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Matot | The Request of the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuven and its Consequences

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In memory of my beloved parents 
Adia Bat Avraham, Alice Stone, z"l, whose yahrzeit was 2 Tammuz, 
and Yaakov ben Yitzchak, Fred Stone, z”l, 
whose yahrzeit is on 25 Tammuz.
Ellen & Stanley Stone, their children and grandchildren
Jacob & Chaya, Micah, Addie, and Ruby; Zack & Yael, Allie, Isaac, Nate; 
Ezra & Talia, Shai, Ami, Lielle; Yoni & Cayley, Azi, Kovie; 
Eliana & Marc, Adina, Emmy, Shira, Yisrael Meir; Gabi & Talia, Adriana
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Dedicated by the Wise and Etshalom families 
in memory of Rabbi Aaron M. Wise, 
whose yahrzeit is 21 Tammuz. Yehi zikhro barukh.
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Questions for discussion:
Why does Moshe oppose the request of the children of Gad and the children of Reuven to settle on the east bank of the Jordan River? 
What other problems can you see in the settling of the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan?

Why, in your opinion, does Moshe not mention these problems?

I. The Request of the Children of Gad and of Reuven, and the Discussion with Moshe

As we near the end of the book of Bamidbar, the journey toward the Land of Israel is about to conclude and the people of Israel will soon enter the land. Just before the end of the journey (as described in Parashat Matot and in the book of Devarim), the children of Gad and the children of Reuven come before Moshe and ask to settle on the east side of the Jordan, in areas already captured by Israel under Moshe’s leadership (in Bamidbar 20-21):

Now the children of Reuven and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle; and when they saw the land of Yarer, and the land of Gilad, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle, the children of Gad and the children of Reuven came and spoke to Moshe, and to Elazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying: Atarot, and Divon, and Yazer, and Nimra, and Cheshbon, and Elaleh, and Sevam, and Nevo, and Beon, the land which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and your servants have cattle. And they said: If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; bring us not over the Jordan. (Bamidbar 32:1-5)

The request is well-reasoned: They have large herds of cattle, and there are vast grazing places on the east bank of the Jordan. However, despite the practical and economic logic, a request to remain outside the Promised Land – which they have been wandering for 40 years to reach – seems inappropriate. We might therefore expect Moshe to rebuke the children of Gad and the children of Reuven for giving up on the important value of establishing their tribal territories in the Land of Israel, thereby condemning all their future descendants to live outside the Land of Israel. To our surprise, however, although Moshe does voice objections in the ensuing discussion, he does not raise this fundamental value-laden issue at all.

One might understand that Moshe does not rebuke the children of Gad and Reuven for this because the east bank of the Jordan is indeed included within the borders of the land promised to Avraham, even if it does not have the same level of sanctity as the west bank, which is called the “land of the Lord.” The conquest of the east bank of the Jordan made that land part of the Land of Israel, even if at a lower level, and therefore settlement there in itself is not problematic.[1]

At the same time, it is clear that the west bank of the Jordan is the main part of the Land of Israel, and so the bulk of the settlement of the people of Israel must be on the west bank. It is possible that Moshe does not prevent the children of Gad and of Reuven from settling on the east bank of the Jordan because they constitute only a small part of the people, while most of the people will be settling on the west bank. (As we will see later, Moshe makes sure to prevent a situation in which the entire nation would want to stay outside the borders of the land; most of the people will cross the Jordan and settle to the west.)

