Shabbos Parashas Pinchas - 5784

Shabbos Parashas Pinchas - 5784

Rabbi Hal Miller

  Reuven the firstborn of Israel, the sons of Reuven, Chanoch, the Chanochite family,

  to Palu the Paluite family, to Chetzron the Chetzronite family, to Carmi the Carmite

  family. [Bamidbar 26:5]

In this chapter, verses 5 through 51 are a set, listing the names of those who were

coming out of Egypt. The names in the list here and the list in Bereishit 46:8-27 are

not entirely identical, which raises many questions. The Torah does not actually explain

these changes, but commentators have noted them and given us their thoughts. Rav

Hirsch is not concerned with the changes at all, explaining that "in some cases, as so

often happens with first names, the name becomes slightly changed." Others disagree.

Beginning with Shimeon, three of his six sons listed in Bereishit are different here in

Bamidbar. Yemuel is now Nemuel, Ohad is missing entirely, and Tzohar is now Zerach.

Onkelos, starting with Yemuel/Nemuel, removes the prefix hey and suffix yod (letters

spelling the Name of God) which is his explanation also for Puvah (in Yissachar)  and

Shephupham (in Binyamin). This Nemuel is not the same as the son of Eliav, son of Pallu

of the Reuvenites, who was the surviving and righteous brother of Datan and Aviram. As

to Tzohar/Zerach, Rashi explained that the words are related, meaning a shining light.

Malbim expands that both the families of Nemuel and Zerach lost members in the large

(37,000) drop in census of Shimeon, and that their names were changed to avert whatever

bad decree was on them and that the same applied to Gad with the change of Etzbon to Azni.

Ohad entirely disappeared, as did Ishvah from Asher, and five from Binyamin: Becher, Gera,

Rosh, Naaman and Ard (although the last two were replaced by sons of Bela with the same

names). Rashi brings from the Yerushalmi that Levi also lost four: the Shimeites, the

Uzzielites, all of Yitzhar other than the Korahites, and another that he does not know the name

for. Tanchuma says that these families died out completely in the plague over the matter of

Bilaam. The Yerushalmi explains that they were lost in battles against the Canaanites after

Aharon died and the Clouds of Glory departed. Rav Schwab counters with the Yerushalmi in

Sotah (1:10) that when Aharon died, many of the Israelites began retreating toward Egypt,

the tribe of Levi pursued them, and all these lost families were from the civil war that ensued.

In addition to the above, in Yissachar we find two changes, Yov to Yashuv and the use of

Punite family where the pattern would have called for Puvahite. Da'at Zekeinim brings a

Midrash that after Yissachar (properly spelled Yissaschar) named Yov he found out that it

was the name of a pagan god, so he took the sin/shin from his own name and added it in

the middle of his son's name, and from then on they were known as Yissachar and Yashuv.

Ba'al HaTurim says that the name change was because the family became known as ba'alei

yeshivah, members of the court. As to Punite, Ba'al HaTurim explains it refers to  the future

when all of Israel will turn to (panim) this family for Torah teachers.

In Gad we find one more change, Tziphion becomes Tzafun. Ba'al HaTurim says that the

addition of a yod, meaning ten, is a reference to the Ten Commandments, and means that

Moshe, who received those Tablets, lies buried, hidden (tzafun) in the portion of Gad. Also

we see the name Arodi changed to Arod, which may be the donor of that yod.

In Binyamin are three more changes added to the above. Muppim becomes Shefufam

which is an allusion to the exile of Binyamin's brother Yosef. Onkelos changes it to Shufam

to match the following word, the Shufamite family, dropping the hey and yod (as noted

above). Ibn Ezra identifies Chupim as changing to Chufam but without an explanation.

Echi is changed to Achiram here, which Rashi attributes to Binyamin's respect for Yosef,

with it meaning "my brother is exalted".

And finally, from Dan, according to Rashi and Ibn Ezra, Chushim changed to Shucham.

Neither commentator gives a reason, merely the identification.

The Torah would not have given us two lists without reason, Here we have some thoughts

on what those reasons were.