2nd in Line, Follow-Up, Innovation
Rabbinical Sources on the Tribes as collated for Brit-Am by Rabbi David Feldman:
Contents:
Preliminary Remark
(1) The Examples: (a) Gideon and (b) Jehu
(2) Manasseh lacks the ability to complete needed tasks though he can initiate them.
(3) Manasseh comes after Ephraim and Builds on what he has done.
(4) Manasseh is a Revolutionary, Innovation, Rebuilt from Scratch.
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Source: Rabbi Shmei Michael Austreicher, "Machmadeiah Miyimi Kedem."
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/rabbisjoseph/quarrels3.html
Preliminary Remark
Rabbi S. M. Austreicher uses the Biblical figures of Gideon and Jehu son of Nimshi to exemplify aspects of the characteristics of Manasseh.
The notes below were written by Yair Davidiy to explain the text of Rabbi S. M. Austreicher. ONLY the major points should be attributed to Rabbi Austreicher.
We also used entries of Wikipedia and other sources in our words of explanation.
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(1) The Examples: (a) Gideon and (b) Jehu
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(a) Gideon, also named Jerubbaal (Jdges 6:32) and Jerubbesheth (2-Samuel 11:21).
Gideon lived during the Period of the Judges. This is conventionally reckoned to be from ca. 1200 to 1000 BCE. These dates may turn out to be incorrect.
Rabbinical Chronology dates Gideon to ca. 1067 BCE while conventiona reckoning would place him much earlier.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3915966/jewish/Timeline-of-Jewish-History.htm#q6
At all events from 200 to 300 years separate Gideon from Jehu.
Gideon was to become one of the early Judges of Israel.
Gideon (Judges chs. 6, 7, 8) was the son of Joash, from the Abiezrite clan of Manasseh. This clan was also known as "Ayazar" (or "Ay-g-azar") which in English Biblical translations is transliterated as "Jeezer" (Numbers 26:30).
Gideon lived in Ephra (Ophrah) which is now the name of an important Jewish township in the region of Samaria in Israel.
The Israelites had turned away from the God of Israel after enjoying 40 years of peace folowing the victory of Deborah over the Canaananites in the north.
Midianites, Amalekites and other peoples harried Israel for seven years.
An angel appeared to Gideon and told him to deliver Israel from their oppressors.
Gideon requested proof that this message really was from on High. After this he destroyed the local altar to Baal and the adjoining symbol of the goddess Asherah.
Gideon the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali at the Well of Harod in the Valley of Jezreel.
But God informed Gideon that the men he had gathered were too many. Gideon was told to send home those men who were afraid. 22,000 left and 10,000 remained.
God told Gideon there were still too many. After that 300 were chosen (Judges 7:4-7). Using shofars (rams horns) and torches at night they surprised the enemy camp. The immense host of the foes was confused, panicked, and began killing each other. The enemy fled and were pursued by the Tribe of Ephraim. Gindeon and his men chased after the Midainite kings who had abandoned most of their followers and fled east of the Jordan. Gideon overtook and killed them. We learn that they admitted to previously having killed, during the time of oppression, members of the family of Gideon.
The Israelites wished to make Gideon King over them but he refused.
Gideon made an ephod out of the gold won in battle. This was a kind of oracle which was intended to be used for good purposes. Unfortunately it was misused and caused the Israelite to depart from the true path.
Gideon had many wives and 70 sons. One of his son was Abimelech who after Gideon died killed nearly all his brothers and made himself king. Under Abimelech the Israelites worshipped the false god named "Baal Berith," i.e. Lord of the Covenant."
King Jehu is recalled in Assyrian records. On an engraved stone pillatr, known as the "Black Obelisk," Jehu is depicted as kissing the ground in front of King Shalmaneser-3 of Assyria. In the Assyrian documents, he is referred to as "Son of Omri" or "Khumri" also pronounceable as "Ghumri." Omri was an earlier ruler of Israel and the Assyrians named all the subsequnet Israewlites after him.
The Black Obelisk says that Jehu severed his alliances with Tyre of Phoenicia and with Judah, and became subject to Assyria.
