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Hana Bat Haim
Only the Tribes of Reuven and Gad are reported to have requested a portion of land in that region. They were initially met with Moshe’s sharply negative reaction, calling them "a culture of sinful people." How then was Menashe able to arrange things so smoothly? The Netziv posits that Moshe initiated the matter in order to try to strengthen the religious level of the settlement of the East Bank and that parts of the Tribe of Yehuda were also involved.
However, if we search for scriptual hints, we may be able to suggest a different, novel thesis. The Tribes of Reuven and Gad were relegated to the other side of the Jordan not just per their request. Rather, it was appropriate for them to be away from the rest of the tribes, because they were firstborn who were pushed off from using that status. Reuven was Leah’s firstborn, and Gad was Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant’s first. What about Menashe? Menashe was also pushed out of the status of firstborn, as Yaakov delegated special prominence to his younger brother, Ephrayim. Yet Mehashe did not just have the status of Yosef’s less prominent son. Rather, Yaakov had given the two of them a special status as his honorary sons, not grandsons. In that way, Menashe is not the firstborn of Yosef, meaning that he was pushed off, but a regular son of Yaakov. Since there are two ways to look at the matter, half of Menashe received a normal portion of land in Eretz Yisrael, and half received a portion among the pushed-off firstborns.
The idea of pushing off the firstborn who was not destined to have that status was known from the time of the forefathers. The only complaint against Reuven and Gad was that they did not wait for the Land’s capture and division along with the rest of the nation before claiming their portion. Bnei Menashe did not prematurely request their portion and, therefore, Moshe gave it to them without criticism.
Furthermore, it appears that the sons of Menashe, lead by Yair and Machir, treated this section of the East Bank as belonging to them from the time that Yosef was viceroy in Egypt. This is hinted at in our parasha. The pasuk says: "Yair ben Menashe went and took ... and called the Bashan on his name, Chavot Yair, to this very day" (Devarim 3:14). What does it mean, "to this very day"? After all these events seem to have happened in the time that Sefer Devarim was written. Yet the words imply that they happened long before. We may then assume (an idea that has other indications) that the parts of Menashe took areas of the east bank of the Jordan long before. It was thus natural that Moshe should assign those areas to these families as the nation prepared to enter the Land. (See Y. Kil’s introduction to Da’at Mikra of Divrei Hayamim).
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D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
