Ephraim and Menasheh Shall be Mine

A Deeper Reason Why Ya’akov Adopted Yosef’s Two Sons

If we’re not careful, the Torah can appear to us as a collection of unrelated events with no connectivity between them – this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened, and so on. Further compounding the problem is that the Torah rarely explains what is going on in the stories that it relates. Most of the stories are succinct or cryptic, and we’re left with hundreds, if not thousands, of questions. Understandably, this can be frustrating, but if we take up the challenge, we can breathe new life into Torah learning, making it a truly wonderful and exciting experience. After all, our job is to delve into the Torah and look for meaning and find connectivity.

It is written in the Haggadah: צֵא וּלְמַד מַה בִּקֵּשׁ לָבָן הָאֲרַמִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת לְיַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ: שֶׁפַּרְעֹה לֹא גָזַר אֶלָּא עַל הַזְּכָרִים וְלָבָן בִּקֵּשׁ לַעֲקֹר אֶת־הַכֹּל (Go and learn that which Lavan the Aramean sought to do to Ya’akov Avinu – Pharaoh made a decree only against the males, but Lavan sought to uproot everything). How did Lavan try to uproot everything?

One of the most peculiar and cryptic events in the Torah is Reuven’s reaction to the death of Rachel Imeinu (Bereshit 35:22): וַיְהִי בִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאָרֶץ הַהִוא וַיֵּלֶךְ רְאוּבֵן וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֶת־בִּלְהָה פִּילֶגֶשׁ אָבִיו וַיִּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵ͏ל וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי־יַעֲקֹב שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר (And it came to pass that when Yisrael settled down in that land, that Reuven went and lay with Bilhah, the [so-called] concubine of his father, and Yisrael heard, and the sons of Ya’akov were twelve). Now, lest we think that Reuven actually had relations with his mother-in-law, the Gemara states unequivocally that he did not, nor did he lay with her, rather he ‘merely’ rearranged the beds (Shabbat 55b): אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן: כׇּל הָאוֹמֵר רְאוּבֵן חָטָא אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא טוֹעֶה…מְלַמֵּד שֶׁבִּלְבֵּל מַצָּעוֹ שֶׁל אָבִיו וּמַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִילּוּ שָׁכַב עִמָּהּ (R’ Shmuel bar Nachmani said that R’ Yochanan said, ‘All who say that Reuven sinned is mistaken…[rather it] teaches that he messed up his father’s bed [mattress, bedding], and the pasuk considers it as if he had lain with her’).

There are different opinions as to what exactly took place after Rachel’s death. Rashi says that Ya’akov moved his bed from Rachel’s tent to Bilhah’s tent, whereas the Midrash says that Ya’akov took Bilhah’s bed and placed it next to his bed. Therefore, according to Rashi (Bereshit 35:22), Reuven moved Ya’akov’s bed from Bilhah’s tent to Leah’s tent, whereas according to the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah, Vayechi 98:4) Reuven put Bilhah’s bed back in her tent and replaced it with Leah’s bed.

Years later, when Ya’akov gave over his departing words to his sons, he rebuked Reuven (Bereshit 49:4): פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם אַל־תּוֹתַר כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ אָז חִלַּלְתָּ יְצוּעִי עָלָה (Impetuous like water, you have nothing left because you ascended the couches of your father, then you desecrated, he went up to my bed). These words are cryptic, and many interpretations have been given to explain what he was saying. Let’s focus on one rather glaring peculiarity. Ya’akov referred to his ‘couches’ in the plural. The Gemara says (Shabbat 55b): אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים שְׁתֵּי מַצָּעוֹת בִּלְבֵּל אַחַת שֶׁל שְׁכִינָה וְאַחַת שֶׁל אָבִיו (Others say, ‘He messed up two beds, one of the Shechinah and one of his father). The bed of the Shechinah? What does this mean? Different answers are given, but Rashi says: כך היה יעקב עושה בארבעה אהלי נשיו מעמיד מטה לשכינה ובאותו אהל שהוא רואה בו השכינה הוא בא ולן אותו הלילה (This is what Ya’akov used to do with the four tents of his wives: he set up a bed for the Shechinah, and in the tent in which he saw the Shechinah, he came and spent that night). Rashi adds on Bereshit 49:4: אז חללת אוֹתוֹ שֶׁעָלָה עַל יְצוּעִי וְהִיא שְׁכִינָה שֶׁהָיָה דַרְכָּהּ לִהְיוֹת עוֹלָה עַל יְצוּעִי (‘then you desecrated’ the One who went up on my bed, i.e. the Shechinah that used to hover over my bed). This is a very important point for it explains what was so terrible with what Reuven did. By messing up the beds, he caused the Shechinah to be displaced from the bedroom, preventing conjugal relations from taking place there in a state of absolute kedushah purely for the sake of the mitzvah.

