Petition of the Two and a Half Tribes/2

Petition of the Two and a Half Tribes

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Moshe Had it Right!

The two Tribes’ original request had two components: one explicit, to receive their portion on the eastern side of the Jordan and one implied, that they would not be participating in the conquest. According to several sources, Moshe correctly inferred that R&G did not intend to join the campaign and saw this as an immediate threat to the success of the Conquest. By comparing their request to the Spies, Moshe is expressing his indignation that they would prefer to settle outside the borders that G-d had chosen for them. Therefore, his harsh response was justified.

Sources:Bemidbar 32About R. Yitzchak Arama

Dangers  in  Not Participating in the Conquest

•  Moshe's indignant exclamation,"האחיכם יבאו למלחמה ואתם תשבו פה"¹, and his comparison to the Spies, implies and warns of the damaging psychological effect upon the other tribes, seeing their brothers already settled safe and sound while they yet faced long and dangerous struggles.  Following Bamidbar Rabba², that  likens R&G to the rebellious Korach³, commentaries, such as, Rashi⁴, Zror Hamor⁵ and the Malbim⁶, note that this situation, would weaken their morale and create jealousy and divisiveness⁷.
•  Arama⁸, and the  Netziv⁹  point out that  given how  the lands of Sichon and Og had been conquered by the united effort of all the tribes, for two of the tribes to now claim for themselves the fruits of that combined effort and to leave to the others, alone, the burden of conquering  Canaan was presumptuous and immoral.

Dangers in Receiving Land Outside of Canaan

• By their preference for land outside the boundaries of Canaan, Zror Hamor¹⁰ and Arama¹¹ accuse R&G  of being guilty of ,וימאסו בארץ חמדה¹² that  will further demoralize the rest of the Tribes.The promise of The Land is a central  element of every revelation by  G-d to all our Avot and is a component of the Birkat Avraham that accompanies and guides  the Bnei Israel through their  bondage  and exodus from Egypt and wandering through the Wilderness. All the references to The Land, beginning with the promises to the Avot, speak of “the land of Canaan” which in the days of Moshe had a particular geographic referent.   While its  north-south borders were never considered definitive ,מנהר מצרים עד הנהר הגדל נהר פרת"¹³, the  natural borders of the Mediteranean Sea  and Jordan River , determined its east-west limits. It did not include the lands east of the Jordan. For those situated on the east side of the Jordan, it was always, “when you will cross the Jordan”. And so,  G-d said to Moshe while he was on the east side of the Jordan, "והיה ביום אשר תעברו את הירדן אל הארץ אשר ה' אלקיך נתן לך"¹⁴, the Land that G-d gives you as an inheritance is on the west side.¹⁵

•  Moshe fears that settlement of R&G outside of Canaan would be considered by G-d as a grievous sin, resulting in some sort of collective  punishment  just as  it was in the case of the  Spies ,or perhaps as the Netziv¹⁶ suggests, an extension of the Spies' punishment of wandering the desert.

Failed Moral Compass

• . The Tanchuma¹⁷, followed by Rashi¹⁸, Zror Hamor¹⁹, Arama²⁰ and the Netziv²¹, interpret the emphasis by the text of the abundance of cattle owned by R&G as a demonstration of their  wrongly placed greater value on their  material wealth than the spiritual importance of living in the sanctity and under the special providence of Eretz Yisrael. Bamidbar Rabba²² condemns their misplaced priorities and see that as the reason they were first to be exiled²³.

•  The Tribes'  wealth and military victories over Sichon , Og and Midian may have  had generated a sense of over confidence.  The fact that this generation were not newly liberated slaves, but rather , had attained a certain degree of independence and self-sufficiency during their stay in the wilderness, may have further strengthened their self confidence. According to Arama²⁴, this situation might have lead  to a sense of "כחי ועצם ידי" and   a lack of trust in G-d. This might explain  their  willingness to live alone in territories that were exposed to incursions  that lacked the natural defenses  of Canaan²⁵.

