The Leaders of Yehuda, Shimon, and Binyamim

Parshat Masei

by Rabbi Avi Billet

The Torah lists the names of the leaders of the tribes who will be apportioning the land to their constituents, and in doing so, the list begins this way

 במדבר פרק לד 

(יט) וְאֵ֖לֶּה שְׁמ֣וֹת הָאֲנָשִׁ֑ים למַטֵּ֣ה יְהוּדָ֔ה כָּלֵ֖ב בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּֽה: 

(כ) וּלְמַטֵּה֙ בְּנֵ֣י שִׁמְע֔וֹן שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל בֶּן־עַמִּיהֽוּד: 

(כא) לְמַטֵּ֣ה בִנְיָמִ֔ן אֱלִידָ֖ד בֶּן־כִּסְלֽוֹן: 

(כב) וּלְמַטֵּ֥ה בְנֵי־דָ֖ן נָשִׂ֑יא בֻּקִּ֖י בֶּן־יָגְלִֽי:

(כג) לִבְנֵ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף לְמַטֵּ֥ה בְנֵֽי־מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה נָשִׂ֑יא חַנִּיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־אֵפֹֽד: 

One notes that the tribes seem to be presented in no particular order, the leaders of the tribes of Yehuda, Shimon and Binyamin are not referred to as Nasi, and when it comes to the tribes of Yehuda and Binyamin, the word Bnei does not precede the name of the tribe, as it does for Shimon, Dan, Menashe, and all the other tribes that follow (which I left out of the quote above). 

 Why? 

In his Tosefes Bracha, R Baruch HaLevi notes how when the Leviim later came to Yehoshua (Yehoshua 21:1 and onward, and 21:4) to ask for their cities for settlement, the tribes of Yehuda, Shimon and Binyamin stepped up first to offer space in their territories. The Torah is indicating that the lottery there was ordained by God, and in knowing how that would turn out, these three tribes are listed here first. (see also Chizkuni) 

The sefer Sifsei Tzaddikim quotes R Nissim Gaon who suggested that the word Nasi is not included for these three tribes because Kalev was not, in fact, a Nasi. He was a well-known leader who was thus given this job of dividing the land amongst his tribesmen. The tribe of Shimon lost many merits on account of the tale with Zimri, and either they lost their Nasi or were deemed unworthy of having a Nasi. Binyamin’s leader here, Elidad, was the same Eldad as in the “Eldad and Meidad story” (prophesy of Bamidbar 11), and since a Navi (prophet) is on a higher level than a Nasi (prince of a tribe), he is not identified as a Nasi. (see Baal HaTurim) Or HaChaim also quotes R Nissim Gaon, but offers a different explanation for why it doesn’t mention Nasi for Yehuda and Binyamin – namely because of royalty later associated with these tribes: Yehuda is the kingship of the House of David, and Binyamin was the tribe of the first of the kings of Israel, Shaul HaMelech. 

Two problems I find with the former interpretation of R Nissim Gaon: 1. that the tribe of Shimon, though getting a portion of land, are embedded within the land of Yehuda (see Yehoshua 19:1, and 21:9 where those two tribes give cities to the Leviim together). 2. There is no indication anywhere that Eldad would be allowed to enter the land. I think it is safe to suggest that Eldad was older than 20 at the time of the Spies, and since he wasn’t from the tribe of Levi, and wasn’t Yehoshua or Kalev (the only 2 people identified by name as being of the previous generation, yet who’d be entering the land), it is hard to accept that Elidad here is the same person as Eldad from Bamidbar 11. (yet see the second explanation below) 

In Otzar HaChaim, the editor has two entries addressing the question of why the word בני is left out of the depiction of the leader of the tribes of Yehuda and Binyamin. In the first he speaks of something related to children, the responsibility of the Nesiim, and ultimately their proximity to Yerushalayim (I admit I don’t understand to what he is referring). The lands of the tribes of Binyamin and Yehuda are the closest to Yerushalayim, as Yerushalayim lies between them much as Washington D.C. lies between Maryland in Virginia, thus the responsibility of the leaders to the “children of the tribe” is far less on account of this proximity. 

 The second explanation is presented as from the book “Shaar bas Rabim” (who quotes Binyan Ariel and M’lo Ha”omer) and lays out the following information. 

Those who left Egypt, and were over 20 years old are referred to as Avos (the fathers) 

 Those who are to enter the land are referred to as Banim (the children) 

 Kalev was given his position at a time when those who had left Egypt were still alive. 

 Elidad (also known as Eldad) was also given his position at a time when those who had left Egypt were still alive. Eldad was likely over 60 at the time of the decree (he was counted at the same time as the new Zekenim were selected), and thus wasn’t subject to it – he, in fact, COULD enter the land. 

They were thus not leaders of the “Bnei” – meaning the second generation of their tribes, as they became leaders much earlier on, and at this time were considerably older than their constituents. 

 This is an excellent example of the Torah leaving out a word here or there, which “requires explanation.” In this particular case, we learn a few things about the individuals involved and the tribes involved through a small scratch beneath the surface triggered by the simple noticing that something is awry in the text. 

May we notice the questions, feel compelled to find answers, and aim to come up with explanations that satisfy our queries.