Brothers and Sisters and Tribes
The Brothers
In today's shir, Michal Horowitz referenced the Rav and also offered additional insight into why the division of tribes included 2 1/2 outside the main part of Israel, and that the half was from Menashe in particular.
One thing about a half is that it reminds one of there being another part to connect with. In this way, the tribe was split as a reminder of the connection to the rest of the tribe in Israel proper, and by extension, the tribes of Reueven and Gad would remember they, too, are part of the larger collective of Klal Yisrael. that even the other two tribes that were outside in their entirety were still
Why Menashe specifically? As the descendants of Yosef who upheld his righteousness even in Egypt, his sons offered a reminder of adhering to our heritage even outside our own borders. This is an essential ability for the Jew in exile, the experience of the majority of Jews for most of history.They also were able to carry on the heritage of Yosef's retaining a love for and connection to the land of Israel to the extent that he requested that his bones be removed from Egypt for burial in Israel.
One other distinguishing characteristic for the sons of Yosef is that they offered the first paradigm of brothers who actually got along -- in contrast to all the clashes the played out from the first set of brothers, Kayin and Hevel, though Yosef's brothers who banned together to sell him.Accordingly, these two brothers are the ones that we invoke in the classic blessing given to boys, based on Yaakov's blessing to them (Bereishis 48:20) "Yesimcha Hashem k'Ephraim uk"Menashe."
Why not have Ephraim serve as the reminder then? One answer Michal Horowitz credited to one of her attendees, Toby Klein, was that Menashe's particular distinction was not falling into jealousy when Yaakov put his right hand over his younger brother's head and declared that he wold be the greater of the two. That's a very nice idea.
A few months back, I heard a somewhat different take on the role of Menashe with respect to entering the land of Israel. Rav Goldwicht pointed out that Yaakov only crossed his arms over to put his right on the head of Ephraim, though his right leg remained in front of Menashe. That indicated that even though Ephraim would excel in spiritual leadership (as Yeshoshua was from that tribe) Menashe would be a physical leader in entering Israel.
That would fit well with the concept of this tribe's exemplification of Yosef's attribute of leadership and of retaining a feeling of connection to the land of Israel even when outside of it. We see that also in the female descendants of the tribe, which brings us to the next section.
The Sisters
In Parshas Pinchas, we are introduced to : Machla, Noah, Chaglah, Milka, and Tirtza, the five daughters of Tzolfchad who is identified as a descendant of Menahse the son of Yosef (27:1). They petition Moshe with a claim to their father's portion in the land of Israel, arguing that if there are no sons to inherit, it should go to the daughters. Moshe had to ask G-d himself what the halacha would be and confirmed their claim. This shows Jewish law does not condone an entail of the likes described in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which leaves the five daughters there with no property because the estate must only pass on to a male heir.
The Tribe
Each of these sisters inherits a portion from the section of land that would have been their father's. While that would have rendered them each independent, these descendants of Menashe also retain a sense of obligation to their tribe. Accordingly, they concede to the stipulation made by their fellow members of Menashe and marry their cousins to be sure that their portion of the land remain in the tribe. They understood, as women who were mechavevos ha'aretz that it's not a question of loss of real estate as measured in money but a deep-seated feeling of connection to the land that made the members of the tribe concerned about the loss.
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In today's shir, Michal Horowitz referenced the Rav and also offered additional insight into why the division of tribes included 2 1/2 outside the main part of Israel, and that the half was from Menashe in particular.
One thing about a half is that it reminds one of there being another part to connect with. In this way, the tribe was split as a reminder of the connection to the rest of the tribe in Israel proper, and by extension, the tribes of Reueven and Gad would remember they, too, are part of the larger collective of Klal Yisrael. that even the other two tribes that were outside in their entirety were still
Why Menashe specifically? As the descendants of Yosef who upheld his righteousness even in Egypt, his sons offered a reminder of adhering to our heritage even outside our own borders. This is an essential ability for the Jew in exile, the experience of the majority of Jews for most of history.They also were able to carry on the heritage of Yosef's retaining a love for and connection to the land of Israel to the extent that he requested that his bones be removed from Egypt for burial in Israel.
One other distinguishing characteristic for the sons of Yosef is that they offered the first paradigm of brothers who actually got along -- in contrast to all the clashes the played out from the first set of brothers, Kayin and Hevel, though Yosef's brothers who banned together to sell him.Accordingly, these two brothers are the ones that we invoke in the classic blessing given to boys, based on Yaakov's blessing to them (Bereishis 48:20) "Yesimcha Hashem k'Ephraim uk"Menashe."
Why not have Ephraim serve as the reminder then? One answer Michal Horowitz credited to one of her attendees, Toby Klein, was that Menashe's particular distinction was not falling into jealousy when Yaakov put his right hand over his younger brother's head and declared that he wold be the greater of the two. That's a very nice idea.
A few months back, I heard a somewhat different take on the role of Menashe with respect to entering the land of Israel. Rav Goldwicht pointed out that Yaakov only crossed his arms over to put his right on the head of Ephraim, though his right leg remained in front of Menashe. That indicated that even though Ephraim would excel in spiritual leadership (as Yeshoshua was from that tribe) Menashe would be a physical leader in entering Israel.
That would fit well with the concept of this tribe's exemplification of Yosef's attribute of leadership and of retaining a feeling of connection to the land of Israel even when outside of it. We see that also in the female descendants of the tribe, which brings us to the next section.
The Sisters
In Parshas Pinchas, we are introduced to : Machla, Noah, Chaglah, Milka, and Tirtza, the five daughters of Tzolfchad who is identified as a descendant of Menahse the son of Yosef (27:1). They petition Moshe with a claim to their father's portion in the land of Israel, arguing that if there are no sons to inherit, it should go to the daughters. Moshe had to ask G-d himself what the halacha would be and confirmed their claim. This shows Jewish law does not condone an entail of the likes described in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which leaves the five daughters there with no property because the estate must only pass on to a male heir.
The Tribe
Each of these sisters inherits a portion from the section of land that would have been their father's. While that would have rendered them each independent, these descendants of Menashe also retain a sense of obligation to their tribe. Accordingly, they concede to the stipulation made by their fellow members of Menashe and marry their cousins to be sure that their portion of the land remain in the tribe. They understood, as women who were mechavevos ha'aretz that it's not a question of loss of real estate as measured in money but a deep-seated feeling of connection to the land that made the members of the tribe concerned about the loss.
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