עברית
Faith
12 or 13 Tribes of Israel?
Question
Honorable Rabbi, Hello, We all know that the number of tribes of Israel is 12. However, since the righteous sons of Joseph each received a tribe, in total we reach 13 tribes: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Yissachar, Naftali, Zevulun, Asher, Gad, Dan, Binyamin, Ephraim, and Menashe. I would appreciate knowing why we count 12 tribes and not 13. Thank you in advance and Shavua Tov.
Answer
Greetings and blessings,
In principle, Ephraim and Menashe are considered one tribe in every respect, and are not counted as two separate tribes but only as far as the division of the land is concerned, as explained by Ramban in Parshat Vayigash.
Blessings - Binyamin Shmueli
