22 Jul MATOS-MASEI: WHERE FIRSTBORN RUSH IN…

“The children of
Reuven and Gad had
abundant livestock –
very great. They saw
the land of Yaazer
and the land of
Gilad, and behold! –
the place was a place for livestock.” (32:1)
The people of Reuven, Gad, and half of
shevet Menashe made a special request to
Moshe: They wanted to live east of the
Jordan River (Eiver HaYarden), not in
Eretz Yisrael proper (Canaan at that point).
Moshe initially is upset with them, because
he assumes that they are trying to back out
of fighting to conquer the Land with the
rest of the tribes. They then explain that
they want that land only because it is good
for their livestock. They would go along
with the rest of Bnei Yisrael to conquer
Eretz Yisrael, and only once the Land is
settled will they return to their inheritance
on the other side of the Jordan.
Moshe Rabbeinu accepts their offer.
Chazal, however, find fault with these
shevatim for choosing to live on the other
side of the Jordan River. They teach that

these tribes were the first to go into exile
because they chose not to live in Eretz
Yisrael proper.
The sefer Shivtei Yisrael finds an
interesting common denominator between
the three shevatim who chose to live east
of the Jordan River: They were all
firstborn. Reuven was firstborn to both his
father and his mother, Gad was firstborn to
Bilhah, and Menashe was firstborn to
Yosef.
We know that the Torah affords firstborn
sons certain privileges that others do not
get. They inherit a double portion, and
they command the respect of their siblings
(Kesubos 103a). On a more practical level,
firstborn children tend to be leaders by
nature, and they are often infused with
loads of energy.
The problem is that that energy can
sometimes be used impetuously. Yaakov
Avinu, when blessing the shevatim,
rebukes Reuven for being pachaz kamayim
– “in a rush like water.” Reuven, by his
very nature, was like a torrent, and in his
rush to do what he considered right, he
made errors in judgment. This was not

only Reuven’s shortcoming, it is something
that tends to exist among firstborns.
In general, firstborns tend not to fare well
in the Torah: think Kayin, Yishmael, and
Eisav; Reuven who lost his bechorah, and
Menashe who was surpassed by Ephraim.
Perhaps being pachaz, impetuous,
unbridled, and unwilling to let things play
themselves out has some part in this lack
of success.
A case in point might be the reaction of
these tribes when they saw the eastern side
of Eretz Yisrael. The rest of the shevatim
were willing to wait and see the wonderful
land that awaited them on the other side of
the Jordan River. But Reuven, Gad, and
half of Menashe saw good grazing land
and said, “Let’s grab it!”
Chazal disliked this attitude.
Shivtei Yisrael suggests that the
impetuousness of these two-and-a-half
tribes cost them a yearly mitzvah. The
Mishnah teaches that one may not bring
bikkurim from Eiver HaYarden. The Mei
Shiloach teaches that the significance of
bikkurim is that a farmer spends his entire

year working his field, waiting for his fruit
to start growing. When they finally do start
to appear on the trees, the farmer might be
tempted to rush out to the field and grab
them. The Torah tells him, “No, this is not
for you. This is for the Kohen.”
Part of the message of the bikkurim, then,
is to learn to be patient.
Perhaps, suggests Shivtei Yisrael, those
on the eastern bank of the Jordan River
were not allowed to bring bikkurim
because the trait that placed them there
was the impatience that bikkurim is meant
to counteract.