Daf Yomi: Sextuplets: No Other Solution

Sextuplets: No Other Solution
“A Levite Exempted an Israelite, His Animal Exempted…”
(Bechoros 4a)

A naturally born firstborn son not preceded by any other births, even of a stillborn, must be redeemed. At the age of 30 days, his father has the mitzvah to redeem him by giving five silver sela’im to a kohen. Our daf notes that just as the leviim redeemed firstborn Israelites, their animals redeemed the Israelites’ animals.

In Parshas Bamidbar (3:44-51), we learn about the very first formal redeeming of the firstborn, which took place in the desert. Some commentaries have noted that the actual first redemption of a firstborn was that of Eisav, when Yaakov gave him a bowl of lentil soup in exchange. The firstborn in the Sinai desert were redeemed by the males of the tribe of Levi. Moshe stood each firstborn next to a levi and said, “This levi redeemed you.” As the leviim drew their sanctity from the redeemed firstborn, Moshe had to make sure that the number of the leviim did not exceed the number of firstborns. For if so, there would be leviim left without a source for their sanctity (Haamek Davar, Bamidbar 3:41, and see ibid., that such is inferred in Sanhedrin 17a).

Five Silver Sela’im

Indeed, the male leviim, one month old and older, totaled 22,300 and the firstborn numbered 22,273 (300 leviim were themselves firstborn and therefore did not redeem the firstborn of Israel; thus, there were more firstborn of Israel than leviim who could redeem). Each levi had a firstborn from whom he received his sanctity, and the firstborn for whom there were no corresponding leviim were redeemed by the giving of five silver sela’im to a kohen.

The commentators take great interest in the numerical data we encounter while learning this sugya, as by examining them, we can verify the growth rate of the Jews in Egypt. Notably, Chazal teach that each wife in Egypt bore sextuplets (Mechilta, Beshalach).

Hashem’s Servants Below the Pale?

Ramban emphasizes (Bamidbar 3:14) that when they counted the men aged 20 and older, the tribe of Menashe, the smallest tribe, numbered 32,200 (Bamidbar 1:35). At the same time, all the male leviim aged one month and older numbered only 22,300. Ramban writes that these data raise a question: “How can His servants, the blessed leviim, not be like the rest of the people? But I think that this supports what our Sages said (Tanchuma, Va’eira, 6), that the Jews enslaved in Egypt multiplied unnaturally but the tribe of Levi, who remained diligent in their learning and were not subject to hard labor, multiplied naturally (see Or HaChayim, ibid., 3:39).”

The Maskil and the Statistics

Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin, zt”l, recounted a fascinating discussion between his father-in-law, Rabbi Eliezer Gordon, zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Telz, and a maskil. The latter claimed that he believed what was written in the Torah but denied Chazal’s statement that every woman in Egypt bore sextuplets. Therefore, he had a question: When the Jews left Egypt, the men between the ages of 20 and 60 numbered 600,000. If we add the women, elderly, and children, their total number would total about 2,400,000. How, he asked, could the Jews increase from 70 people to such a tremendous nation in just 210 years? It could only be, he concluded with satisfaction, that many Egyptians had mixed with them and that was the reason that the Jews increased at such an amazing rate.

Fifty-Three Children in a Family

“If you asked about statistics,” replied Rabbi Gordon, “we’ll answer you in kind. You declared that you believe in the statistics appearing in the Torah. Statistics teach us that the firstborns constitute about a fifth of the population, both males and females. We can then say that about 10% of the population are male firstborn. In light of this, there should have been about 240,000 male firstborns in the desert among the firstborn of all the tribes aside from Levi. When Moshe counted them, there were only 22,273! So, there was one firstborn for every 53 children… You thus see that a supernatural increase occurred and your assumption, that the Jewish people also comprised Egyptians, is unfounded. They bore sextuplets – there is no other solution (see Emes LeYaakov by Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky, zt”l, who arrived at the same conclusion; Tevunah, Nisan 5710; Oznayim LaTorah, Shemos 1:7; and Masas Hamelech, Bamidbar, ibid.).