daf bit: Horiyot 6

[cellio]

(This is a short tractate; we'll only be here for two weeks.)

As a tangent in the midst of a discussion of offerings brought by the whole community, the g'mara discusses the number of tribes in Israel. Everybody knows there are twelve tribes -- but what are they? Yaakov had twelve sons, but we don't count Levi. Why not? (Aside from: because the torah lists the tribes and Levi isn't included -- the rabbis are looking for a reason behind this.) R. Aha bar Yaakov says: because Levi is not called a "congregation" (while the others are). But if so there should be eleven tribes, not twelve. But, Abaye says, the tribe of Yosef was divided for his two sons, as it is written "Efrayim and Manashe, even as Reuven and Shimon, shall be mine". We know that this is for tribal status and not just for inheritance because of reasons too complicated to summarize here. So we're back up to twelve. (6b)

(I have often wondered why Levi isn't included, and now I know one reason.)

Comments

[jonbaker.livejournal.com]

There are twelve tribes, if you look at them sideways. 12 tribes got portions in the land (two Yosef, no Levi). 12 tribes were sons of Yaakov (one Yosef, one Levi). Just as Yaakov is called collectively Yisrael, so too the brothers are often called "shevatim" even when talking about them as persons, rather than tribes.

[cellio]

Thanks -- I wasn't considering a variable list but that makes sense.