Vayigash 46:26 · unit 1

Parashas Vayigash · Passuk 46:26

The Complete Passuk

כׇּל־הַ֠נֶּ֠פֶשׁ הַבָּאָ֨ה לְיַעֲקֹ֤ב מִצְרַ֙יְמָה֙ יֹצְאֵ֣י יְרֵכ֔וֹ מִלְּבַ֖ד נְשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֑ב כׇּל־נֶ֖פֶשׁ שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵֽׁשׁ׃

All the persons belonging to Yaakov who came to Egypt — his own issue, aside from the wives of Yaakov’s sons — all the persons numbered sixty-six.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to classical sources reconciling the counts of 66 and 70.

TT lemma: the sixty-six.

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
כׇּל הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַבָּאָה לְיַעֲקֹב מִצְרַיְמָה יֹצְאֵי יְרֵכוֹ מִלְּבַד נְשֵׁי בְנֵי יַעֲקֹב כׇּל נֶפֶשׁ שִׁשִּׁים וָשֵׁשׁ — אֵלּוּ שִׁשִּׁים וָשֵׁשׁ הֵם יְצִיאֵי יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב, וְהַנּוֹתָרִים (יוֹסֵף וּבָנָיו וְיַעֲקֹב עַצְמוֹ אוֹ יוֹכֶבֶד) מַשְׁלִימִים לְשִׁבְעִים.

English: “All the persons belonging to Yaakov who came to Egypt — his own issue, aside from the wives of Yaakov’s sons — all the persons numbered sixty-six.” These sixty-six are the direct descendants of Yaakov; the remaining (Yosef and his sons, and Yaakov himself or Yocheved according to tradition) complete the seventy.

On the daf / in context: The classic problem of reconciling the subtotal of sixty-six with the total of seventy.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (midrashic accounting) — not a formal named middah of the 13.

What Is Learned

Sixty-six of Yaakov’s descendants are listed before adding those already in Egypt or born on the way, yielding the traditional seventy.