창세기 47:2의 주석

ומקצה אחיו SOME OF HIS BRETHREN — Some of the inferior ones amongst them as to strength — of those who did not look robust. For should Pharaoh find them to be robust men he might press them for military service. The weaker brethren were as follows: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar and Benjamin, and it was they whose names Moses did not repeat when he blessed them. But the names of the strong ones he mentioned twice: (Deuteronomy 33:7) “And this is for Judah ... hear, Eternal, the voice of Judah”; (Deuteronomy 33:20) “And of Gad he said, Blessed he lie that extendeth Gad”; (Deuteronomy 33:25) “And of Naphtali he said, Naphtali ...” (Deuteronomy 33:22). “And of Dan he said Dan . . .”, and in like manner he repeated the names of Zebulun (Deuteronomy 33:18) and of Asher (Deuteronomy 33:24). This is the version of Genesis Rabbah 95:4 which is a Palestinian Agada. But in our Babylonian Talmud we find that those whose names Moses mentioned twice were the weaker of the brethren and it was these whom he (Joseph) brought before Pharaoh. But six are enumerated above as having their names mentioned twice and he brought only five before Pharaoh. The explanation is that it is true that Judah’s name is mentioned twice, but it is mentioned twice not because he was one of the weaker brethren, but there is another reason for this, as is stated in Bava Kamma 92a. In the Baraitha of Siphre on וזאת הברכה we have the same version as in our Babylonian Talmud.

ומקצה אחיו לקח, in order that Pharaoh would understand through conversing with them that their vocation was that they were shepherds, raisers of flocks and cattle.

ומקצה אחיו, after Jospeh had told Pharaoh about his family’s arrival he selected the five least impressive looking of them or the five most impressive looking ones among them. Our sages disagree about the meaning of the ambiguously worded text.

ומקצה אחיו לקח, “he took from his stronger brothers.” The word קצה is derived from קצין, officer, strong man, as for instance in Isaiah 41,9 ומקצות הארץ קראתיך, “and I called unto you from the corners of the earth.”

But there is a reason for this... Which is: the entire forty years the Israelites were in the wilderness, Yehudah’s bones rattled in his coffin, [and Moshe prayed for him]. Rashi cites this on Devarim 33:7.

ומקצה אחיו לקח חמשה אנשים, “and from his weaker brothers he singled out five men, etc;” the word מקצה is interpreted by Rashi here as the “weaker ones.” Rashi presumably took his cue from the spelling of the word חמשה here without the customary letter י after the letter מ.