Sefer Bamidbar contains two censuses, one at the beginning of the Sefer (taken a year after the Exodus), and one in our Parsha (taken in the 40th year, shortly before entering the Promised Land, after the generation of the golden calf and the scouts died out). Although the totals were similar (603,550 vs. 601,730), some of the individual tribes had significant differences. The biggest difference was Shimon’s loss of over 37,000 (more than half of their original total), 22,000 of which can be attributed to the plague that Pinachas stopped (see Rashi on Bamidbar 26:13). The second biggest difference was Menashe’s gain of 20,500. With the next biggest gain being Asher’s 11,900, this seems significant—especially since Menashe had been only 3/4 the size of Asher in the first census.
In recent years, an intriguing suggestion has been made to explain Menashe’s growth, based on a notion put forth by some early commentators. This notion has also been used to explain a different issue: When Gad and Reuven asked for land on the east side of the Jordan River (in Transjordan)—a request that Moshe found extremely troubling—Menashe was given land on that side of the Jordan too, without having asked for it. Why was Menashe given land there—without joining Gad and Reuven’s request—especially if it was so problematic?
Divray Hayamim I (2:23) describes part of Menashe’s territory being taken by other nations, with the names of those whose land was taken indicating that this occurred well before the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Although Radak addresses the timeline, and the commentary attributed to Rashi is among those who say it occurred in the time of the Judges, a commentary attributed to a student of R’ Saadya Gaon says that this occurred while the Children of Israel were still in Egypt. [See the appendix to Daat Mikra’s Divray Hayamim II, pages 87-89, for more about this commentary, which is included in Bar Ilan’s HaKeter Mikraos Gedolos, under the name “פרשן עלום שם.”] According to this commentary, when Yosef was the viceroy (and Egypt still controlled Canaan and its environs), he allowed his sons to conquer land that had been promised to their grandfather (Yaakov), great grandfather (Yitzchok) and great-great grandfather (Avraham). This conquest was mentioned in Bamidbar (32:39-42)—even though it had occurred many years earlier—with Divray Hayamim relating when this land was taken from them. Therefore, when Moshe gave it to Menashe, he was really giving them back the land that had previously been theirs.
A similar concept is put forth by the commentary attributed to R’ Yehuda HaChasid (Shemos 1:7 and 1:10), quoted in the introduction to Daat Mikra’s Divray Hayamim I (pages 64-66). Although Rav Moshe Feinsein, z”l (Y”D 3:114-115) thought this manuscript was a forgery (due to theologically problematic ideas expressed within it), and therefore said it shouldn’t be published, scholars (even frum ones) are convinced it’s not a forgery. Yoel Elitzur (Places in the Parsha, Matot), after quoting both of these commentaries, quotes Abarbanel’s final words on Parshas Matos, that some say Yosef himself bought these cities during the famine, and his descendants asked Moshe if they can have them back. [It should be noted that the Torah never mentions Menashe requesting land in Transjordan, so most assume that no request was made—see Yerushalmi Bikkurim 1:8.]
Building on this (and “following in the footsteps” of ideas put forth by Rabbi Yaakov Medan and others in the Dati Leumi community), Elitzur suggests that even after these lands were conquered from Menashe, many remained there (under foreign rule) and were still there when Moshe reconquered it. The growth of the Tribe of Menashe can therefore be attributed to those who had remained in Transjordan rejoining the nation and their fellow tribesmen after these cities were reconquered. [Rabbi Medan also discusses the ramifications of the covenant at Arvos Moav, since those who remained in Transjordan weren’t part of the covenant at Sinai.]
Whether or not this is why Menashe’s numbers increased, Menashe having previously conquered these cities could explain why Moshe gave this land back to them even if they didn’t request it, and why he didn’t give them a hard time if they did (bear in mind that Menashe’s request might not have included getting the land right then and there, only that they eventually get it when all the Tribes get theirs). But I think there’s another reason why Moshe included Menashe even if they didn’t request getting land in Transjordan.
Shemos Rabbah (20:14), discussing why God led the nation the long way, gives this parable: “A king had 12 sons, but only 10 pieces of property. He said, ‘If I give them [the property] now, I will cause them to fight over it. Instead, I’ll wait until I acquire two more pieces of property, and then I’ll divide the [12 pieces of property] between them.’ Similarly, the Holy One, blessed is He, said, “f I bring them into [the Promised Land] now, there won’t be a portion for all 12 Tribes. Instead, I’ll keep them in the desert until they take over [the land on] the other side of the Jordan [River], and the sons of Reuven and the sons of Gad and half of the Tribe of Menashe will take that part, and then I’ll bring [the nation] into the [Promised] Land.’” In other words, Reuven and Gad weren’t asking to inherit land that wasn’t supposed to be theirs, forgoing land in Canaan in exchange for land in Transjordan. That land was supposed to be theirs all along; the problem with their request was that it might be understood (by the rest of the nation) as trying to avoid having to conquer Canaan. After they fully committed to crossing the Jordan and leading the conquest there, Moshe acquiesced.
Once Moshe agreed to let Reuven and Gad start settling in Transjordan right away—rather than schlepping their families (and belongings) across the river and then back again after everyone else got their land—he couldn’t make Menashe shlep their families back and forth, so he also gave them the part of their land that would eventually be theirs—including the part they had previously conquered—even if they hadn’t requested it. Even according to those who maintain that Reuven and Gad would not have received land in Transjordan had they not insisted upon it, once they were allowed to stay there, it would have been unfair if Menashe wasn’t allowed to stay there too. Nevertheless, the Midrash (and the wording and paragraphing of their request) indicates that Reuven and Gad realized this was their land, so they didn’t want to wait to start making it their home. And if they were allowed to do that, it wouldn’t be fair if Menashe wasn’t allowed to do the same.
Rabbi Dov Kramer started working for WFAN in 1987, when it was founded by Emmis Broadcasting, and remained there when it was bought by Infinity Broadcasting, when that company merged with CBS Radio, and when that was taken over by Entercom, which then became Audacy.
