Parshat Vayigash 5778-Where are the missing daughters? Also why ask Yaakov how old he was at the first meeting?

In Parshat Vayishlach we read of Yaakov having daughters as well as sons:

לה  וַיָּקֻמוּ כָל-בָּנָיו וְכָל-בְּנֹתָיו לְנַחֲמוֹ, וַיְמָאֵן לְהִתְנַחֵם, וַיֹּאמֶר, כִּי-אֵרֵד אֶל-בְּנִי אָבֵל שְׁאֹלָה; וַיֵּבְךְּ אֹתוֹ, אָבִיו.

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said: 'Nay, but I will go down to the grave to my son mourning.' And his father wept for him.

Here we see clearly that he had daughters apart from Dinah and yet when we see the count of 70 souls who went down to Egypt, none of the girls are included .Why?

Rabbi Isaac Bernstein zal refers us to the  Netziv (19th century Lithuania.d.1896) who raises the question and makes a majestic observation.

בנותיו ובנות בניו. פרש״י יוכבד ושרח. והפלא לומר שבני יעקב לא הולידו כולם רק זכרים ולא נקבות. אלא נראה דגם המה הולידו הרבה נקבות אלא שלא היו בכלל שבעים נפש. ולא עוד אלא דיעקב עצמו היו לו עוד בנות מנשיו כמשמעות הכתוב לעיל ל״ה ויקומו כל בניו וכל בנותיו אלא שלא נזכרו בשמם משום שלא הי׳ בהם ענין נוגע לאומה ישראלית כמו שאירע ע״י דינה ואל תתמה שהרי גם בא״א איכא תנא בב״ב דקמ״א שהי׳ לו בת. ולא נזכרה בתורה משום שלא יצא ממנה זכרון בישראל לדורות. וה״נ הי׳ ביעקב אבינו. ולא תקשה ממה שכתוב כל הנפש הבאה לבית יעקב שבעים דודאי הי׳ יותר משבעים. אלא שבעים אלו היו מכוונים נגד שבעים שרי אוה״ע כמש״כ בשירת האזינו בפסוק בהנחל עליון גוים. וגם היו משונים מטבע שארי ב״א שהרי שמעון ולוי בני י״ג הרגו עיר ומלואה אע״ג שהיו כמה אנשים שלא מלו עצמם כמש״כ לעיל שם ל״ד כ״ד. וער ואונן נשאו אשה להוליד וכן פרץ הוליד בני ז׳ וח׳ ודינה בת שש כבר היתה ראויה לאיש לרדוף אחריה וכן היו כל שבעים נפש. משא״כ שארי בנים שהולידו לא היו אלא כשארי ב״א. ע׳ מש״כ להלן מ׳ כ״ג בבני מנשה:

He observes that the number of women included in the 70 souls amount to 2 names only. By the laws of averages there has to have been more girls born in a crowd of 70 children than just 2. He also refers to ch.37 above where the daughters of Yaakov are mentioned specifically and this is more than just a reference to Dinah alone. His conclusion is very interesting. He states categorically that there were more daughters and granddaughters in the number of souls that went down to Egypt, which exceeded the number 70. However those souls who are mentioned are the ones we need to know about, as their future is bound up critically with the future of the Jewish people. Those not mentioned are not important in this direction and are therefore not named in the list. He also points out that we have a tradition that there are 70 ‘angels’ of the non Jewish nations and these 70 souls were to act as a counterforce to the negative influence of the 70 ‘angels’ of the non Jewish world. Even Dinah is mentioned by name because, according to tradition, she was only 6 years old when the story in Shechem took place and nevertheless she made an impression on them and so she is explicitly mentioned to emphasize the deed of Shimon and Levi in saving her.

The idea that only those with a purpose or attachment to Klal Yisrael are mentioned by name, is an idea already mentioned by the Maharal on Bereshit ch.14 v.13. When the ‘escapee’ comes to Avraham to tell him that Lot is captured as a result of the war of the 4 and 5 kings, Rashi explains that this is none other than Og. He is the ‘escapee’ as he was rescued from the flood(as related in Midrash that he held on to the side of the ark). However when talking about survivors of the flood, Og’s name is not mentioned, only those of the family of Noach. Why? The Maharal says that Og was not mentioned as he is not relevant to the future development of the Jewish people, whereas Noach (through his son Shem) is very relevant indeed. This is why Og is missing from the flood story. This insight is very precious in explaining the curious omissions we find in the Torah of people who appear only in Midrash, at best. Both the Maharal and Netziv are stating a golden rule and enhancing the concept of the focus of Torah-‘bishvil reshit….bishvil Yisrael shenikrau reshit’-the world was created for the purposes of bring about the Jewish people and events relating to that end are the ones mentioned in Torah.

When Yaakov arrives in Paro’s palace, the first question he is asked by Paro is:

ח  וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה, אֶל-יַעֲקֹב:  כַּמָּה, יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֶּיךָ.

8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob: 'How many are the days of the years of thy life?'

Surely there were more immediate questions to ask or compliments to share, so why ask him about his age? I remember hearing from my Hebrew school teacher in London (Rabbi M.Bernstein shlita) the following explanation. When Avraham came down to Egypt he had to go before Paro. In the entrance way there was a low door which people went through and which miraculously raised itself when Avraham went through. This prevented him from bowing to Paro, who declared himself to be a god, and the event was recorded. When Yaakov arrives the same thing happens, and Paro is thinking: Is this possibly the same man who came here so many years ago and for whom the same strange event happened? If so I must ask him how old he is!

I have always felt that the ideas that one leaned as a young person can stay with you for your whole life (girsa deyankuta) and I have been always grateful to all my teachers for these wonderful insights which I have remembered, even after 50 years or more. The transmission of Torah is a remarkable concept and we are all part of this transmission and must never forget the responsibility that goes with this realization.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Ian Shaffer                    Cherry Hill/SCW