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The Spanish Christians under Ponce Giraldo de Cabrera liberated Almneria in southeast Spain from its Muslim conquerors in 1147 CE. This is celebrated in a poem of that time that mentions "the strength of Samson and the sword of Gideon."
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An important Swiss poet Benedikt Gletting (1500s CE) invoked the "Sword of Gideon" in a call for a pious and confident defense of the Old Swiss Confederacy (which preceded to the foundation of Switzerland) against a French and Ottoman Turkish alliances that threatened them.
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In 1650 the Scottish Covenanters (precursors of the Presbyterians) defeated the Royalist forces of Charles-1 at the Balle of Carbisdale in the far northeast of Scotland.
Before the battle, the Covenanter leader, Archibald Strachan, had invoked the example of Gideon.
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Orde Wingate (1903-1944) was a British soldier. In Palestine under the Mandate he set up a joint British-Jewish counter-insurgency unit (1936-1939). In effect, he helped train Jewish members of the Palmach in unorthodox guerilla type tactics. Wingate used the story of Gideon as a guiding light in his military doctrines.
During WW2 Wingate led the "Gideon Force" that with a small number of Britons and Jews (from Palestine) as leaders combined with local natives to defeat the Italians in East Africa.
Wingate went on to create the Chindit "Long-range penetration" force to attack the Japense behind their own lines in Burma. Wingate was killed in a plane crash in 1944.
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(b) Jehu (in Modern Hebrew pronounced as "Yehu") was the son of Jehoshaphat,[1] grandson of Nimshi.
Jehu is believed to have belonged to the Tribe of Manasseh.
William F. Albright has dated his reign to 842-815 BCE, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 841-814 BCE. The principal source for the events of his reign comes from 2 Kings 9-10.
R. M. Shlanger considered Jehu son of Niumshi to be prototypical of the leaders of Manasseh.
Kings from Manasseh such as JEHU THE SON OF NIMSHI (1-Kings 19:16) were appointed for a specific purpose. Jehu, for instance, was appointed in order to purge the people of idolatry. The very name NIMSHI in Hebrew contains the letters of Manasseh.
The very act of transferring the Monarchy from Ephraim to Manasseh involved a reduction from a Monarchy of Israel to a Rule of Princes [in the sense of the Prince representing the people and being appointed for a limited purpose]. For this reason Jehu was addressed as "Prince" [in Hebrew "Sar" meaning "prince" but translated in the KJ as "Captain"] at the time of his anointing as it says,
AND HE SAID, I HAVE AN ERRAND TO THEE, O CAPTAIN. AND JEHU SAID, UNTO WHICH OF ALL US? AND HE SAID, TO THEE, O CAPTAIN [2-Kings 9:5]. Jehu himself was not distinguished by royal demeanor as it says, THE DRIVING IS LIKE THE DRIVING OF JEHU THE SON OF NIMSHI; FOR HE DRIVETH FURIOUSLY [Hebrew, "be-Shigayon", literally "with madness"] (2-Kings 9:20).
See:
Manasseh in Rabbinical Sources
https://britam.org/menasseh.html
Jehoram, son of Ahab and Jezebel, ruled over the northern Kingdom of Israel of the Ten Tribes. Jehoram made an alliance with his nephew Ahaziah, King of Judah. The mother of Ahaziah, KIng of Judah, eas Athalia the siter of Jehoram. The two kings attempted to recover Ramoth-gilead from the Aramites who hads conquered it. Jehoram was wounded. He returned to the city of Jezreel to recover. Ahaziah King of Judah went with him.
Meanwhile, the prophet Elisha ordered one of his students to go to Ramoth-Gilead, take Jehu who was one of the military commander aside and anoint him as king in an inner chamber. Jehu was to be told that he was an instrument of punishment against the house of Ahab the Father of Jehoram. Jehu initially dismissed the student as being a "madman." Nonetheless he told his companions about the anointing. They then proclaimed him their king. Jehu went to Jezreel and killed Jehoram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah. Together with Jehonadab the Rechabite, King Jehu killed many of the followers of Baal at a religious assembly. He alsodestroyed their idols and their temple and turned it into a latrine. Jehu however did not destroyed the golden calves at Dan and Bethel. These had been set up by Jeroboam son of Nebat from Ephraim and were a cause of sin in Israel.
