Minidvar on Shlach Lecha

[rhu]

A few days ago, cellio asked why in today's parsha the half-tribe of Efraim is identified the same as the other tribes, but the half-tribe of Menashe is identified as a subset of the tribe of Joseph. Today I found an answer.

Bamidbar 13:11 is the pasuk in question: "L'matei Yosef, l'matei M'nashe -- Gadi ben Sussi."

Chizkuni there writes:

Even though in the other places one reads Yoseph attached to the name Efraim (see Ezek. 37:16), here it follows the general pattern of relating to the tribe of Menashe, because the two of them spread slander: Yoseph about his brothers (see Gen. 27:2) and the nasi of Menashe about the land (but the nasi of Efraim was Yehoshua bin Nun who did not spread slander). And for this reason in parshat Masa'ei and in sefer Yehoshua one reads again Yoseph attached to the tribe of Menashe, because there it discusses the division of the Land, and there was (still) slander about the land, and since the nasi of Efraim had not spread slander they received a division this like that [i.e., their allotment was like that of the other full tribes.]

Menashe, of course, stayed "across the Jordan" which, it seems to me, would also relate here.

Comments

[cellio]

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you!

[autotruezone.livejournal.com]

Yasher koach (or however it's spelled in English).

"...one reads Yoseph attached to the name Efraim (see Ezek. 37:16)" also Num. 1:32, although admittedly Menashe follows right after.

"Menashe, of course, stayed 'across the Jordan'..." Well, half of them did anyway (which shouldn't diminish your point).