We see then that Moshe does not reject the request made by the children of Gad and of Reuven, nor does he even rebuke them for their very desire to stay outside the land. At the same time, he does not simply accept their request, but points to two other concerns:

  1. And Moshe said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuven: Shall your brothers go to the war, and you sit here? (v. 6)

 

Remaining on the east side of the Jordan is problematic because Israel's entry into the land will necessitate fighting; if the children of Reuven and Gad receive their inheritance on the east bank, they will not participate in the war of conquest of the land, while the other tribes will have to fight for the conquest of their territories.

b. And why will you turn away the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? (v. 7)

If the children of Gad and Reuven stay on the east bank of the Jordan, the motivation of the rest of the people to enter and fight for the land will be affected. Moshe clarifies that "we have seen that before": 

Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land. For when they went up to the valley of Eshkol, and saw the land, they turned away the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them. And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day, and He swore, saying: Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Yaakov; because they have not wholly followed Me; except Kalev the son of Yefuneh the Kenizite, and Yehoshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed the Lord. And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander to and fro in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed. And behold, you are risen up in your fathers' stead, a brood of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel. For if you turn away from after Him, He will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and so you will destroy all this people. (vv. 8-15)

Moshe spells out in detail what happened with the spies, because he fears "the sin of the spies 2." As long as most of the people enter the land, it is not terrible for a small group to remain on the east side of the Jordan (where there is at least a certain level of sanctity). Moshe, however, fears that the request of the children of Gad and of Reuven will inspire the whole nation with the desire to stay outside the primary Land of Israel – a clear problem that may rekindle the wrath of God and perhaps even lead to the destruction of the people.

The children of Gad and the children of Reuven hear Moshe’s concerns and offer a solution; they undertake to enter the land together with the other tribes and participate in the war of conquest:

And they came near to him, and said: We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones; but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our houses until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward, because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward. (vv. 16-19)

Not only will the children of Gad and Reuven take part in the war, but they offer to go at the head of the camp – "we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel." Since they will leave their families and property on the east side of the Jordan, they will be more free to fight than the rest of the people, and therefore they can go at the head of the camp, as Rabbi Yosef Bekhor Shor explains:

You might ask: Why would they go first more so than the others? It may be suggested: Because the rest of the tribes had with them their wives and children and cattle and property… Therefore, they could not run ahead to be first in battle, because they were weighed down…

But the children of Gad and the children of Reuven… could go first and search for passes… (Bekhor Shor, Bamidbar 32:14)

Both of Moshe’s concerns were solved by the promise of the children of Gad and the children of Reuven. They will be partners in the war like everyone else (and even more so), and this will also obviate the fear that the rest of the people will be drawn after them and want to remain on the east bank of the Jordan.

However, although their proposal resolved the two problems that had been raised, the discussion does not end here. Moshe tries to raise the level of precision by emphasizing an important point, which was apparently missed beforehand. To this end, he repeats their proposal, using slightly different wording:

And Moshe said to them: If you will do this thing: if you will arm yourselves to go before the Lord to the war, and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, and the land be subdued before the Lord, and you return afterward; then you shall be clear of the Lord, and of Israel, and this land shall be to you for a possession before the LordBut if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord; and know you your sin which will find you. Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth. (vv. 20-24)

It should be noted that the words "before the Lord" appear four times in the words of Moshe, and the name of God is mentioned another two times. If we go back to Moshe's earlier speech, we see that there too, the name of God is emphasized (seven times):

And why will you turn away the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land. For when they went up to the valley of Eshkol, and saw the land, they turned away the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them. And the Lord's anger was kindled on that day, and He swore, saying: Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Yaakov; because they have not wholly followed Me; except Kalev the son of Yefuneh the Kenizite, and Yehoshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed the Lord. And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander to and fro in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed. And behold, you are risen up in your fathers' stead, a brood of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel. For if you turn away from after Him, He will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and so you will destroy all this people. (vv. 7-15)

It seems that the children of Gad and the children of Reuven had missed this point in Moshe’s words. They well understood that they had to take care of their brothers and help with the conquest of the land, but they missed the spiritual aspect of the process of conquest and settlement. For them, an inheritance is a tract of land that must be tested for its utility and suitability for their physical needs; therefore, they prefer to stay on the east bank of the Jordan, which is most suitable for grazing their flocks. Even later, they understand that they must help their brothers in the conquest of their land, and so they emphasize that they will go out "before the children of Israel" and stay with them until they receive their inheritances. But the name of God is completely absent from what they say.

