Deuteronomy 7

Sugya Map: The Mechanics of Displacement

• Issue: The linguistic distinction between yerushah (inheritance/dispossession) and nashal (the mechanics of the nations' exit).
• Nafka Mina: Is the displacement of the Seven Nations a divine miracle or a sociological byproduct of Israelite settlement?
• Sources: Deut 7:1; Deut 19:5 (the axe head); Deut 28:40 (the olive harvest).

Text Snapshot

• "וְנָשַׁל ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה" (Deut 7:1).
• Nuance: The root n-sh-l implies a detachment or "dropping off" rather than a violent expulsion (yerushah). As Rashi and Rashbam note, it mirrors the axe head falling from the handle or olives dropping from the branch.

Readings

• Ba'al HaTurim: Connects the three instances of n-sh-l to suggest a meta-historical irony: had Israel not sinned, the "iron" (the necessity of weaponry) would not have been needed. The n-sh-l of the nations is linked to the n-sh-l of the axe—a removal of the "tool" of war.
• Ha’amek Davar (R’ Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin): Offers a brilliant chiddush: nashal is not yerushah. It describes a gradual process where, through the sheer density and presence of Israelite settlement, the indigenous nations are effectively "pushed off" or detached from their positions of power, much like fruit ripening and falling from a tree. It is a displacement by presence, not just by sword.

Friction: The "At Once" Problem

• Kushya: If the mandate is "thou shalt surely destroy them" (hacharem taccharim), how can n-sh-l (a gradual, natural-seeming detachment) satisfy the mitzvah?
• Terutz: Verse 22 provides the key: "little by little" (me'at me'at). The divine promise isn't immediate erasure, but a controlled, existential displacement that prevents ecological or social collapse ("lest the wild beasts multiply").

Psak/Practice

The Ha’amek Davar suggests a paradigm for Eretz Yisrael governance: legitimate possession is established by yishuv (settlement/habitation) rather than mere conquest. The "detachment" of the other is a consequence of the "attachment" of the Jew to the land.

Takeaway

True sovereignty is not just about the removal of the enemy; it is about the depth of one's own roots. Displacement is a symptom of presence, not the primary goal of the state.