Commentaire sur La Genèse 46:8

הבאים מצרימה WHO CAME INTO EGYPT — Relative to that time when they were going to Egypt Scripture calls them “those who were coming” to Egypt (the participle) and one, therefore, need not be surprised that it does not state אשר באו “who came” (the perfect tense).

These are the names … Yaakov and his sons. Although all seventy were righteous, only Yaakov and his sons were truly worthy of being mentioned by name.

ואלה שמות בני ישראל, "And these are the names of Israel's children, etc." The numbers listed here deserve to be analysed; we need to understand why the verse had to repeat again "Jacob and his sons;" besides, what does that statement have to do with "Jacob's firstborn Reuben?" Why does the Torah mention in verse 15 that Leah's descendants numbered 33 when the list of names shows only 32?

ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה יעקב ובניו, “and these are the names of the children of Israel who arrived in Egypt, Yaakov and his sons.” All the three patriarchs were called “Israel,” (Bereshit Rabbah 63,3). At this point Yitzchak is called “Israel” by the Torah as we read: that the “children of Israel” were none other than “Yaakov and his sons.” This verse clearly indicates that Yitzchak too was called “Israel.” We find proof that Avraham was also called “Israel” in Exodus 12,40: “and the length of time the Israelites had stayed in Egypt was 430 years.” We know that the calculation of the 400 years of which G’d spoke in Genesis 15,13 commenced with the birth of Yitzchak. Seeing the Torah refers to “the children of Israel” at a time when the Israelites left Egypt this makes their founder Avraham also one of the “Israelites.” How else could they be described as the “children of Israel?” This is also why the Talmud (Kidushin 18) calls Esau an “heretic Israelite.”

Concerning that particular time Scripture refers to them as “those who are coming”... Rashi is answering the question: Moshe Rabbeinu wrote the Torah for us, and in his days they had already come. If so, it should say, “Who came”! Thus Rashi explains [as he does].

יעקב ובניו, Yaakov is included in the number 70 as is evident from the plain meaning of the words in front of us, i.e. כל נפש בניו ובנותיו של יעקב ולאה הכל שלושים ושלוש (verse 15). This total of 33 presupposes that Yaakov is included.

(8-10) Wie überhaupt auf das keusche, sittlich reine Familienleben die jüdische Nation gebaut ist, wie später die Köpfe immer nach Vaterhäusern und Familien gezählt werden, so werden sie im Augenblick ihres Hinabziehens auch noch einmal alle nach ihrer Abstammung genannt. — יעקב ובניו, sie waren eins, so eins, dass Jakob selbst mitgezählt wird.

ואלה שמות, “and these are the names, etc.” the Torah enumerates them once more in order to highlight the miracles of the Lord showing how seventy souls who migrated to Egypt developed into nation of at least 2,5 million souls within the space of 210 years.

Although we have already quoted the Midrash according to which Yocheved was born "between the walls," i.e. at the time Jacob and his family entered Egypt, there is no proof or even hint of this in the Torah. There is no unanimity on that subject amongst our sages seeing that we have the view that the שכינה should be considered as making up the missing number between 69 and 70. If Yocheved were indeed to be included in the count we would then have a total of 71 instead of seventy. Proof of the accuracy of the statement of our sages is found in verse 27 where the Torah mentions that the total number of persons arriving in Egypt was 70. Why would the שכינה be considered as making up the missing number 33 in verse eight, instead of applying equally to the whole family, i.e. accounting for the difference between 69 and 70? Moreover, if Yocheved made up the number 33 in verse 8, then the number mentioned in verse 27 ought to have been 67 instead of 66. This would comprise 33 of Leah, 16 of Zilpah, 11 of Rachel -excluding Joseph and his two sons who were already in Egypt,- plus 7 of Bilhah. Why does the Torah appear to contradict itself by writing: "all the persons were 66," when in fact there were 67?

Besides, why were Joseph and his sons included in the count in verse 27 when we are told about a total number of 70?

The plain meaning of these verses is undoubtedly that the Torah informs us about two sets of numbers. One count refers to Jacob plus his family, the other to Jacob's descendants by themselves. When Jacob and his children are added up together we have the number 70. When the numbers exclude Jacob we have a total of 69.

The Torah is quite accurate by explaining that in the first count Jacob is specifically included in verse 8 where the Torah emphasised יעקב ובניו, Jacob and his sons. While the Torah reports on a count which included Jacob himself, the report in verse 8 which arrives at a total of 33 persons for Jacob and the family of Leah is absolutely correct (not including Yocheved). We may even speculate that the word כל was intended to make it clear that Jacob himself is part of that number. The fact that the Torah does not use the word כל when listing the total of Zilpah's family reinforces our belief that the word כל in verse eight refers to Jacob. While it is true that the Torah does use the word כל when listing Rachel's family (verse 22), the reason is that the Torah there wanted to include Joseph's sons who are needed to make up the total listed there and who were in Egypt already. As to the word כל in verse 25 where Bilhah's family is enumerated, the Torah wanted to emphasise by use of that term that altogether they comprised only seven persons.

It is interesting to observe that the expression "birth" in one form or another appears in connection with the families of Zilpah, Rachel and Bilhah, whereas this expression does not occur in connection with Leah's family. According to our interpretation we can account for this by the fact that not all the persons listed in connection with Leah's family were born to her or to her offspring. Had the Torah mentioned ותלד לאה as it does when describing Bilhah's family, for instance, then the number 33 would have to puzzle us seeing that she was responsible for the birth of only 32 children at that stage. The number 33 therefore is arrived at only by including Jacob himself.

When the Torah gives us the number 66 in verse twenty six, this is exclusive of Jacob himself, something which is emphasised by the words: "the offspring of Jacob." When the Torah speaks about a total of 70 persons in verse 27, Jacob is included in what the Torah describes as לבית יעקב, Jacob's family.

The Torah even went to the length of changing its syntax in order to make certain we understand its meaning. In verse 25 we read about כל הנפש הבאה לבית יעקב, whereas in verse 27 we read about כל הנפש לבית יעקב הבאה; the difference is clear. In verse 25 the arrival of the family is mentioned before the name Jacob, i.e. it excludes him. In verse 27 the name Jacob appears prior to the statement that the family arrived in Egypt. This means that Jacob himself is included in the count.

We do not wish to contradict our sages who have said that Yocheved was born between the walls separating Egypt from Canaan. Perhaps the Torah alludes to her birth with the words כל נפש…ובנותיו. Inasmuch as apart from Dinah we do not know of any other daughters in Leah's family, the Torah's use of the plural "his daughters" cannot be justified unless there was at least one additional daughter who arrived in Egypt. This would be Yocheved. The Torah did not include Yocheved in the names of the people who journeyed to Egypt with Jacob since we have already explained that Jacob himself was the one who made up the number 33. There could be an additional reason why Yocheved was not included in the count. Seeing that she was only born when the family arrived in Egypt she would not be a viable human being until thirty days had elapsed. Up until that time she was still in the category of a נפל, an aborted embryo. Do not be bothered by the fact that our explanation appears to contradict that of our sages. We have explained to you repeatedly that whenever the exegesis of our sages does not imply halachic consequences scholars of established reputations are allowed to disagree. Concerning such instances we read in Song of Songs 5,16: חכו ממתקים וכלו מחמדים, "the words of his palate are sweet and He is all delight."