Moshe therefore repeats their agreement with renewed emphasis on the name of God. The land is "the land which the Lord had given them," and not simply "their place" or "our inheritance." Going out to war is "before the Lord," not "before the children of Israel." The assessment of their actions is also in the eyes of the Lord: Are they clear of the Lord, or do they sin against the Lord? Do they fulfill the word of God, or do evil in His eyes?

Moshe tries to change the focus of the children of Gad and the children of Reuven, from a material view of the process of settling the land of Israel to a spiritual view. As the Malbim explains:

They said: "We ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel," and Moshe said: "If you will arm yourselves to go before the Lord." And so too he was precise in all his words, saying "before the Lord." There are two differences here: [1] "Before the children of Israel" indicates a natural war, in which the children of Israel fight with the power of their hands and with their might, and they will go at their head with great power and a mighty hand. But "before the Lord" indicates that it is God who fights, as it is stated: "For not by their own sword did they get the land in their possession, neither did their own arm save them" (Tehillim 44:4). And they go before God, who goes at their head and causes their enemies to fall by way of a miracle. [2] "Before the Lord" indicates whether they are going with the appropriate mindset for the sake of God, and they do not put their trust in their own might, but only in God. (Malbim, Bamidbar 32:20)

Malbim mentions two points which characterize a war that is "before the Lord": 1) Divine intervention in the fighting – a miraculous rather than natural war. 2) Soldiers going out to war with trust in God and an appropriate mindset for the sake of heaven.

This value-laden consideration of the conquest of the land is important not just to the children of Reuven and of Gad, but to the nation as a whole. Settlement in the land is not a personal matter nor even a national matter. The people of Israel did not enter the land as a nomadic tribe that decided to invade a certain area and settle there on its own, in order to satisfy its survival needs. The settlers in the land are not supposed to focus on concern for their property, or on protection of their interests. Even mutual responsibility and concern for the settlement of the other tribes is not the point. The settlement of the people of Israel in the Land of Israel is obligatory as part of a Divine process, according to which the descendants of Avraham are supposed to inherit Canaan, the land of God, and keep the commandments of God in it.

Moshe introduces a conceptual revolution through the children of Gad and the children of Reuven. They did not at first understand the value of settlement in the land, but Moshe turns them into those who "arm themselves to go before the Lord" – leaders of the conquest, who will lead the people of Israel specifically from a spiritual position of "before the Lord."

It should be noted that going before the Lord also has a practical expression. While in the wilderness, the ark of the Lord went before the camp to show them the way. In the Land of Israel, however, the leaders of the army are commanded to go before the Lord, that is to say, before the ark of the Lord.[2] Within the land, war becomes natural-human and not miraculous – but God is still involved in the fighting and determines what happens. Human beings lead the war, but they must do so "before the Lord"; they must trust in God, and all they do must be for the sake of His name.[3]

This time, the children of Gad and of Reuven hear Moshe’s point and accept the more nuanced role assigned to them:

And the children of Gad and the children of Reuven spoke to Moshe, saying: Your servants will do as my lord commands. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilad; but your servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord says. (vv. 25-27)[4]

Despite their agreement, Moshe repeats what he had said to the leaders who will enter the land – Yehoshua, Elazar and the heads of the tribes – establishing legal validity:

So Moshe gave charge concerning them to Elazar the priest, and to Yehoshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel. And Moshe said to them: If the children of Gad and the children of Reuven will pass with you over the Jordan, every man that is armed to battle, before the Lord, and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilad for a possession; but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. (vv. 28-30) 

Moshe sets a condition: only if the children of Gad and the children of Reuven fulfill their part in the war will they be able to receive the land on the east bank of the Jordan.

