The Capture of the Beaufort Fortress

Rabbi Shay Tahan

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, 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.
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 have only conquered at most seven. From this he proves 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.
A more explicit 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.
The same language is repeated at the beginning of Sefer Yehoshua, where Hashem commands Yehoshua: “Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread I have given to you… from the wilderness and Lebanon until the great river, the Euphrates” (Yehoshua 1:3–4). 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.
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.
A further indication is found in the very beginning of Sefer Yehoshua: “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.

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.
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.
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