Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 48:6/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״ח:ו׳

אוּמוֹלַדְתְּךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹלַדְתָּ אַחֲרֵיהֶם אִם תּוֹלִיד עוֹד בָּנִים לֹא יִהְיוּ בְּמִנְיַן בָּנַי אֶלָּא בְּתוֹךְ שִׁבְטֵי אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה יִהְיוּ נִכְלָלִין, וְלֹא יְהֵא לָהֶם שֵׁם כִּשְׁאָר הַשְּׁבָטִים לְעִנְיַן הַנַּחֲלָה. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנִּתְחַלְּקָה אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִנְיַן גֻּלְגְּלוֹתָם, כְּדִכְתִיב "לָרַב תַּרְבֶּה נַחֲלָתוֹ", וְכָל אִישׁ נָטַל בְּשָׁוֶה חוּץ מִן הַבְּכוֹרוֹת, מִכָּל מָקוֹם לֹא נִקְרְאוּ שְׁבָטִים אֶלָּא אֵלּוּ, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית מ"ח:ו'). וְזֶה אֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן, שֶׁאִם כֵּן אֵין הַבְּכוֹרָה לְיוֹסֵף אֶלָּא לְעִנְיַן הַכָּבוֹד בִּלְבַד, שֶׁיִּקָּרְאוּ בָּנָיו שְׁבָטִים, וְהַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר "בְּנַחֲלָתָם", וּבַגְּמָרָא אָמְרוּ, לְנַחֲלָה הִקַּשְׁתִּים לִרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן וְלֹא לְדָבָר אַחֵר וְכוּ', כִּדְאִיתָא בְּהוֹרָיוֹת (ו), וְהִזְכִּירוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בְּכָל מָקוֹם (ב"ב קכג) שֶׁהָיָה יוֹסֵף בְּכוֹר לְנַחֲלָה וְיָרַשׁ פִּי שְׁנַיִם כְּאֶחָד כְּמִשְׁפַּט כָּל בְּכוֹר, וְלֹא הָיְתָה בְּכוֹרָתוֹ לְהִקָּרֵא שְׁבָטִים בִּלְבַד כְּדִבְרֵי הָרַב. וּמִזֶּה נִלְמֹד עוֹד שֶׁלֹּא חִלְּקוּ הָאָרֶץ לְכָל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם, שֶׁאִם כֵּן מָה הַבְּכוֹרָה הַזֹּאת בַּיְּרֻשָּׁה. וְאִם נֹאמַר שֶׁנָּתְנוּ לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִבְּנֵי יוֹסֵף פִּי שְׁנַיִם כְּאֶחָד מִכָּל אִישֵׁי שְׁאָר הַשְּׁבָטִים, לֹא הֻזְכַּר זֶה בַּכָּתוּב כְּלָל, וְלֹא מָצִינוּ בְּיַעֲקֹב שֶׁיִּתֵּן בְּכוֹרָה לְיוֹסֵף אֶלָּא שֶׁאָמַר בְּכָאן כִּרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן יִהְיוּ לִי, וּמִזֶּה אָמַר הַכָּתוּב (דהי"א ה א) "נִתְּנָה בְּכֹרָתוֹ לִבְנֵי יוֹסֵף בֶּן יִשְׂרָאֵל", אִם כֵּן הָיוּ לְגַמְרֵי כִּשְׁנֵי שְׁבָטִים וְהִיא בְּכוֹרָתוֹ, וְכָךְ הֵם דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים בְּכָל מָקוֹם (ב"ב קכג). אֲבָל הָעִנְיָן אֵינֶנּוּ כְּלָל כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הָרַב, שֶׁאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַשְּׁבָטִים נִתְחַלְּקָה, שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֲלָקִים שָׁוִים עָשׂוּ מִמֶּנָּה, וְנָטַל שֵׁבֶט שִׁמְעוֹן הַמְּמֹעָט שֶׁבָּהֶם כְּשֵׁבֶט יְהוּדָה שֶׁמְּרֻבֶּה בְּאֻכְלוּסִין, וְנָטְלוּ אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה כִּרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן בְּשָׁוֶה. וְכָךְ הֶעֱלוּ בַּגְּמָרָא פֶּרֶק יֵשׁ נוֹחֲלִין (שם). וְכָתוּב (יחזקאל מז יג) "תִּתְנַחֲלוּ בָּאָרֶץ לִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹסֵף חֲבָלִים", וְכֵן אָמַר אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית מ"ט:כ"ב) "תְּרֵין שִׁבְטִין יִפְּקוּן מִבְּנוֹהִי יְקַבְּלוּן חוּלָקָא וְאַחְסָנְתָּא", שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שָׁוִים בְּקַבָּלַת הַנַּחֲלָה. וְטַעַם "חוּלָקָא" – חֵלֶק בְּכוֹר, וְ"אַחְסָנְתָּא" – יְרֻשַּׁת הַפָּשׁוּט. וּמָה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (במדבר כו נד) "לָרַב תַּרְבֶּה נַחֲלָתוֹ וְלַמְעַט תַּמְעִיט" לְעִנְיַן