Moshe  Acquiesces

• In response to Moshe’s outrage, R&G now propose  to send a military force, "נחלץ חשים" to serve as a vanguard to help the tribes conquer Canaan, and not to return to their families until each of the tribes have received their portion in Canaan,  "עד אשר הביאנם...עד התנחל בני ישראל איש נחלתו". Spero²⁶ suggests, that while strict authoritarianism would require that Moshe stick to the  Divine plan and insist that the R&G settle in Canaan, Moshe  had to weigh the possibility of popular rebellion, as was the case of Korach²⁷  and the Ma’apilim²⁸ , if he refuses their request.  As a sort of “lame duck” leader at this time, it would have been much more difficult to assert his authority.  The immediate, positive gain of R&G’s willingness to send their men as a vanguard force, outweighed the possible negative .
•  In regard to the question of: Did Moshe consult with G-d before he accepted their proposal, from the words," את אשר דבר ה '²⁹ it would appear that Moshe did receive Divine sanction for the agreement , affirmed by Moshe in Arvot Moav³⁰, ה'  אלקיכם נתן לכם את הארץ הזאת לרשתה and   later by Yehoshua, " וישבו וילכו בני ראובן ובני גד שבט המנשה מאת בני ישראל משלה אשר בארץ כנען ללכת אל ארץ הגלעד אל ארץ אחזתם אשר נאחזו בה על פי ה' ביד משה".³¹

Moshe as Leader

•  According to Tanchuma, Arama, Malbim and the Netziv, Moshe’s  critical, yet calculated   response is an example of crisis management and damage control aimed to educate  and ensure for smooth implementation under  Yehoshua.  The Malbim, Netziv and Zror Hamor understand that only after Moshe's passionate and critical reaction, do the  two Tribes take council with each other,   modify their request with a generous counter proposal  and the tension is diffused . Here, Moshe demonstrated seasoned leadership and good judgment.
•  In order to further strengthen the legality of the agreement, Moshe spells out the full impact of the condition: If you will do this thing…..and if you will not do so….. This is referred to in the Talmudic literature as "תנאי בני גד ובני ראובן"³² , which is the prototype for a condition to have legal standing. According to Chanina ben Gamliel³³, the double condition is necessary to clarifiy that the Tribes' will not loose their right to a  portion in Canaan,  in the situation that they do not keep their side of the bargain .

• Moshe brings the essence of the  agreement  before Elazar HaCohen , Yehoshua and the heads of the Matot, the same  leadership that  will supervise the Conquest and  portioning of the land in Canaan. This is confirmed after the successful completion of their mission, as we read in  Yehoshua   ,אז יקרא  יהושע לראובני ולגדי ולחצי מטה מנשה.....לא עזבתם את אחיכם זה ימים רבים עד היום ..ועתה פנו ולכו לכם לאהליכם אל ארץ אחזתכם אשר נתן לכם משה עבד ה' בעבר הירדן..ויברכם...³⁴.

Sudden Appearance of Menashe

•  According to this approach, that the very request of  R&G was offensive and which triggered Moshe’s harsh response, how do we understand what seems to be Moshe’s unsolicited offer to settle clans from Menashe in Eiver Hayarden? In addition, based on the chronology of the Tribe of Menashe, Machir lived over 200 hundred  years ago ! A commentary on chronicles, attributed to a  student of Saadia Gaon , claims  that  the sons of Menashe had temporarily conquered some territories on Eiver Hayarden ,much earlier, while their father, Yosef ,was still a vizier in Egypt. Now that these lands had been “liberated” , Moshe honored the claims of these clans to the land and their right to settle there³⁵.

