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Keriyah of the Land
By Rabbi Scott Kahn

Parashat Matot concludes with the request of the tribes of Reuven and Gad to inhabit the land conquered from the kings Sichon and Og, despite its being situated on the East Bank of the Jordan River - that is, outside the expected borders of the future Israelite Kingdom. After Moshe's initial refusal, based on his assumption that the two tribes were primarily interested in avoiding the future battles that would ensue upon the People's entrance into the Land, Reuven and Gad promised to lead the other troops in battle, and would only return to their desired inheritance once the entire nation had completed its fight for its new homeland. With this caveat in place, Moshe agreed.

Surprisingly, however, Moshe gave this land not only to the tribes of Reuven and Gad, but also to part of the tribe of Menasheh. Why was this tribe, which apparently was not involved in the previous discussions with Moshe, suddenly included in the deal?

Avraham Ibn Ezra suggests that this tribe was, indeed, part of the negotiations all along; because only part of the tribe was interested, however, it was not mentioned initially along with the complete tribes of Reuven and Gad. The Ramban, in contrast, states that Menasheh's interest in this real estate only began after the deal was set. Moshe, having offered the land to the two other tribes, recognized that this space was plentiful enough for a population greater than that of Reuven and Gad alone, and asked if anyone else was interested in acquiring this particular land - to which some of the families in Menasheh gladly answered yes.

The Chizkuni, paraphrasing Bereshit Rabbah, offers a fascinating answer to the same question. He explains that this episode is an echo of an occurrence from many years earlier: when Yosef, viceroy of Egypt and not yet recognized by his eleven brothers, had his silver chalice secretly placed in Binyamin's bag. Soon after the brothers left Egypt, Yosef commanded the director of his household to chase after them, and to accuse them of stealing the special cup. When they willingly offered to open their bags for him, he discovered the missing chalice in Binyamin's sack. Upon realizing that their worst nightmares had seemingly come to pass, the brothers tore their garments.

The director of Yosef's house, who caused this unnecessary grief, was Menasheh himself, Yosef's first born son. According to the Chizkuni, because Menasheh caused the brothers to rend their garments, his own portion was torn in two, with part of his land forcibly situated on the East bank of the Jordan. Interestingly, three other instances are given in this Midrash involving individuals who, mistakenly believing that a horrible event has occurred, needlessly tore their garments; the consequence in each case, however, is that the perpetrator is eventually forced to rend his own garments out of grief. Our case is the lone exception, in which the wrongful rending precipitates a division of land, not clothing. Accordingly, it appears that the Midrash equates the division of Menasheh's portion in two with the act of keriyah, the grief-filled tearing of garments by a mourner.

More than simply acting as an outlet for grief, the act of keriyah represents the terrible recognition that what once was whole is now torn in two, that something perfect has been irretrievably shattered. By allowing his uncles to experience the abyss, by permitting them to believe that their brother would be torn away from them and from their frail and miserable father, Menasheh incurred a modicum of guilt, for which his tribe ultimately paid. Just as Yosef's brothers were torn apart in their sadness and grief, the tribe of Menasheh was ripped in two, irretrievably shattered, and permanently irreparable.

Whenever the Jewish people experience difficult times, we must constantly remember to do our own part: to feed the hungry, to house the homeless, to pray for victims, to assist - in whatever way we can - everyone who has been affected by war, terror, sickness, and pain. By coming together as a nation, by mending that which has been torn, by refusing to countenance the sight of pain on our brothers' faces, we can finally rectify the mistakes of our ancestors, and achieve the true goals of the weeks leading up to Tisha B'Av: to bring the People of Israel together in bonds of love, thereby leading us to the final redemption.