And as the conversation concludes, the children of Gad and of Reuven repeat their agreement one more time:

And the children of Gad and the children of Reuven answered, saying: As the Lord has said to your servants, so will we do. We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan. (vv. 31-32)

Only after the children of Gad and the children of Reuven accept all the words of Moshe and understand their role in leading the war, in the proper manner before the Lord, do they receive the inheritance they sought:

And Moshe gave to them, to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuven, and to the half-tribe of Menashe the son of Yosef,[5] the kingdom of Sichon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities thereof with their borders, even the cities of the land round about. (v. 33)

II. Fulfillment of the Agreement

The story continues in the book of Yehoshua. Just before entering the land, Yehoshua addresses the children of Gad and the children of Reuven, reminding them of their commitment:

And to the Reuvenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Menashe, Yehoshua spoke, saying: Remember the word which Moshe the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying: The Lord your God gives you rest, and will give you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall abide in the land which Moshe gave you beyond the Jordan; but you shall pass over before your brothers armed, all the mighty men of valor, and shall help them; until the Lord has given your brothers rest, as to you, and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God gives them; then you shall return to the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moshe the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising. (Yehoshua 1:12-15) 

Here, Yehoshua combines the two sides of the role of the children of Gad and of Reuven: helping their brothers, and going out to war in the name of God. The tribes respond by reaffirming their commitment:

And they answered Yehoshua, saying: All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we hearkened to Moshe in all things, so will we hearken to you; only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moshe. Whoever shall rebel against your commandment, and shall not hearken to your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and of good courage. (vv. 16-18) 

The children of Gad and of Reuven remain in the land during all the years of conquest and settlement, and return to their homes only after many years. (Chapter 13 describes their inheritance, which they had received from Moshe.) They fulfill their commitment in full and play a significant role in the leadership of the people – leading the camp and supporting Yehoshua’s rise to leadership.

After the distribution of the territories to all the tribes, Yehoshua says goodbye to the two and a half tribes and expresses appreciation for their service:

Then Yehoshua called the Reuvenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Menashe, and said to them: You have kept all that Moshe the servant of the Lord commanded you, and have hearkened to my voice in all that I commanded you; you have not left your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God. And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore, now turn and get you to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moshe the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan. Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moshe the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. So Yehoshua blessed them and sent them away; and they went to their tents. (Yehoshua 22:1-6)

III. The Separation

Moshe had succeeded in solving the problems that concerned him with the request of the children of Gad and the children of Reuven. But after these problems were solved, and the children of Gad and of Reuven faithfully participated in the conquest of the land, another problem arises. As soon as the two and a half tribes return to their territories on the east side of the Jordan, there begins to develop a separation and detachment between them and the rest of the people.

Yehoshua anticipates this problem when the two and a half tribes take their leave from him; he well understands that it will be difficult to maintain a national, spiritual, and cultural connection when living in another region, separated by a geographical barrier – the Jordan River. It is for this reason that he warns the two and a half tribes against spiritual distancing: “Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moshe the servant of the Lord commanded you…” (Yehoshua 22:5). Despite this warning, however, the divide is not long in coming.

On their way to the east side of the Jordan, the two and a half tribes build a large altar, which infuriates the rest of the people – so much so that they set out to wage war against them:

And when they came to the region about the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuven and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Menashe built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to look upon… And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shilo, to go up against them to war… And they spoke with them, saying: Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord: What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel? To turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built yourselves an altar, to rebel this day against the Lord. (vv. 10-16) 

The people of Israel see this altar as the beginning of a spiritual fall, as the Ralbag explains:

It was a matter of rebellion against God. Because the intention behind serving God in only one place is to show that He is one… Israel intended to go up against them in war to rebuke them for this and to destroy the evil in their midst… That those who are left should hear and see and not do this evil again, for perhaps those who remain will learn from this, and they will all become entangled in this despicable action. You see that Yerovam ben Nevat began the rebellion and all the kings of Israel who came after him were drawn to it, and in the end, even the kings of Yehuda became immersed in it. This was the reason for Israel's exile from their land and the loss of many of them. (Ralbag, Yehoshua 22:10).