Textual Points

•  ומקנה היה לבני ראובן ולבני גד עצום מאוד ויראוו את ארץ יעזר, ואת ארץ גלעד והנה המקום מקוםמקום מקנה³⁶ -The introductory words of the chapter that begin with the subject (and not a verb),already set  the tone and   direct  the reader’s attention to the Tribes’ accumulated wealth .The root   קנ"ה that is mentioned  twice in the introduction and twice in  the Tribes’ first conversation³⁷  -focuses on the quality of  possession/aquisition. Moshe avoids that subject-except when he  uses a substitute word  צנאכם³⁸ . 
• עטרות ודיבן ויעזר ונמרה וחשבון-The unconventional manner that R&G present their request by listing the names of the cities without providing their general context, and the hesitant, hinting manner of verses 4,5-as if “beating around the bush, suggests that they themselves sense that their request is problematic³⁹.
• הארץ אשר הכה ה– Arama and the Malbim point out that the only mention of G-d by R&G in their initial request  was perhaps  an attempt to neutralize any accusation that they were acting immorally by taking for themselves, land conquered by a joint effort of all Bnei Yisrael. Their implicit argument is that these lands were primarily  conquered, through the help of G-d..and so, too, will Canaan be conquered with Divine intervention.
• The repetition of the word ויאמרו  while in the middle of an uninterrupted conversation, that began  in verse 2, is a textual phenomenon that might  indicate a break in the continuity of the conversation that will have an impact on the 2nd half of the conversation. Moshe’s lack of a response- his “deafening silence” (symbolized by the פרשה סתומה) is the break that will cause the Tribes to present their  request  in a straightforward way,יתן את הארץ הזאת לעבדיך לאחזה אל תעברנו את הירדן.
•  להניע-להניא-להניח - Moshe’s play on verbs further connects the two Tribes’ and   the Spies’  respective sins and punishments with  each other .
• ויראו את ארץ- refers to R&G’s  laying eyes on Eiver Hayarden, reminds us of Moshe’s instructions to the Spies וראיתם את הארץ.  People see the same scene through different lens’.  R&G saw Eiver Hayarden through the lens of self-interest, while the Spies were told by Moshe to see it in all its promising possibilities.
• אל הארץ אשר נתן להם ה and ...את האדמה אשר נשבעתי לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב-By referring to Canaan as the Promised land, three times in his  first response, Moshe is  insinuating   that the Tribes’  preference  for  Eiver Hayarden is misplaced.
• לבני ראובן ולבני גד...בני גד ובני ראובן.." According to Midrash Rabba, the tribe of Gad , because of their greater wealth and military prowess, were the initiators of the plan and therefore, are listed first throughout the chapter, except for the introductory verse-out of respect for Reuven, the biological bechor. The Netziv supports this claim from the text that describes Reuven's holdings as רב, whereas, Gad's were עצום מאד.
•  כי בא נחלתנו אלינו-According to Rashi, this sounds somewhat arrogant,  as if to say that it was a “done deal”, before the negotiation was over.
• ויגשו אליו- Arama and the Malbim understand that Moshe’s  harsh response, surprised R&G .  They now drew  closer to Moshe, and primarily to him offered their modified proposal  ,perhaps out of a sense of embarrassment ( symbolized by the  פרשה סתומה)  
•   עבדיך...אדני...עבדיך...אדני- The multiple expressions  of humility reflect  their attempt to ease  the tension.
• דרת צאן נבנה למקננו פה וערים לטפנו   -In their revised  version , R&G suggest that they will settle the Eastern Jordan, where they will build fences for their livestock and then, cities for their children , to which Midrash Rabba and Tanchuma comment, שעשו את העיקר טפל ואת הטפל עיקר. Rashi points out that  Moshe’s 2nd response will correct their faulty order of  priorities,בנו לכם ערים לטפכם וגדרת לצנאכם . In their third response, R&G will integrate this lesson, טפנו נשינו מקננו וכל בהמתנו יהיו שם בערי הגלעד. 
• לפני הי- In contrast to R&Gs’ counter proposal  which did not mention G-d, Moshe invokes  G-d’s name 7 times in his response to their counter proposal (20-23). As  Arama and Malbim point out, Moshe is using this opportunity to  educate the Tribes, that their actions be with the proper intent, לשם שמים(y act  
• והייתם נקים...ואם לא תעשון כן הנה חטאתם לה. The effect of these words is to give their agreement the status of a sacred oath taken in the presence of G-d and like all  such cases in the Torah, implies divine punishment in case of its violation . ?
• לבני גד ולבני ראובן ולחצי שבט מנשה בן יוסף-Menashe’s lineage (from his mother's side)  is mentioned here t o support their legitimate  right to their  inheritance of lands in Eiver Hayarden, which as we said,  was conquered  during the reign of Yosef. (check moshkovitz)

 
 
 
 

¹ Bamidbar 32:6

² Bamidbar Rabba 22: 1 or 6?

