“His offering was one silver dish, its weight one hundred and thirty; one silver basin of seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel; both of them full of high-quality flour mixed with oil as a meal offering” (Numbers 7:55). “His offering was one silver dish [kaarat]…” – do not read it as kaarat, but rather as akart, corresponding to Jacob, who extracted [akar] the birthright49The birthright refers to the extra portion of the inheritance that the eldest son received. from Reuben and gave it to Joseph: “I have given you one portion more than your brothers…” (Genesis 48:22).
“Silver” – just as it says: “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver” (Proverbs 10:20), just as he50Silver alludes to the statement made by Jacob, who was righteous. said: “Ephraim and Manasseh will be for me like Reuben and Simeon” (Genesis 48:5). “Its weight one hundred and thirty” – when Jacob descended to Egypt on account of Joseph, he was one hundred and thirty years old, as it is stated: “Jacob said to Pharaoh: The days of the years of my residence are one hundred and thirty years” (Genesis 47:9).
“One silver basin [mizrak]” – corresponding to Joseph, who was cast [shenizrak] from his father and sold to Egypt. “Silver” – after: “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver” (Proverbs 10:20) – what he said to his father51Silver alludes to the statement made by Joseph, who was righteous.: “Joseph said to his father: Not so, my father, as this is the firstborn; place your right hand upon his head” (Genesis 48:18).
“Seventy shekels, in the sacred shekel” – as it was through him that seventy people descended to Egypt. “Both of them full…” – Jacob and Joseph, both of them were full-fledged righteous men and both produced tribes. “One gold ladle of ten shekels, filled with incense” (Numbers 7:56). “One gold ladle of ten shekels…” – corresponding to the ten districts of Manasseh, as it is stated: “Ten districts fell to Manasseh” (Joshua 17:5).
“One young bull, one ram, one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering” (Numbers 7:57). “One goat as a sin offering” (Numbers 7:58). “One young bull, one ram [one lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering]; one goat…” – these52This is a reference to the three burnt offerings. are three corresponding to the three generations that Joseph saw from Manasseh that received a portion in the land,53This is a reference to the fact that there were three major families named after the three generations following Manasseh, in addition to the family which was named after Manasseh himself.
Therefore, the phrase “the sons of Makhir” refers to Makhir himself, Gilad, and Iezer. as it is stated: “The children of Makhir son of Manasseh, too, were born at Joseph’s knees” (Genesis 50:23). Likewise, it says: “The sons of Manasseh: For Makhir, the family of the Makhirites, and Makhir begot Gilad.… These are the sons of Gilad: Of Iezer…” (Numbers 26:29–30). Makhir, Gilad, and Iezer – these are three generations that were patrilineal houses that were attributed to Joseph, as Manasseh is attributed to Jacob, just as it says: “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before my coming to you to Egypt, they are mine” (Genesis 48:5).
The fourth, this was Ya’ir son of Manasseh, who received a portion in the land, just as it says: “Ya’ir son of Manasseh went and captured their villages [ḥavot], and he called them Ḥavot Ya’ir” (Numbers 32:41). The three species of burnt offerings corresponded to the sons of Makhir son of Manasseh.54This is referring to what was mentioned above, and is mentioned again since the midrash now also explains what the sin offering signifies.
The goat sin offering corresponded to Ya’ir, who did not bequeath his portion to his sons, because he did not have sons. That is why he called them55The villages. by his name, because he did not have any remnant, and the sons of his brother Makhir inherited his portion. “And for the peace offering, two bulls, five rams, five goats, five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Gamliel son of Pedatzur” (Numbers 7:59).
“And for the peace offering, two bulls” – corresponding to the tribe of Manasseh, which split into two and received two portions in the land, half of it on the east bank of the Jordan and half in the land of Canaan. “Five rams, five goats, five lambs in their first year” – these are three species, corresponding to three things that Joseph did on behalf of Manasseh, whom he sought to elevate over his brother Ephraim.
The first: “Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim in his right hand to the left of Israel, and Manasseh in his left hand to the right of Israel” (Genesis 48:13). The second: “He supported his father’s hand, to remove it from the head of Ephraim to the head of Manasseh” (Genesis 48:17). The third: “Joseph said to his father: Not so, my father, as this is the firstborn…” (Genesis 48:18). Why were they five each?
It corresponds to the five women from the tribe of Manasseh who took a portion in the land. These were Tzelofḥad’s five daughters, just as it says: “Tzelofḥad’s daughters speak justly; give them a holding for inheritance…” (Numbers 27:7). They were five, as it is stated: “These are the names of his daughters: Maḥla, Noa, Ḥogla, Milka, and Tirtza” (Numbers 27:1). Likewise, Jacob mentioned them in the blessing of Joseph, as it is stated: “Branches [banot] ran atop the wall [alei shur]” (Genesis 49:22); these are Tzelofḥad’s daughters [banot], who received a portion in the land.
Alternatively, why were they five each? It corresponds to the blessing that Jacob blessed them: “May they proliferate like fish in the midst of the earth” (Genesis 48:16), and fish were created on the fifth day. “This was the offering of Gamliel…” – since the Holy One blessed be He saw that he presented the offering in this order, He began lauding his offering: “This was the offering of Gamliel…”