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(2) Manasseh lacks the ability to complete needed tasks though he can initiate them.
That is why the Messiah son of Joseph needs to come from Ephraim and not from Manasseh.
Manasseh may begin to wipe out the evil but he will not complete it (and therefore needs Ephraim to ultimately do so).
For example,
Gideon did not lead the Israelites back to the Almighty in the full sense.
Yehu (Jehu) ben Nimshi fought against Baal worship but tolerated that of the golden calves in Dan and Beth-el.
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(3) Manasseh comes after Ephraim and Builds on what he has done.
The name "Manasseh" in Hebrew [MeNaSheh] hints at being "Second" ["MiShNeh"]. This connotes coming after Ephraim and building on what Ephraim had done.
Brit-Am Application:
We identify the USA with Manasseh. The USA became great after Britain (Ephraim) had already began to build its Empire. The USA built itself up on the beginnings begun by Britain.
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(4) Manasseh is a Revolutionary, Innovation, Rebuilt from Scratch.
After Jehu had been anointed he advanced on Jezreel where Jehoram and Ahaziah were holed up.
2-Kings (NKJV) 9:
16 So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there; and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.
17 Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, 'I see a company of men.'
And Joram said, "Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say,'Is it peace?' "
18 So the horseman went to meet him, and said, "Thus says the king: 'Is it peace?' "
And Jehu said, "What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me."
So the watchman reported, saying, "The messenger went to them, but is not coming back."
19 Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, "Thus says the king: 'Is it peace?' "
And Jehu answered, "What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me."
20 So the watchman reported, saying, "He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!"
Subsequently King Jehoram (Joram) and Ahaziah went out in their chariots to meet Jehu and were killed by him.
Jehu was described as driving "furiously" (9:20).
The word transated as "furiously" in Hebrews is "be-shigaon" literally "with madness" but indicating the ability to achieve aims beyond the limitations of natural progression, to change the rules, to alter the rationally accepted state of affairs. This in turn links up with the word root "shonah" to change, alter, revolutionize" amnd its connection with Manasseh.
The name "Manasseh" may be understood as from a root "Shoneh" meaning "difference," or "change" and may also connote "revolution."
cf.
Proverbs (NKJV) 24:
21 My son, fear the LORD and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change.
cf.
Proverbs (ISV - International Standard Version) 24:
21 My son, fear both the LORD and the king, and don't keep company with rebels.
The name "Manasseh" is related the word-root "Shoneh." It can connote an attribute of revolutionizing reality and with thinking outside the box.
cf. Gideon also from Manasseh who gained a victory with only 300 men even though he had numerous other soldiers he could have employed.
When this attitude is used on the side of Heaven the results can be very great for the cause of good.
On the other hand when is not so used the outcome may be very bad. He is also liable to cause a disaster over all Israel.
Brit-Am Application:
The USA grew out of the 13 original British colonies who rebelled against England, their mother country. This act of Rebellion and everything that grew out of it, including the US Constitution, had an important formative influence on the US National Character.
The Americans are also known for their innovative approach and willingness (even enthusiasm) to rebuild everything from the beginning, to think out the box.
In Hebrew a word may have more than one word-root. Usually the different roots for the one word will be related to each other. Letters in a word root may transmute i.e. flip around. This is known in Linguistics as "Metathesis." The name Manasseth (in Modern Hebrew pronounced as "Menasheh") could be understood to mean "to come second," "to make changes, to revolutionize." This fits our identification of the USA with Manasseh.
These proofs are not the only ones we have got. They are in addition to the numerous other points all pointing in the same direction. "Menasseh" can also connote "forget," and "responsibly represent" as explained elsewhere.
See Also:
Joseph and Democracy. Manasseh was to be Characterized by Responsible Representation
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/biblical-proof/joseph/jodemo.html
Dreams of Pharoah
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/genesis/gen41to44mikaet.html
Manasseh in Rabbinical Sources
https://britam.org/menasseh.html
America
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/machirites.html
USA is Manasseh!
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/usmn.html
Joseph Identified
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/josephidentified.html
Overlapped Hands. Ephraim and Manasseh
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/overlapped.html
The American Revolution. Israelite Tribes in History. Manasseh Rebels against Ephraim!
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/rebellion.html