso accepts the conditions of tribute and servitude. (It should be noted bthat the use of the word ger, [“stranger”] in the Torah refers binvariably not to the non-Jewish stranger, but to the convert to bJudaism.)

bBiblical commentator Rabbi David Kimchi (Radak) ex- bplains (Joshua 9:7): “If they uproot idolatry and accept the sev- ben Noahide laws, they must also pay tribute and serve Israel and bbe subjects under them, as it is written (Deuteronomy 20:11): b‘They will be tribute and shall serve you.’”

bMaimonides (Hilchot Mlachim 6:11) declares: “If they bmake peace and accept the seven Noahide laws we do not kill bthem for they are tributary. If they agreed to pay tribute but do bnot accept servitude or accepted servitude but not tribute we do bnot acquiesce until they have accepted both. And servitude bmeans that they shall be humble and low and not raise their bhead in Israel. Rather they shall be subjects under us and not be bappointed to any position over Jews ever.”

bFar better than foolish humans did the Almighty under- bstand the dangers inherent in allowing a people that believed the bland belonged to it to be given free and unfettered residence, let balone ownership, proprietorship, citizenship. What more natu- bral thing than to ask to regain what it believed to be rightly its bown land? And this over and above the need to create a unique band distinctly separate Torah culture that will shape the Jewish b