According to the Ralbag, the people are afraid that the two and a half tribes are building an altar for the service of God in a place that is separate from the Mishkan in Shilo.[6] This action could then carry away the rest of the people to service at bamot and additional altars, as would later happen in the wake of the sins of Yerovam ben Nevat. This explanation is reminiscent of Moshe's fear at the beginning of this whole journey – that the request of the children of Gad and the children of Reuven to remain on the east bank of the Jordan would cause the rest of the people to want to remain outside the Land of Israel. Having gone before the rest of the people in the war of conquest and served in positions of leadership, the two and a half tribes would have the capacity to influence the people; therefore, their actions are of great significance.

However, it is also possible to interpret the fear of this altar differently: Perhaps the people's concern is not that the two and a half tribes would have a negative influence upon them, but just the opposite, that they are beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the people spiritually, to create for themselves new and different customs – similar to the actions of Yerovam ben Nevat himself, whose separate worship (the calves in Bet-El and in Dan and a new festival) succeeded in causing a significant split between the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Yehuda, a schism that deepened over the years.

The two and a half tribes are shocked by the intention attributed to them by the people of Israel. They had no intention to create a separate site for worship,[7] nor did they intend to separate from the people of Israel. On the contrary:

God, God, the Lord, God, God, the Lord, He knows, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in treachery against the Lord, save You us not this day, that we have built us an altar to turn away from following the Lord; or if to offer on it burnt-offering or meal-offering, or if to offer sacrifices of peace-offerings on it, let the Lord Himself require it; and if we have not rather out of anxiety about a matter done this, saying: In time to come your children might speak to our children, saying: What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? for the Lord has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuven and children of Gad; you have no portion in the Lord; so might your children make our children cease from fearing the Lord. Therefore, we said: Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice; but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt-offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come: You have no portion in the Lord. (vv. 22-27)

The children of Gad and the children of Reuven explain that the purpose of the altar is the complete opposite: the altar is intended not to offer sacrifices and create a division, but to symbolize the connection between the two segments of the population and to serve as a reminder that the two and a half tribes belong to the God of Israel. However, the very fact that they feel the need for such a reminder indicates a sense of separation. The two and a half tribes fear that the geographical boundary will cause a national and spiritual separation between them and the rest of the people, and they try to prevent this.

The fact that the people were called to war for this indicates their distrust of the two and a half tribes, and the great fear of separation that exists among the rest of the people as well. These extreme acts, performed in the name of unity, further testify to a sense of separation.

In the book of Yehoshua, the story ends on a positive note – but the inhabitants of the east bank of the Jordan continue to appear in other books in the Bible, and the stories about them illustrate the disconnect between them and the rest of the people, who live on the western side. Let us briefly review a few of the stories that illustrate a striking gap between the residents of the east side of the Jordan and the rest of the people:

1. The Song of Devora (Shoftim 5)

The Song of Devora describes the battle between Sisera and Barak. During the course of that account, Devora praises the tribes who came to assist in the war, and chides those who did not bother to take part. The first to be rebuked are the two and a half tribes. Devora claims that they are busy with their flocks and feel safe because they reside on the other side of the Jordan, and therefore they did not come to help out in the war effort:

So was Barak; into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. Among the divisions of Reuven there were great resolves of heart. Why sat you among the sheepfolds, to hear the pipings for the flocks? At the divisions of Reuven there were great searchings of heart. Gilad abode beyond the Jordan… (Shoftim 5:15-17)

It is true that these are not the only tribes that did not join the fighting. Devora also mentions Dan and Asher as tribes who did not bother to help. But an event in which the tribes on the east side of the Jordan allow themselves to disengage and not join the war effort increases their detachment from the rest of the people.

