Yehoshua - Perek 17 – “The Daughters of Tzelafchad”
Part 1: The Apportioning of Land and the Inheritance of the daughters of Tzelafchad (17:1-13)
Summary
Points to Ponder
What land did the daughters of Tzelafchad actually receive?
By way of background, let us first understand the land Menashe received as a tribe. The Tanach describes that ten portions of land were given to the children of Menashe in Israel proper and this chapter goes on to describe the cities and the boundaries of the section of Menashe. Four plots ones went to the daughters of Tzelafchad. The reason for this was that the inheritance of the land was calculated depending on the number of people who came out of Egypt. The distribution of that land occurred based on the new number of that family as they entered the land.
For example, if a family left Egypt with ten children, there would be ten assigned sections of land. If, between leaving Egypt and arrival in the land, that family were to have a large number of subsequent children, those ten sections would have to be subdivided into smaller sections between the larger inheritors.
In this case, Tzelafchad was entitled to four portions. He deserved a portion since he left Egypt himself. He was also a firstborn, so he had a double portion. His father, Cheifer, was also among those who left Egypt, had also passed away, bequeathing his plot to Tzelafchad. He had a brother who had also passed away during the desert. That meant that Tzelafchad was entitled to four full plots in his tribal section, all of which his daughters inherited.
Part 2: The Goral and the Public Admission (17:14-18)
Summary
Points to Ponder
What triggered the complaint about the volume of land?
Rashi and most commentators explain that if one does a careful calculation of the size of Menashe from the beginning of the desert expedition to the end of the desert experience, it was the tribe which grew the most dramatically. In parshas Bamidbar they had 32,000 army age men, and yet thirty-eight years later, they were at 52,000. This is an increase of almost double. Their land was carved out based on people who left Egypt, but now, when they are entering the land, there are far more people to populate that smaller area.
What did Menashe do in the end?
Yehoshua tells them to cut down the forest and conquer the Canaanites. They respond that they do not possess the military equipment to do this. The commentators debate how this was resolved.
The Malbim suggests that Yehoshua admitted that they were correct. The forest could not be cut down easily and the enemies were hard to fight, so he would come up with another solution. Yehoshua redistributed some of the cities of Yissachar, a northern tribe, and incorporated it into Menashe.
This last point of the Malbim is a quite a new idea which is not found in the actual text explicitly. Many commentators debate this. The Radak, for example, refuses to accept this. Instead, Yehoshua suggests the solution and insists that they follow it. He effectively tells them that you wanted more land, so conquer more land. They claim that they could not, and the conversation ended there. If they wanted more, the option existed. This pattern will repeat itself. The tribes want more land but are unwilling to fight the hard battles for it.
We will see that the book of Shoftim begins with this same story in which Yosef is not willing/able to take the extra step. We see that the thirty-one kings Israel conquered were not as decisive a victory as it appeared initially.
Why the forest? Is this the next round of deforestation? Is this the expansion of state real estate licenses?
The gemara in Sotah 36b explains is it was actually a spiritual prescription for the tribe of Menashe. Yehoshua told them: ‘if you are so big and numerous, it is best not to boast about that. It would be best to hide away success to others won’t comment on it, to avoid the ayin hara – the evil eye.’
This is at complete odds with how society runs today. The values of the 21st century West is to display publicly every success and every private detail of life. Yehoshua was suggesting that they hide their success in the forests to avoid this.
In response to his advice, the tribe of Menashe explained that they would not need to enter the forest to mask their numbers because theye descended from Yosef who was blessed with being above the ayin hara. His success does not need to hidden in the forest.
Read this way, this passage is less about population control and more about how one deals with success.
Summary
- Further details are given about the land inherited by Menashe is given.
- The daughters of Tzelafchad step forward and ask to receive their portion as Moshe promised them.
- They receive the land they requested.
- An area in the area of Menashe remained unconquered.
Points to Ponder
What land did the daughters of Tzelafchad actually receive?
By way of background, let us first understand the land Menashe received as a tribe. The Tanach describes that ten portions of land were given to the children of Menashe in Israel proper and this chapter goes on to describe the cities and the boundaries of the section of Menashe. Four plots ones went to the daughters of Tzelafchad. The reason for this was that the inheritance of the land was calculated depending on the number of people who came out of Egypt. The distribution of that land occurred based on the new number of that family as they entered the land.
For example, if a family left Egypt with ten children, there would be ten assigned sections of land. If, between leaving Egypt and arrival in the land, that family were to have a large number of subsequent children, those ten sections would have to be subdivided into smaller sections between the larger inheritors.
In this case, Tzelafchad was entitled to four portions. He deserved a portion since he left Egypt himself. He was also a firstborn, so he had a double portion. His father, Cheifer, was also among those who left Egypt, had also passed away, bequeathing his plot to Tzelafchad. He had a brother who had also passed away during the desert. That meant that Tzelafchad was entitled to four full plots in his tribal section, all of which his daughters inherited.
Part 2: The Goral and the Public Admission (17:14-18)
Summary
- The tribe of Menashe approach Yehoshua and complain that they did not receive enough land, as they have a large population.
- Yehoshua tells them to conquer the area next to theirs, and to take the land from the Canaanites.
- They argue that they cannot, because their enemies have iron chariots.
- Yehoshua tells them they can succeed despite not having military equipment of the same caliber.
Points to Ponder
What triggered the complaint about the volume of land?
Rashi and most commentators explain that if one does a careful calculation of the size of Menashe from the beginning of the desert expedition to the end of the desert experience, it was the tribe which grew the most dramatically. In parshas Bamidbar they had 32,000 army age men, and yet thirty-eight years later, they were at 52,000. This is an increase of almost double. Their land was carved out based on people who left Egypt, but now, when they are entering the land, there are far more people to populate that smaller area.
What did Menashe do in the end?
Yehoshua tells them to cut down the forest and conquer the Canaanites. They respond that they do not possess the military equipment to do this. The commentators debate how this was resolved.
The Malbim suggests that Yehoshua admitted that they were correct. The forest could not be cut down easily and the enemies were hard to fight, so he would come up with another solution. Yehoshua redistributed some of the cities of Yissachar, a northern tribe, and incorporated it into Menashe.
This last point of the Malbim is a quite a new idea which is not found in the actual text explicitly. Many commentators debate this. The Radak, for example, refuses to accept this. Instead, Yehoshua suggests the solution and insists that they follow it. He effectively tells them that you wanted more land, so conquer more land. They claim that they could not, and the conversation ended there. If they wanted more, the option existed. This pattern will repeat itself. The tribes want more land but are unwilling to fight the hard battles for it.
We will see that the book of Shoftim begins with this same story in which Yosef is not willing/able to take the extra step. We see that the thirty-one kings Israel conquered were not as decisive a victory as it appeared initially.
Why the forest? Is this the next round of deforestation? Is this the expansion of state real estate licenses?
The gemara in Sotah 36b explains is it was actually a spiritual prescription for the tribe of Menashe. Yehoshua told them: ‘if you are so big and numerous, it is best not to boast about that. It would be best to hide away success to others won’t comment on it, to avoid the ayin hara – the evil eye.’
This is at complete odds with how society runs today. The values of the 21st century West is to display publicly every success and every private detail of life. Yehoshua was suggesting that they hide their success in the forests to avoid this.
In response to his advice, the tribe of Menashe explained that they would not need to enter the forest to mask their numbers because theye descended from Yosef who was blessed with being above the ayin hara. His success does not need to hidden in the forest.
Read this way, this passage is less about population control and more about how one deals with success.