Parshas Matos Masei
Yissocher Frand
“The children of Reuven and Gad had abundant livestock – very great. They saw the land of Yaazer and the land of Gilad, and behold! – the place was a place for livestock.” (32:1)
The people of Reuven, Gad, and half of shevet Menashe made a special request to Moshe: They wanted to live east of the Jordan River (Eiver HaYarden), not in Eretz Yisrael proper (Canaan at that point). Moshe initially is upset with them, because he assumes that they are trying to back out of fighting to conquer the Land with the rest of the tribes. They then explain that they want that land only because it is good for their livestock. They would go along with the rest of Bnei Yisrael to conquer Eretz Yisrael, and only once the Land is settled will they return to their inheritance on the other side of the Jordan.
Moshe Rabbeinu accepts their offer. Chazal, however, find fault with these shevatim for choosing to live on the other side of the Jordan River. They teach that these tribes were the first to go into exile because they chose not to live in Eretz Yisrael proper.
The sefer Shivtei Yisrael finds an interesting common denominator between the three shevatim who chose to live east of the Jordan River: They were all firstborn. Reuven was firstborn to both his father and his mother, Gad was firstborn to Bilhah, and Menashe was firstborn to Yosef.
We know that the Torah affords firstborn sons certain privileges that others do not get. They inherit a double portion, and they command the respect of their siblings (Kesubos 103a). On a more practical level, firstborn children tend to be leaders by nature, and they are often infused with loads of energy.
The problem is that that energy can sometimes be used impetuously. Yaakov Avinu, when blessing the shevatim, rebukes Reuven for being pachaz kamayim – “in a rush like water.” Reuven, by his very nature, was like a torrent, and in his rush to do what he considered right, he made errors in judgment. This was not only Reuven’s shortcoming, it is something that tends to exist among firstborns.
In general, firstborns tend not to fare well in the Torah: think Kayin, Yishmael, and Eisav; Reuven who lost his bechorah, and Menashe who was surpassed by Ephraim. Perhaps being pachaz, impetuous, unbridled, and unwilling to let things play themselves out has some part in this lack of success.
A case in point might be the reaction of these tribes when they saw the eastern side of Eretz Yisrael. The rest of the shevatim were willing to wait and see the wonderful land that awaited them on the other side of the Jordan River. But Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe saw good grazing land and said, “Let’s grab it!” Chazal disliked this attitude.
Shivtei Yisrael suggests that the impetuousness of these two-and-a-half tribes cost them a yearly mitzvah. The Mishnah teaches that one may not bring bikkurim from Eiver HaYarden. The Mei Shiloach teaches that the significance of bikkurim is that a farmer spends his entire year working his field, waiting for his fruit to start growing. When they finally do start to appear on the trees, the farmer might be tempted to rush out to the field and grab them. The Torah tells him, “No, this is not for you. This is for the Kohen.” Part of the message of the bikkurim, then, is to learn to be patient. Perhaps, suggests Shivtei Yisrael, those on the eastern bank of the Jordan River were not allowed to bring bikkurim because the trait that placed them there was the impatience that bikkurim is meant to counteract.
