07 Jul MATOT-MASEI: BRINGING AM YISRAEL TOGETHER

We read in Parashat
Matot of the request
made by the tribes of
Reuven and Gad to
permanently settle in
the region east of the
Jordan River. Beneh Yisrael had captured this
territory from the kingdoms of Sihon and Og,
and Reuven and Gad – who owned lots of
livestock – saw that this land had vast amounts
of pasture which was well-suited for their
herds. They thus approached Moshe and asked
permission to make this area their permanent
home instead of crossing into the Eretz Yisrael.
Moshe granted their request after receiving
their promise that they would participate in the
battles waged by the other tribes to conquer the
Land of Israel.
Surprisingly, the Torah tells that when Moshe
distributed this territory, he apportioned shares
not only to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, but
also to part of the tribe of Menashe. This tribe
is not mentioned at all previously in this story.
From what we can tell, the people of Menashe
did not come with Reuben and Gad to Moshe
to ask for this land. Why, then, did part of the
tribe of Menashe receive a portion in Eber
Ha’Yarden (the region to the east of the Jordan
River) together with Reuben and Gad?
One answer can be suggested based on a
mysterious comment by the Midrash, teaching
us about the background to the division of the

tribe of Menashe.
Back in the Book of Bereshit, we read of
how Yosef’s brothers sold him as a slave to
merchants who brought him to Egypt, where
he ultimately rose to the position of vizier.
When famine struck the Land of Israel, Yosef’s
brothers came to purchase grain from Yosef –
not realizing that this was his brother. Before
they made their way back to Eretz Yisrael,
Yosef ordered his advisor – whom the Midrash
identifies as his son, Menashe – to plant his
goblet in the bag of the youngest brother,
Binyamin, to frame him as a thief. Later, after
the brothers left Egypt, Yosef told Menashe
to run after them and charge them with theft.
When the goblet was discovered in Binyamin’s
bag, the brothers tore their garments, as tragedy
had now befallen the family.
The Midrash comments that since Menashe
had caused the brothers to tear their garments
into two halves, the tribe that descended from
him would similarly be “torn” into two pieces,
with part of the tribe residing in Eretz Yisrael,
and the other part residing east of the Jordan
River.
At first glance, the Midrash seems to be saying
that Menashe was punished for causing his
uncles anguish. But if we probe deeper, we will
see that to the contrary, Menashe was actually
given a great privilege to split into two halves.
A number of commentators explain that
Yosef’s intention in framing Binyamin was

to determine whether his brothers had fully
repented for their sin of selling him as a
slave – by putting them in a situation where
another younger brother would be in trouble.
Yosef framed Binyamin to see if the brothers
would do everything they could to save him
and bring him home – just the opposite of how
they treated him, driving him out of the family.
As we know, Yehuda stepped forward to offer
himself as a slave in Binyamin’s stead, showing
that the brothers had indeed fully repented and
changed. At that point, Yosef revealed himself
to his brothers, and the family was reunited.
Menashe made the brothers rend their garments
– but in so doing, he brought the family back
together. This process, unfortunately, entailed
the pain of “tearing,” but it had the effect of
mending the rupture that had plagued the
family for many years.
With this in mind, we can return to the story of
Reuben and Gad.
Moshe feared that Reuben and Gad’s settlement
across the river would cause a rupture in the
nation. The Jordan River was a natural border
that could have divided the nation into two,
resulting in Reuben and Gad’s dissociation
from the rest of the nation. Moshe therefore
devised a plan – he would have half of one of
the other tribes live together with Reuben and
Gad across the river. Having half of a tribe on
one side, and the second half on the other side,
would help ensure that the river would not

become a border separating between the two
regions, that there would be ongoing contact
and communication between the tribes in Eretz
Yisrael and the tribes in Eber Ha’Yarden.
For this crucial purpose, Moshe selected the
tribe of Menashe – the tribe whose ancestor
is credited with bringing the family together.
Menashe had bequeathed this quality to his
descendants, and so they were the best choice
to ensure that Am Yisrael remains united
despite the geographic separation between
them. Just as Menashe had united the family
by planting the goblet in Binyamin’s bag, so
would his descendants assure the unity of the
Jewish Nation by living on both sides of the
Jordan River and connecting all the tribes with
each other.