³ Bamidbar 16:1-35

⁴ Rashi  Bamidbar 32:7

⁵ Zror Hamor 32:14

⁶ Malbim Bamidbar 32:6-7

⁷ This tendency on the Tribe of Reuven to separate themselves from the rest of Bnei Yisrael, appears again in the Song of Devora (Shoftim 3:15-16), where she criticizes them for not participating in the national effort. 

⁸ Arama Bamidbar

⁹ Netziv Bamidbar 32:6

¹⁰ Zror Hamor Bamidbar 32:1,6

¹¹ Arama Bamidbar 32:רק שנמצאו

¹² Tehilim 106:24

¹³ Bereshit 15:18

¹⁴ Devarim 27:2

¹⁵ Elitzur, Y. and Kil, Y., in Atlas Daat Mikra, Mosad HaRav Kook,jerusalem, 1993, pp.50-55

¹⁶ Netziv Bamidbar 32:13

¹⁷ Tanchuma Bamidbar 32:7

¹⁸ Rashi Bamidbar 32:16

¹⁹ Zror Hamor Bamidbar 32:1

²⁰ Arama Bamidbar 32: והנה באמת בני גד ראאובן הם העידו ...מגופם

²¹ Bamidbar 32:7או שאין אתם חפצים

²² Bamidar Rabba 32:6

²³ Moshkowitz,Daat Mikra, verse 1, claims that in addition to their portions of spoils of war, R&G had acquired an expertise in raising livestock and offered to buy the livestock from those tribes who were less successful. 

²⁴ Arama Bamidbar 32:והנה בכל אלו הדבורים...כי בא נחלתינו אלינו

²⁵ The military prowess of the tribe of Gad is reflected in Moshe's blessing to them,  ולגד אמר ברוך מרחיב גד כלביא שכן וטרף זרוע אף קדקד (Devarim 33:20), and in Divre Hayamim I 5:18, בני ראובן וגדי וחצי שבט מנשה מן בני חיל אנשים נשאי  מגן וחרב ודרכי קשת ולמודי מלחמה....
 Their promise to commit an expeditionary force,that is, to be away from their families and engage in warfare for an unlimited period, may seem somewhat reckless.This might explain why Moshe does not include it as one   of the conditions of the agreement, rather it is R&G's private committment. 

²⁶ Spero, ; Sephorno 32:28,33

²⁷ Bamidbar 16, 17

²⁸ Bamidbar 14:40-45

²⁹ Bamidbar 32:31

³⁰ Devarim 3:18

³¹ Yehoshua 1:12-18, 22:9

³² Kiddushin 3:4, Bavli  61;On the four components of תנאי כפול see, Rambam, Mishne Tora, Sefer Nashim, Hilchot Ishut, chapter 6, halacha 1

³³ Bavli Kiddushin 61

³⁴ Yehoshua 22:1,3,4

³⁵ Moshkovitz, Daat Mikra Bamidbar,  note 32ג, page שצ" ,Student of Sadia Gaon", on Chronicles, published by Rephael Kirchheim, Frankfurt on Mein, תרלד, page 12 and Perush HaTora of Yehuda HaChasid, published רי"ש לנגה , Jerusalem, תשלה

³⁶ Bamidbar 32:1,2

³⁷ Bamidbar 32:4

³⁸ Bamidbar 32:25, ironically, after the 2 and half Tribes

³⁹ '397רוזנסון, ישראל, עיונים בפרשניים בספר במדבר,תשסד, מכללת אפרתה ע