Now why did Reuven really do what he did? In the words of the Ramban (Bereshit 35:22): וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט יִתָּכֵן שֶׁבִּלְבֵּל רְאוּבֵן יְצוּעֵי בִּלְהָה מִפַּחְדּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא תֵּלֵד לְיַעֲקֹב עוֹד כִּי הוּא הַבְּכוֹר וְחָשַׁב לָקַחַת שְׁנֵי חֲלָקִים וְיַפְסִיד יוֹתֵר מִכָּל הָאַחִים (According to the pshat, Reuven intended to mess up the beds of Bilhah because he was afraid that she might give birth to more children for Ya’akov, for he was the firstborn and planned on taking two portions, and [therefore] he would lose more than all his brothers [if there were more than 12 sons]). He adds (Bereshit 49:4): כִּי רְאוּבֵן נִתְכַּוֵּן לִפְסֹל אֶת בִּלְהָה מֵאָבִיו כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא תֵּלֵד לוֹ עוֹד בָּנִים וְיַמְעִיטוּ בְּכוֹרָתוֹ (For Reuven intended to disqualify Bilhah from his father so that she would no longer bear sons for him, and his firstborn [share] would be diminished). This is incredible. Reuven planned to make her pasul to her husband! Not just for that one night, but forever afterwards. And his plan worked. In the words of the Radak (Bereshit 35:22): והיה פורש כל ימיו מאשה (And he [Ya’akov] separated from [any] woman [i.e. he stayed celibate] for the result of his days).

Now we come to a rather amazing issue. Did Ya’akov really want to have more sons after he already had twelve? And if he did, why did he want to have more?

After Ya’akov crossed the Yarden, having returned from Lavan, he took his family to Luz, otherwise known as Beit-El. He built a mizbeach there and offered sacrifices to thank Hashem for bringing him back safely to Eretz Cana’an. Hashem appeared to him, changed his name to Yisrael and said (Bereshit 35:11): וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אֱלֹקִים אֲנִי קֵל שַׁקַי פְּרֵה וּרְבֵה גּוֹי וּקְהַל גּוֹיִם יִהְיֶה מִמֶּךָּ וּמְלָכִים מֵחֲלָצֶיךָ יֵצֵאוּ (And G-d said to him, ‘I am the Almighty G-d, be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will emerge from your loins). Now this is very strange. Ya’akov’s wives had already given birth to eleven sons at this point, and Rachel was noticeably pregnant with Binyamin (for her death took place shortly after the family left Beit-El). This means that even though one son was still incubating in his mother’s womb, Ya’akov had already brought forth from his loins all of the twelve sons. Still, Hashem told him that a nation and a community of nations would yet come from his loins. How was Ya’akov to understand this? How would you have understood it? As recorded in the Mishnah, R’ Yitzchak debated the meaning of Hashem’s promise. Initially, he thought that the ‘nation’ couldn’t possibly be Binyamin because, as we said, Ya’akov had already brought forth seed to sire Binyamin. In the end though, he reversed himself because he couldn’t adequately explain the pasuk (Bereshit Rabbah 82:4): גּוֹי זֶה בִּנְיָמִין וּקְהַל גּוֹיִם זֶה מְנַשֶּׁה וְאֶפְרַיִם (‘nation’ is Binyamin and ‘community of nations’ is Menasheh and Ephraim).

Menasheh and Ephraim!? They are Yosef’s sons, not Ya’akov’s sons. So how was Ya’akov supposed to have known that this is what Hashem meant? He wouldn’t have. Therefore, he thought that Hashem wanted him to have two more sons. Now we know why he put Bilhah’s bed next to his bed (according to the Midrash) or moved his bed into Bilhah’s tent (according to Rashi). Clearly, Reuven understood Ya’akov’s intent and acted swiftly to prevent more sons from being born.

This was Reuven’s big test, whether he was worthy of the privileges and responsibilities that accompanied being the firstborn (the kehunah, malchut and bechorah), But why did he need to be tested on this point?

Let’s return to Lavan’s plan to uproot everything. What did he actually do? He switched wives on Ya’akov without Ya’akov’s knowledge. That means that when Ya’akov was having relations with Leah he was thinking of Rachel. Based on teachings of Rebbe and Ravina in Nedarim 20b, it is brought down in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 240:2): לא ישתה אדם בכוס זה ויתן עיניו בכוס אחר ואפילו שתיהן נשיו (A man must not drink from this cup and have his eyes on [i.e. thinking about] another cup, even if both of them are his wives). But this is exactly what Ya’akov did! Of course, it wasn’t of his own design, but that’s what happened. The Rambam also brings down (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Issurei Bi’ah 21:12): וְכֵן אָסְרוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁלֹּא יְשַׁמֵּשׁ אָדָם מִטָּתוֹ וְלִבּוֹ מְחַשֵּׁב בְּאִשָּׁה אַחֶרֶת….וְאִם עָשָׂה כֵּן הַבָּנִים אֵינָן הֲגוּנִים אֶלָּא מֵהֶן עַזֵּי פָּנִים וּמֵהֶן מוֹרְדִים וּפוֹשְׁעִים (The Sages prohibited a man from having conjugal relations with his wife while thinking about another woman…and if he did this, the children will not be of proper character, rather some will be brazen and others will be rebels and criminals). In halachic parlance, Reuven was a ben temurah, ‘a substituted son’. In the words of the Ohr ha-Chaim (Bereshit 29:23): ולצד המעשה שחשב יעקב ברחל ועשה פעולתו בלאה נתפזרו בחינ’ הקדושה ותחלש גבורת הקודש (In practice, since Ya’akov thought of Rachel while he was engaged with Leah, their aspect of kedushah was diluted and the holy might was weakened).