2. Gidon's war against Midyan and the pursuit of Zevach and Tzalmona (Shoftim 8)

After Gidon's war against Midyan, he and his men pursue Zevach and Tzalmona, "the kings of Midyan." The chase takes place on the east side of the Jordan, and along the way, Gidon passes through Sukkot and Penuel (cities on the east bank of the Jordan) and asks the local residents for assistance with food. The inhabitants of Sukkot and Penuel refuse him with the argument: "Are the hands of Zevach and Tzalmona now in your power, that we should give bread to your army?" (v. 6). The people of Sukkot do not feel this war is theirs, and therefore they are not prepared to assist the soldiers until after they emerge victorious – a position that attests to a lack of loyalty.

This case is more serious than what happened in the war between Barak and Sisera. Not only do they not volunteer to take part in the war of the other tribes, but they are not even willing to support Israelite soldiers who are engaged in a battle taking place on the east bank of the Jordan, in an area close to them.

3. The people of Yavesh Gilad (Shoftim 21)

Following the incident of the concubine in Giva, a civil war breaks out in which the entire nation of Israel goes out to war against the tribe of Binyamin: "Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan to Beer-Sheva, with the land of Gilad, to the Lord at Mitzpa" (Shoftim 20:1). Even though this verse implies that all of Israel went to war, the people of Yavesh Gilad – on the east bank of the Jordan – held back. When the rest of the nation realizes that the people of Yavesh Gilad did not fight against the tribe of Binyamin, they kill the inhabitants, sparing only the virgin women. The fact that the people of Yavesh Gilad did not join the war, and that the Israelites killed them quite readily, indicates a terrible lack of unity between the tribes east and west of the Jordan

Later, at the beginning of the period of the monarchy, an attempt was made to restore connection with the people of Yavesh Gilad: Shaul demands that all the people go out to war against Amon to protect the people of Yavesh Gilad (I Shmuel 11); David, at the beginning of his reign, also takes care to come to terms with them and include them in his kingdom (II Shmuel 2: 5-7).[8]

4. Exile of the two and a half tribes (II Melakhim 10)

During the period of the monarchy, the tribes on the east bank of the Jordan belonged to the kingdom of Israel. Because they lay on the periphery, they were hurt more quickly by foreign invasions, and they were first to be exiled – at the hands of Chazael, the king of Aram:

In those days, the Lord began to cut Israel short; and Chazael smote them in all the borders of Israel: from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilad, the Gadites, and the Reuvenites, and the Menashites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, even Gilad and Bashan. (II Melakhim 10:32-33)

The destruction and exile of the tribes on the east bank of the Jordan, at the hands of Aram, occurred many years before the exile of Israel to Ashur and, later, the exile of Yehuda to Babylon. This can be seen as a practical result of their lying on the periphery. The Midrash, however, detects a more fundamental point here:

Rabbi Yehuda said: Controversy is difficult… for we find that the children of Gad and the children of Reuven said to Moshe: "Let this this land be given to your servants for a possession." Why did they choose it? Because they had a great multitude of cattle, and they wished to distance themselves from robbery. Since they were the first to separate themselves from Israel, they were the first to be exiled, as it is stated: "And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul the king of Ashur… and he carried them away, the Reuvenites, and the Gadites" (I Divrei ha-Yamim 5:26). Surely there is a kal va-chomer argument: If those who separated themselves from their fellows in order to distance themselves from robbery were punished in this way, those who separate themselves from their fellows because of hatred and competition, all the more so. (Midrash ha-Gadol, Bamidbar Parashat Matot 32:5)

The Midrash presents the separation of the two and a half tribes from the rest of the people as the root of their early exile. Their choice to settle on the east side of the Jordan and not to enter the main part of the Land of Israel interferes with their connection to the land as well as their connection with the rest of the tribes of Israel. At the time, Moshe tried to create a connection of commitment between them and the rest of the tribes, and to foster their understanding of the value of living in the Land of Israel as the land of God. This attempt was successful during the period of the conquest, but once they returned to their land and geographically distanced themselves from the rest of the people, they became increasingly detached from the people and the land. This detachment manifested itself time and again in the stories of the Bible, and ultimately, they were the first to lose their inheritance and go into exile – which finally cut them off entirely from the people of Israel. 

