Rabbi Meir was traveling through Samaria when he encountered a Samaritan who was proud of his lineage. "I am a descendant of Joseph," the man declared — claiming descent from the most illustrious of the twelve tribes, the dreamer who became viceroy of Egypt.
Rabbi Meir examined the man's genealogy and shook his head. "You are not descended from Joseph," he said. "You are descended from Issachar — whose name was Shomron." The Samaritans, who took their name from the region of Samaria (Shomron), were connected not to the glamorous tribe of Joseph but to the more modest tribe of Issachar, the tribe of scholars and students.
The Epitropos — the chief magistrate — of the Samaritans heard what Rabbi Meir had done and delivered a cutting rebuke to his fellow Samaritan: "This rabbi removed you from Joseph but did not even manage to bring you all the way to Issachar." In other words, Rabbi Meir had taken away the man's prestigious ancestry without giving him a secure replacement.
The exchange reveals the bitter rivalry between Jews and Samaritans in the Talmudic era. Both groups claimed descent from the tribes of Israel, but each denied the other's claims. The Samaritans wanted Joseph's glory. Rabbi Meir gave them Issachar's humility. And the Samaritan leader saw the insult embedded in the correction.
But there was a deeper truth hidden in Rabbi Meir's words: Issachar was the tribe devoted to Torah study. To be descended from Issachar was, in the rabbinic view, no demotion at all. It was an invitation — if only the Samaritans had ears to hear it.