In Lavan’s twisted mind, if he could mess up the purity of the firstborn and cause a tainted soul to come down, then he could, chas v’shalom, uproot everything – kehunah, malchut and bechorah – all three in one shot! And the astonishing thing is that Hashem did not interfere with his plan.

In spite of the fact that Reuven deliberately sinned against Hashem, Ya’akov and Bilhah, Ya’akov understood an important point – ‘Even though someone may deliberately sin against me, it is still from Hashem, and I must seek to hear the voice of Hashem.’ This is why immediately after the pasuk describes Reuven’s egregious action, it is written (Bereshit 35:22): וַיִּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵ͏ל (and Yisrael heard). What did he hear? He heard the message from Hashem: ‘Twelve sons, not fourteen.’ And that’s why the pasuk concludes: וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי־יַעֲקֹב שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר (and the sons of Ya’akov were twelve). For those who want to study the kabbalistic angle in Ya’akov’s intentions, see Zohar, Vayishlach 176a and Zohar Chai, Vayishlach 176 where all of this is spelled out in detail.

Therefore, even though Ya’akov understood that he was not supposed to have any more children, he still had no idea what Hashem meant by ‘a nation and a community of nations.’ Many years would pass before he would come to understand – 50 years to be exact.

Messengers were sent to Yosef that Ya’akov was ill and close to death. Together with his sons, Menasheh and Ephraim, he hurried to see his father (Bereshit 48:1). The first thing that Ya’akov said to Yosef was what Hashem had promised him that fateful day when Ya’akov went to Luz after having returned from Padan-Aram. Assuming that the ‘nation’ was, in fact, a reference to Binyamin, all that remained was the unfulfilled promise of the ‘community of nations.’ He said to Yosef (48:4): וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי הִנְנִי מַפְרְךָ וְהִרְבִּיתִךָ וּנְתַתִּיךָ לִקְהַל עַמִּים (And He said to me, ‘Behold I, will make you fruitful and multiply you, making you a community of peoples…’). Read carefully what he said next (48:5): וְעַתָּה שְׁנֵי־בָנֶיךָ הַנּוֹלָדִים לְךָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַד־בֹּאִי אֵלֶיךָ מִצְרַיְמָה לִי־הֵם אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה כִּרְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן יִהְיוּ־לִי (And now, your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you to Egypt, they are mine; Ephraim and Menasheh will be mine just like Reuven and Shimon). Why did he adopt Yosef’s two sons? What for? And why did he say ‘And now…’? That just seems superfluous.

The answers to both of these questions should now be evident. For both questions are really only one question. Ya’akov understood, at that very moment, that the promise Hashem had made to him at Luz, that he would have two additional sons, which ended up not coming about through a holy union with Bilhah on account of what Reuven did, were now coming about through Yosef and the one who was destined to be his holy wife – Osnat, Dinah’s illegitimate daughter through Shechem ben Chamor (Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer 38:1-2 and Targum Yonatan on Bereshit 46:20). If that doesn’t leave your head spinning, we’re not sure what will.

There is much more to this story, but we’ll have to end here. The point is that Hashem’s purpose cannot and will not be thwarted. Even when Hashem gives people the free will to do what they devise, they still can’t stop Hashem from fulfilling His will. Reuven tried to thwart Hashem’s plan, but he failed. Lavan tried to uproot everything, but he failed. In the end, nothing was uprooted. Everything remained. The kehunah went to Levi, malchut went to Yehudah, and the bechorah returned to the very son who should have received it in the first place. In the words of the Zohar ha-Kadosh (Vayishlach 176a): וְעִם כָּל דָּא אַהֲדַר עוֹבָדָא לְאַתְרֵיהּ כְּמָה דְהַהוּא רְעוּתָא קַדְמָאָה אִתְעֲבִידַת בְּרָחֵל הַהוּא רְעוּתָא אִתְהַדָּרַת בָּהּ. דְּהָא בְּכוֹרָתֵיהּ אַהֲדָרַת לְיוֹסֵף בּוּכְרָא דְרָחֵל אֲתַר דִּרְעוּתָא הֲוַת בְּרָחֵל וְכֹלָּא סָלִיק בְּאַתְרֵיהּ בְּגִין דְּכָל עוֹבָדוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כֻּלְּהוּ קְשׁוֹט וּזְכוּ (And with all this, the matter returned to its place, like Ya’akov’s original will that he had with Rachel, that will returned to her, for the bechorah returned to Yosef, the firstborn of Rachel, the place of that will with Rachel, and everything arises and returns to its [proper] place, since all of the deeds of Ha-Kadosh, baruch Hu, are true, etc.).