This week a deal was signed.
A deal that involved intense leader negotiation.
A deal with much at stake.
A deal that aroused powerful emotion on both sides.
A deal where one side's love for Israel was challenged.
A deal where one side needed assurance that the other side would, indeed, honor the agreement.
A deal in which the entire Jewish nation felt invested.
A deal which required painstaking negotiation, would take years to play out and could literally fall apart at any turn.
It was a deal signed over 4,000 years ago by Moses and the tribes of Gad and Menashe.
The Jews were camped in the desert, poised to finally enter the Land of Israel, but first they needed to conquer the mighty nations living there. Two of the twelve tribes approached Moses, wanting to settle trans-Jordan. "We would rather receive our inheritance on this side of Jordan, and not enter Israel, they explained.
Moses could not understand. In fact, he was livid. "Will your brothers go to war while you simply stand by? Do you not want to enter Israel? Are you afraid? Do you not love Israel?"
The tribes reassured Moses of their love for Israel and explained that, as cattle-owners, the trans-Jordan land would be better for them.
So Moses consults with Elazar the priest, the heads of all the tribes, and Yehoshua—future leader of the Jewish nation. They all negotiate and ultimately present the two tribes with an offer: Moses will give them the land they want, but when the rest of the Jews go to conquer Israel, they will fight alongside them.
The tribes counter offer: "Not only will we fight alongside our brothers and conquer Israel but we will not leave Israel to settle our land until the entire Land of Israel has also been divided up amongst our brothers. Only then will we settle down."
Moses asked for a little, they offered more. This is how real deals are done—with mutual understanding, common ideals and each other's best interests at heart.