The tribes of Gad and Reuvan asked permission to inherit the other side of the Yarden River, and Moshe granted that land to them. But it wasn't solely to Reuven and Gad that he gave this land. The Torah states (32:33) מנשה שבט ולחצי ראובן ולבני גד לבני משה להם ויתן יוסף בן, "Moshe gave to the children of Gad, the children of Reuven, and half of the tribe of Menashe ben Yosef." Half of Menashe ben Yosef also received a portion of this land, on the other side of the Yarden. Why? Menashe's tribe never asked Moshe for permission to live there!
Tzror Hamor explains that Menashe was one of Yosef's sons, and some of Yosef's descendants had to live with Reuven and Gad. Reuven and Gad couldn't live on the other side of the Yarden without the influence of Yosef's children. This is because Yosef excelled in the midas Yesod, which is the attribute of kedushah (being cautious with one's thoughts, what one sees, and the like). This is why Moshe positioned half of Menashe with Reuven and Gad on the other side of the Yarden.
Don’t Deal with Problems; Avoid them Altogether
There is a parable about a bridge that lacked a railing. Many people fell off, resulting in broken arms and legs. A solution was desperately needed. One 'wise' person suggested, "Let's build a hospital under the bridge so those hurt will receive immediate treatment."
A wiser person said there is a better solution: erect a railing on the bridge. That way, people won't fall off and will not need medical assistance.
How much better it is when the problems are avoided from the onset.
On this note, we share another parable: Residents of a small village decided that it was time to replace their elderly wagon driver. The driver had served the community for many years, but he couldn’t keep up with the townspeople's needs. They told him it was time for him to retire, and they would hire a younger wagon driver to take his place.
The older wagon driver replied, "I will test your candidate. If I find him to be wise and clever and capable for the position, I will abandon my post to him. However, if I find him incompetent, I refuse to give up my post."
The people agreed to the condition and brought the young wagon driver to the veteran wagon driver to be tested.
The elderly wagon driver asked the young man, "What will you do if your wagon gets stuck in the mud and you can't get it out?"
"I will tell everyone to get off the wagon. That will make the wagon lighter, and the horses will be able to pull out of the mud."
"Good answer, but what will you do if that doesn't work?"
"I will have people push the wagon from behind. Together, they should be able to get the wagon out of the mud."
"But what will you do if that doesn't work either?"
The young wagon driver admitted that he didn't know the answer. The elderly wagon driver said, "If you don't know, then you aren't worthy to be the town's wagon driver. I remain the town's official wagon driver."
"I accept your verdict," the young man said. "But please tell me so I will know in the future. What does a professional wagon driver do when the wagon is caught in the mud and there seems to be no way to get it out?"
The veteran driver replied, "A professional wagon driver doesn't run his horse into the mud in the first place."
The lesson is that when one finds himself in a quagmire, there are ways and solutions to fix the problem, but how much better it would be if this situation was completely avoided.
Applications of This Lesson
How and where can we use this counsel? One place is related to chinuch. Reb Michoel Ber Weissmandl, zt'l told the following parable:
People wanted to transfer merchandise over a border without needing to pay taxes, and they came up with the following idea: It was permitted to bring a coffin over the border if people wanted to be buried in the other country. So, they began to make mock funerals. They placed contraband in the coffin, walked with the coffin as if it were a levayah, and, using this method, smuggled the merchandise into the neighboring country.
This worked very well for a while, but on one occasion, the border police told them to open the coffin. The guilty people cried and pleaded with the police to free them and forgive them.
The police replied, "If you had cried before, you wouldn't need to cry now." The police explained that when they saw that no one was crying at the funeral, they suspected that something was off. The police said, "Had you cried at the funeral, you wouldn't need to cry now. But since you didn't cry before, you are forced to cry now."
Reb Michoel Ber Weissmandl explained that when it comes to chinuch habanim, it is advisable to daven with tears before problems occur. When there are tears first, this helps that tears shouldn’t need to be shed afterwards.
The lesson also applies to the care we should have to educate children, and to raise them with good chinuch. It takes time, effort, and money to be mechanech children, but it is better when these efforts are done before there are troubles, r'l.
Another example to consider is health. It is easier to maintain good health than to cure an illness. Being cautious initially is wiser than fixing problems that can arise afterwards, chalilah.
This, too, applies to tefillah. The Gemara (Shabbos 32.) says, "A person should always daven that he doesn't become ill." The Gemara explains that one doesn't need special merits to remain healthy. But once he becomes ill, he needs greater merits to become well. So, one is advised to daven beforehand so that he shouldn't become sick.
Another area to consider is machlokes, disputes, r'l. It is better to be cautious in the beginning and avoid machlokes than fix the problem afterwards. Although a machlokes can be amended – you can make up and forget the past – but often the scars of the dispute remain. How much better it is when people are cautious from the onset.
The Growth of Disputes
The Shlah HaKadosh teaches that the first letter of מחלקת is 'מ. The 'מ has a small opening on the bottom, hinting at a minor peace breach. The problem is small and can be easily fixed. However, if the problem isn't quickly resolved, the fissure and division will become more expansive. This brings us to the next letter of מחלקת, the 'ח, with a wide opening at its bottom. Afterwards comes the letters 'ל and 'ק. The lamed has a line going up, and the kuf has a line going down. This implies the fire of the dispute has become extreme, and the flames of their dissension blaze in all directions. Finally, we reach the letter 'ת, which stands securely upon its two feet, implying that the rift is firmly established and now very difficult to mend. This can all be avoided when the machlokes is worked out when still small.
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 7) discusses that machlokos begin small but then grow and widen until they grow out of control. The source is the pasuk (Mishlei 17:14), מדון ראשית מים פוטר, "Like water streaming through a breach, is the beginning of a dispute. When water pushes through an opening at the edge of a river, it begins as a small trickle. But then it widens. Disputes are similar because they begin small, but if one doesn’t stop it in its tracks, it can become unbearable."
A mashgiach of a yeshiva told me that he was speaking to a bachur about the importance of keeping away from the internet, but the bachur argued that he was careful not to go on forbidden sites. As they were speaking, they saw two people walking down the street. One was wearing a hat, the other only a yarmulka. A strong gust of wind lifted the hat off one of them and the yarmulka off the other, and they both went scrambling to pick them up. The mashgiach said, “Do you see? The one with two coverings remained with a covered head, while the other remained with nothing on his head. Because when one adds onto his kedushah, he moves further away from sin.”
Yet, another example of our conversation is teshuvah. Hashem accepts those who return to Him. It is possible to fix the past; however, חטא שלא מי אשרי, fortunate are those who never sinned!
Our topic is also related to technology. There are people who have fallen into the pitfalls of technology. They cry, they mope, and they try to change. It is much better to be cautious beforehand.
