Shabbat Parashat Vayigash 5786

Parashat Hashavua: Neither Menashe Nor Yerachme’el

Menashe, Yosef’s firstborn, is mentioned before his younger brother, Ephrayim, in the first half of our parasha (Bereishit 46:20; 48:1). In the second half, Ephrayim consistently precedes Menashe (48:13, 20). When Ya’akov blessed Yosef’s sons, he placed his right hand on Ephrayim's head, even as Menashe stood by his grandfather’s right side. Ephrayim received his inheritance in the primary section of Eretz Yisrael, whereas half of Menashe’s tribe was pushed eastward of the Jordan. What underlies this process?

Another intriguing pattern occurs with Yehuda’s sons. Peretz, Yehuda’s firstborn from Tamar, appears in our parasha among those who descended to Egypt, along with his firstborn, Hetzron (46:12). Peretz is the patriarch of the royal dynasty (Mashiach is called “son of Peretz”). Yet Divrei Hayamim reveals a surprise: Hetzron had three sons—Yerachme’el, Ram, and Kluvai (I, 2:9), and David descended from Ram, the second son, not Yerachme’el (2:10-15). Thus, the phenomenon of leadership not coming from the firstborn occurred in both families.

The struggle for leadership continued into the next generation. Menashe and Ephrayim enjoyed noble status in Egypt through Yosef’s position, while Yehuda’s sons claimed leadership as descendants of the brothers’ leader who took responsibility for Benjamin. Both claimants’ statuses were influenced by their wives’ identities, as marriage often was a tool in the pursuit of status.

Divrei Hayamim reveals that Menashe had two wives. According to the Metzudot’s explanation of a cryptic pasuk (I, 7:14), Menashe married a proper Jewish woman but then took an Aramean concubine during a war of conquest. As taking a concubine is proper only for kings (Rambam, Melachim 4:4), he declared himself a king and created international diplomatic ties with Arameans. This marriage to a foreign princess for political purposes disqualified him from leadership and firstborn status. However, since he also married a proper woman, he lost his status only partially, and her descendants received inheritance in Eretz Yisrael proper. Those from his Aramean concubine were pushed east of the Jordan.

Similar events occurred in Yehuda’s family: “Yerachme’el had another wife, and her name was Atara; she was the mother of Onam” (Divrei Hayamim I 2:26). The term “another wife” hints at a serious problem, resembling the navi’s use of this phrase regarding Yiftach’s mother (Shoftim 11:2). According to the Yerushalmi (Sanhedrin 2:3), Yerachme’el married a non-Jewish woman to adorn himself with her crown. Atara was a high-ranking Egyptian princess. Yerachme’el thought this marriage would secure his status of nobility, but the result was the opposite, as with Menashe’s concubine.

These episodes teach that moral missteps disqualify one from leadership. Both cases occurred before the giving of the Torah, yet the consequences were harsh. Since the Torah was given, “marriage” with a non-Jew is strictly forbidden. Additionally, the children of a Jewish man and non-Jewish woman are not Jewish and can only enter the Jewish covenant through full conversion. Even when the mother is Jewish and the father is not, assimilation almost certainly occurs quickly.

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