VAYIGASH
5767-2006
"Two of the Seventy Souls"
Rabbi
Ephraim Buchwald
In
this week's parasha, parashat Vayigash, Joseph reveals
himself to his brothers. The old patriarch, Jacob, departs
from Beersheba to begin the long journey to Egypt, where
after 22 painful years, he will finally be reunited
with his beloved Joseph.
In
Genesis 46:8-27, the Torah lists the names of the children
of Israel who came down to Egypt together with Jacob.
Including Joseph and his two children, Ephraim and Menashe,
who were already in Egypt, the Torah counts a total
of 70 souls.
Although
the number of names listed add up to only 69, R' Abraham
Ibn Ezra (1098-c.1164, Spanish Bible commentator) suggests
that Jacob should be regarded as the 70th. Others propose
that the Divine presence constitutes the 70th, because
G-d had promised Jacob (Genesis 46:4) that He would
descend with Jacob to Egypt. The most common opinion,
cited by Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105, foremost
commentator on the Bible)is that Moses' mother, Yocheved,
was born as Jacob's family entered Egypt.
In
the list of the descendants of Jacob, the Torah names
Jacob's twelve sons and their offspring. Female offspring
are generally not mentioned, with the exceptions of
Dina, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, and Serach, the
daughter of Asher (Genesis 46:17).
Because
of the position of prominence that Serach occupies in
Jacob's genealogy, many legends have sprung up about
her. One Midrash suggests that she was not actually
Asher's daughter, but rather his stepdaughter, and that
Asher had married Serach's mother when Serach was about
three years old.
Serach
was renowned for her modesty, piety and righteousness.
Because of her sterling character and Jacob's great
love for her, the brothers designated her to be the
one to inform her grandfather Jacob that Joseph was
still alive. The Midrash says that Serach lived for
more than 650 years, and at the end of her life she
did not die, but entered the World to Come while yet
alive, an honor reserved for only the most righteous!
Some
Midrashim maintain that Serach endured the enslavement
of Egypt and witnessed the Exodus. Others claim that
Serach was even alive in the era of the prophets and
lived through King Nebuchadnezer's destruction of the
First Temple and was exiled to Babylon. According to
legend, she is buried in the Babylonian city of Asbachon,
where there is a house of worship known as the "Synagogue
of Serach, Daughter of Asher."
A
second unconventional personage whose name appears in
Jacob's genealogy is cited in Genesis 46:10 among the
descendants of Simeon. Simeon's sons are listed as Jemuel,
Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, son of the Canaanite
woman. According to the Ibn Ezra, Shaul is described
here by Scripture as the son of a Canaanite woman, as
a way of purposely underscoring the shameful fact that
only Simeon, of all Jacob's children, married a woman
of Canaanite stock.
The
Midrash however, cited by Rashi, takes issue with this
contention. Rashi posits that Shaul was the son of Dina
who was raped by Schechem the Canaanite. After the brothers
avenged the rape in Schechem, Dina refused to leave
until Simeon promised to marry her. Shaul therefore
was the son, not of a Canaanite woman, but of Dina and
a Canaanite man. Since this took place before the Torah
was given, it was permitted for Simeon to marry his
sister.
Nachmanides
suggests that Dina only resided in Simeon's household,
but that they did not live together as husband and wife.
The
Yalkut Shimoni (an ancient midrashic text) on
parashat Pinchas quotes Rabbi Yochanan who says that
Shaul, the son of the Canaanite woman had five names:
Zimrei, Ben Salu, Shaul, the son of the Canaanite, and
Shloo'me'el the son of Zurishaddai. The Midrash says
that Shaul was actually the son of Simeon and Dina,
who was known as a Canaanite because she had been violated
by a Canaanite.
The
Midrash records that Shaul, too, lived an exceedingly
long life, and that even though he was among those who
came down to Egypt, he survived for more than 210 years,
even beyond the Exodus from Egypt. During the trek in
the wilderness he was appointed Prince of the tribe
of Simeon and was given many names, including Shloo'me'el
the son of Zurishaddai. According to the Midrash, Shaul
possessed a special strength that enabled him to resist
the temptations of joining in the sin of the scouts
and the conspiracy of Korach. Unfortunately, he did
not have the fortitude to withstand the scheme of Bilaam,
the gentile prophet, and when he succumbed to the temptation
of the Moabite woman, he was killed by Pinchas, the
zealous grandson of Aaron.
The
Da'at Sofrim (an extensive compilation of scriptural
commentaries, edited by Rabbi Chaim D. Rabinowitz, b.
1911) notes that Shaul is the only descendant of Jacob
whose mother's name is emphasized by scripture. He suggests
that this underscores the strong influence that Shaul's
mother had on her son, a fact that may be interpreted
to both Shaul's credit and detriment. It could imply
that Shaul behaved like a "Canaanite," which
leads the rabbis to suggest that Shaul was indeed Zimrei,
the prince of the tribe of Simeon, who sinned with the
Moabite princess, Kozbi. Or, perhaps, Shaul actually
overcame his ignoble background and became a truly righteous
person. The fact that he was counted among the 70 souls
that came into Egypt with Jacob, is an indication of
how strong and righteous he was.
Despite
the fact that, at least according to one opinion, Shaul
the son of the Canaanite woman survived beyond the Exodus,
the bottom line is that he could never really overcome
his mother's negative influence (the Canaanite influence).
Therefore, despite the fact that he withstood the temptations
of the scouts and the conspiracy of Korach, Shaul was
unable to resist the temptations of the Moabite princess
Kozbi, and dies a sinner and a rebel.
Two
names, among 70 souls. Each one plays a significant
role in Jewish history and Jewish destiny.
May
you be blessed.