The Midrash learns from this story the importance of unity among the people of Israel. Indeed, this point is repeated throughout the generations. The divide between Yosef and his brothers led to the exile from Egypt; the separation between the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Yehuda eventually led to the exile of Israel to Ashur and the loss of most of the tribes of Israel; and so on throughout history.

For the future, we pray for unity among all the people of Israel, as we find in the prophecy of Yechezkel:

And say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, where they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. (Yechezkel 37:21-22) 

(Translated by David Strauss) 


[1] For a discussion of the status of the east bank of the Jordan, see Rav Amnon Bazak's study of Parashat Matot, "Parashat Benei Gad u-Venei Reuven," on the VBM website. 

[2] See, for example, Yehoshua 6:6-7.

[3] For further discussion, see Rav Dr. Tamir Granot's study of Parashat Matot, "Chalutzim Lifnei Hashem," on the VBM website.

[4] It should be noted that at the beginning of their remarks, the children of Gad and of Reuven said they would leave their families in fortified cities, so that the peoples of the land would not harm them while the men went to war, whereas at this stage of the discussion, they say that the women and children "shall be there in the cities of Gilad." The Malbim explains this as part of the change in their perception that occurred during the discussion with Moshe:

"For if there will be a miraculous war, they do not need fortified cities in which the women and children will dwell because of the inhabitants of the land, since God who will fight for them will surely protect them from all harm, and they will be safe from the inhabitants of the land by way of God who will guard and defend them… If they go out before the Lord to war, if they go with the appropriate intention, for the sake of God, so that the war will be subject to God's providence, that is to say, before the Lord, then the women and children will not need safeguarding. (Malbim, Bamidbar 32:20)

According to the Malbim, the children of Gad and the children of Reuven underwent a perceptual change during their discussion with Moshe; they came to understand that the war will be fought by God and He will therefore also protect their families who are left behind, on the east side of the Jordan, without men to defend them.

[5] It should be noted that only at this point, at the end of the story, does half of the tribe of Menashe join to receive their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan (v. 33 and vv. 39-42). According to the Ramban, the children of Menashe joined because there was a large area available:

"At the beginning, the tribe of Menashe did not come to Moshe [to ask for their inheritance to be on the east side of the Jordan], but when Moshe apportioned the land to the two tribes [of Gad and Reuven], he saw that the land was larger than they required, and therefore he asked for people who were prepared to take their inheritance with them. And there were people of the tribe of Menashe who wanted that land – perhaps they were [also] owners of cattle – and therefore he gave them their portion [in that land]." (Ramban, Bamidbar 32:33)

[6] From the moment the Mishkan was erected in Shilo, service at bamot was forbidden, as the Mishna states: "Until the Mishkan was erected, bamot were permitted… when the Mishkan was erected, bamot were forbidden… when they came to Shilo, bamot were forbidden. It did not have a roof, but rather a stone construction at the bottom, and curtains above them. This was the 'rest' (Devarim 12:9)." (Zevachim 14:4-8)

[7] As the Malbim explains: "It is related that they built the altar on the Canaanite side, which is the west side of the Jordan. This testifies on their behalf that it was not their intention to separate from Israel, for if so, they would have built it on the east side. Secondly, its form attests to the fact that it was built only to look upon, but not for burnt-offerings and sacrifices, for it was very tall and without steps, to the point that it was evident that it was not the desire of the builders to sacrifice upon it, but only to make it a sign, memorial, and marker" (Malbim, Yehoshua 22:10).

[8] In this context, it is interesting to note that the coronation of Ish-Boshet as king over the rest of Israel (while David ruled over Yehuda and Chevron) was done on the east side of the Jordan, in Machanayim. That is to say, the geographical divide between the east and west sides of the Jordan continued to be a focal point for separation between different segments of the people. 

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