בָּתֵּי אָבוֹת הַנִּזְכָּרִים בַּפָּרָשָׁה דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב, שֶׁהַשֵּׁבֶט מְחַלֵּק חֶלְקוֹ לְבָתֵּי אָבוֹת שֶׁל יוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם, וּבֵית אָב מְרֻבֶּה נוֹתְנִין לוֹ חֵלֶק גָּדוֹל וּבֵית אָב מְמֻעָט נוֹתְנִין לוֹ חֵלֶק קָטָן, וּמֵתִים יוֹרְשִׁים הַחַיִּים, כַּמְּפֹרָשׁ בְּסִפְרֵי (פנחס קלב), וְרַשִׁ"י הִזְכִּירוֹ בְּפָרָשַׁת פִּנְחָס (במדבר כו נה). וְהַכְּלָל בְּעִנְיַן יוֹסֵף שֶׁהָיָה בְּכוֹר לְנַחֲלָה, וְאִם חִלְּקוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל הָאָרֶץ לִשְׁבָטִים כַּמֻּזְכָּר בַּגְּמָרָא (ב"ב קכא), נָתְנוּ לוֹ כִּרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן בְּשָׁוֶה. וְאִם אוּלַי נֹאמַר שֶׁחִלְּקוּהוּ לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם, כַּנִּגְלֶה מִן הַכָּתוּב, נָתְנוּ לָהֶם כִּפְלַיִם בְּמִסְפָּרָם, חֵלֶק פָּשׁוּט כְּדִין שְׁאָר הָאֲנָשִׁים וְחֵלֶק שֵׁנִי בְּכוֹרָה, וְיִהְיֶה טַעַם "כִּרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן" – כִּפְלַיִם בְּמִסְפָּרָם. אֲבָל שֶׁיִּהְיֶה יוֹסֵף כִּשְׁאָר הַשְּׁבָטִים בַּנַּחֲלָה וְתִהְיֶה הַבְּכוֹרָה לְהִקָּרֵא שְׁנֵי שְׁבָטִים כְּמַאֲמַר הָרַב, זֶה דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר בְּשׁוּם פָּנִים:

1AND THE CHILDREN THAT WERE BORN TO YOU AFTER THEM. “If you beget any more children, they will not be numbered among my sons, but they will rather be included among the tribes of Ephraim and Menasheh. Nor shall they have a name amongst the tribes as far as inheritance in the Land of Israel is concerned.” Now even though the Land of Israel was divided according to the number of persons, as it is written, To the more thou shalt give the more inheritance,¹⁵ and each person received an equal share except for the first-born, who received a double share,¹⁶ nevertheless only these sons were designated as “tribes.” This is the language of Rashi.Now this is not correct, for if so,¹⁷ then Jacob’s granting of the birthright to Joseph was just nominal, its only effect being that Joseph’s sons would be called “tribes,” whereas the verse states, in their inheritance.¹⁸ This indicates that the two sons of Joseph were to be given the extra right of the firstborn in the matter of inheritance. In the Gemara,¹⁹ the Sages have said: “I have likened Ephraim and Menasheh to Reuben and Simeon with respect to the matter of inheritance, but not with respect to other matters,”²⁰ even though they did not constitute an actual majority of the entire population. In that case Ephraim and Menasheh are considered part of the tribe of Joseph. as is stated in Tractate Horayoth.¹⁹ Our Rabbis have mentioned in many places²¹ that Joseph was the first-born as far as inheritance was concerned, and that he received a double share in the Land, as is the rule of every first-born,¹⁶ but not that his being first-born consisted merely of his sons being called “tribes,” as the Rabbi [Rashi] would have it.From this we further learn that the Land was not divided among all the tribes of Israel according to their populations for if so, what was the significance of this primogeniture with respect to inheritance? If we would say it meant that each and every individual offspring of Joseph was given double that of each person of all other tribes, this is not mentioned at all in Scripture, and we do not find Jacob giving the birthright to Joseph except by what he said here, As Reuben and Simeon shall they be to me,,²² and based upon this, Scripture states, His [Reuben’s] birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel.²³ If so, then Ephraim and Menasheh were fully considered as two tribes, and it was this which constituted Joseph’s birthright, and the words of the Sages indeed corroborate this everywhere.Thus the matter is not at all as the Rabbi²⁴ stated it. Instead, the Land of Israel was divided according to tribes. They made twelve equal parts of it, with Simeon, the least populous of the tribes, taking a share equal to that of Judah, the most populous of the tribes, and thus, Ephraim and Menasheh took exactly the same amount of land as Reuben and Simeon. This is the conclusion of the Gemara in the chapter, Yesh Nochalin.²⁵ (“There are some that inherit,”) the eighth chapter of that tractate, deals with all problems of personal inheritance, as well as with the whole range of problems connected with the original division of the Land by Joshua. Scripture also states, Ye shall divide the land for inheritance according to the twelve tribes of Israel, Joseph receiving two portions.²⁶ So too does Onkelos say,²⁷ “Two tribes shall come forth from his sons. They shall receive chulka ve’achsanta (portion and inheritance),” which means that they shall be equal to the other tribes with respect to inheritance received. Now chulka (portion) refers to the extra share of the first-born, and achsanta (inheritance) refers to ordinary inheritance. In the verse stating, To the more thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance,²⁸ Scripture refers to the paternal families mentioned there in the chapter.²⁹, Verses 8-50. Scripture is stating that the tribe divides its share of the land among the paternal families that left Egypt by giving a larger portion to a more populous family and a smaller portion to a less populous family, with the dead becoming heirs of the living, as is explained in the Sifre³⁰ and is mentioned by Rashi in the Parshah of Pinchas.³¹ Thus the general principle with respect to Joseph was that he was the first-born as regards inheritance, and if, as mentioned in the Gemara,²⁵ (“There are some that inherit,”) the eighth chapter of that tractate, deals with all problems of personal inheritance, as well as with the whole range of problems connected with the original division of the Land by Joshua. the land was divided according to the number of tribes, they gave the children of Joseph portions equal to those of Reuben and Simeon.And even if we were to say that the land was divided according to the number of persons, as is apparent from the verse,³², etc. (Numbers 26:54.) then we would say that they gave them double portions commensurate with their numbers — an ordinary share as large as all the other people, and a second portion for the birthright. In that case, the meaning of Jacob’s words, As Reuben and Simeon shall they be to me,²² is that they should receive as many shares as twice their number of people. But that Joseph should be as the other tribes with respect to inheritance, with the birthright consisting of his two sons being called “tribes,” as the Rabbi³³ stated, this is impossible under any circumstance.