30 Jul PARASHAT MATOT-MASEI: SPLITTING THE TRIBE OF MENASHE

In Parashat Matot we
read of the request
made by the tribes
Reuven and Gad, who
approached Moshe to
ask if they could permanently reside in the
territory east of the Jordan River. Beneh
Yisrael had captured this region from the
kingdoms of Sichon and Og, and Reuven
and Gad decided that the lush pastures in this
region suited them well, as they had large herds
of cattle. They therefore asked permission to
settle in this region rather than live together
with the other tribes in Eretz Yisrael. Moshe
was initially angered by Reuven and Gad’s
request, but he later acquiesced once they
expressed their intent to join the other tribes
in the war to capture Eretz Yisrael.
Surprisingly, at the end of the story, a third
tribe suddenly enters the picture. The Torah
(32:33) tells that Moshe granted the region
east of the Jordan River to the tribes of Reuven
and Gad, and also to half the tribe of Menashe.
The question naturally arises as to why half of
Menashe received part of this territory, if the
request was made only by Reuven and Gad.
The answer, perhaps, emerges from a story told
in last week’s Parasha, Parashat Pinhas. There
we read of the five daughters of Selofchad, a
man who had died in the wilderness and left
five daughters and no sons. The five daughters
approached Moshe and asked for the right to

receive their father’s portion in the Land of
Israel. G-d then spoke to Moshe and affirmed
that this request was legitimate, and that
Selofchad’s daughters rightfully deserved the
portion that was to have been granted to their
father (27:7). Rashi notes that when the Torah
there introduces Selofchad’s daughters (27:1),
it tells us that they belonged to the tribe of
Menashe, and it emphasizes that Menashe
was a son of Yosef. Of course, we are already
quite familiar with Menashe, and there thus
seems, at first glance, to be no reason for the
Torah to have to identify him as Yosef’s son.
Rashi explains that the Torah emphasized the
relationship between Selofchad’s daughters
and Yosef to allude to us that they both
shared a genuine love and affinity for the
Land of Israel. Yosef, at the end of his life,
made his brothers swear that they would
bring his remains to Eretz Yisrael for burial,
and Selofchad’s daughters desired a portion
of the land. The Torah therefore associates
Selofchad’s daughters with Yosef to express
the fact that they loved and cherished the
Land of Israel just like their ancestor, Yosef.
This may shed light on Menashe’s portion east
of the Jordan River. Reuven and Gad’s request
was ultimately granted, but it reflected a
deficiency in their connection to Eretz Yisrael.
Their preference to settle across the river to
accommodate their herds indicated that they
did not sufficiently appreciate the special

sanctity of the Land of Israel. Moshe
therefore decided to have the people
of Menashe, the tribe of Selofchad’s
daughters, reside in the eastern territory
together with Reuven and Gad. This
was done to help infuse these two tribes
with the genuine love for Eretz Yisrael
that they were lacking.
The question, however, remains,
why did Moshe instruct only half of
Menashe to reside east the river? Why
did he not simply have all of Menashe
live in this region together with Reuven
and Gad?
Our Sages explained that the division of the
tribe of Menashe was a punishment, of sorts,
for an act committed by the founder of this
tribe. Many years earlier, when Yosef was the
vizier of Egypt, his brothers came from Eretz
Yisrael to purchase grain in Egypt. Yosef
ordered his servants to place his goblet in the
luggage of the youngest brother, Binyamin,
and then, after the brothers left Egypt, Yosef
sent his son, Menashe, to run after them and
accuse them of theft. Sure enough, Menashe
searched through the brothers’ luggage and
found Yosef’s goblet in Binyamin’s bag.
Realizing that they had been framed, and
fearing that they would be severely punished,
the brothers tore their garments as a sign of
mourning (Bereshit 44:13). Chazal teach that
as Menashe caused his uncles to tear their

garments, it was decreed that his tribe would
be “torn” into two segments, each residing in
a separate territory. This is why only half of
the tribe of Menashe settled east of the Jordan
River together with Reuven and Gad.
This demonstrates the far-reaching
repercussions of each and every action
we perform. Menashe’s act, causing his
uncles great distress, yielded significant
consequences for centuries. We never know
how our seemingly small decisions, words
and actions will affect our lives and the lives
of our children, grandchildren and future
descendants. The story of Menashe thus
reminds us of the need to live with a keen sense
of responsibility, to carefully calculate and

consider every action, to ensure that the long-
term outcome will be positive and beneficial

for ourselves and for future generations.