Ten Tribes Vs. One Tribe/1/en
Ten Tribes Vs. One Tribe
Introduction
Who is Missing?
After Shelomo sins, he is told that Hashem will tear the kingdom away from him, leaving him but one tribe "for the sake of David and Yerushalayim." Soon after, the prophet Achiyah relays the same message to Yerovam as he begins to rebel:
(כט) וַיְהִי בָּעֵת הַהִיא וְיָרׇבְעָם יָצָא מִירוּשָׁלִָם וַיִּמְצָא אֹתוֹ אֲחִיָּה הַשִּׁילֹנִי הַנָּבִיא בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְהוּא מִתְכַּסֶּה בְּשַׂלְמָה חֲדָשָׁה וּשְׁנֵיהֶם לְבַדָּם בַּשָּׂדֶה. (ל) וַיִּתְפֹּשׂ אֲחִיָּה בַּשַּׂלְמָה הַחֲדָשָׁה אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו וַיִּקְרָעֶהָ שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר קְרָעִים. (לא) וַיֹּאמֶר לְיָרׇבְעָם קַח לְךָ עֲשָׂרָה קְרָעִים כִּי כֹה אָמַר י"י אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי קֹרֵעַ אֶת הַמַּמְלָכָה מִיַּד שְׁלֹמֹה וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ אֵת עֲשָׂרָה הַשְּׁבָטִים. (לב) וְהַשֵּׁבֶט הָאֶחָד יִהְיֶה לּוֹ לְמַעַן עַבְדִּי דָוִד וּלְמַעַן יְרוּשָׁלִַם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתִּי בָהּ מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
(29) And it came to pass at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; now Ahijahhad clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field. (30) And Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces. (31) And he said to Jeroboam: 'Take thee ten pieces; for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee— (32) but he shall have one tribe, for My servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel—
Achiyah tears his cloak into 12 pieces, symbolic of the twelve tribes. He gives Yerovam ten strips, representing the ten tribes over whom he will rule, and declares that one tribe will remain for Shelomo and the Davidic dynasty. The metaphor is an apt one, except that the numbers do not add up. Given that there are 12 tribes, if Shelomo's line gets one and Yerovam gets ten, who gets the twelfth? Which tribe is missing, and why is he not mentioned?
