[118a - 20 lines; 118b - 36 lines]
1)[line 2]קשיאKASHYA- this is a difficulty; we do not know how to explain that verse according to the Tana who holds that Eretz Yisrael was apportioned to the people who entered Eretz Yisrael
2)[line 4]דקא צווחןD'KA TZAVCHAN- that they cried out (for justice)
3)[line 5]הא ליתיה דלשקולHA LEISEI D'LISHKOL- he was not around [at the time of the entry into Eretz Yisrael] that he should take [a portion of the land]
4)[line 6]לחזרהL'CHAZARAH- [the daughters of Tzelofchad petitioned Moshe Rabeinu for the land that they were entitled to receive] through the return (that is, after the descendants of Chefer (the father of Tzelofchad) entered Eretz Yisrael and received a portion of the land, that portion was passed back to their deceased forebears, divided equally, and then passed back down to the descendants. Thus, the daughters of Tzelofchad wanted a share in the land that was returned to the descendants. See Background to Bava Basra 117:5b)
5)[line 7]היינו דקא צווחן בני יוסףHAINU D'KA TZAVCHAN BENEI YOSEF- that is why the descendants of Yosef cried out (i.e. since the land was apportioned to the people who left Mitzrayim, the descendants of Yosef would be receiving very small shares, because their numbers increased considerably before they entered the land)
6)[line 8]"וַיְדַבְּרוּ בְּנֵי יוֹסֵף [אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֵאמֹר, מַדּוּעַ נָתַתָּה לִּי נַחֲלָה גּוֹרָל אֶחָד וְחֶבֶל אֶחָד, וַאֲנִי עַם רָב עַד אֲשֶׁר עַד כֹּה בֵּרְכַנִי ה']. וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אִם עַם רַב אַתָּה עֲלֵה לְךָ הַיַּעְרָה [וּבֵרֵאתָ לְךָ שָׁם בְּאֶרֶץ הַפְּרִזִּי וְהָרְפָאִים, כִּי אָץ לְךָ הַר אֶפְרָיִם]""VA'YEDABRU B'NEI YOSEF [ES YEHOSHUA LEIMOR, 'MADU'A NASATA LI NACHALAH GORAL ECHAD V'CHEVEL ECHAD, VA'ANI AM RAV, AD ASHER KOH BERCHANI HASH-M.'] VA'YOMER ALEIHEM YEHOSHUA, 'IM AM RAV ATAH, ALEH LECHA HA'YA'RAH [U'VEIREISA LECHA SHAM B'ERETZ HA'PERIZI VEHA'REFA'IM, KI ATZ LECHA HAR EFRAYIM.']" - "And the Bnei Yosef spoke [to Yehoshua, saying, 'Why did you give me an inheritance consisting of one portion and one lot, considering that I am a large people, for HaSh-m has blessed me abundantly?'] And Yehoshua spoke to the Bnei Yosef, saying, 'If you are a large people, go up to the forest [and dig out for yourselves there in the land of the Perizi and the Refa'im, if the Mountain of Efrayim is too squashed for you.']" (Yehoshua 17:14-15) (THE COMPLAINT OF THE TRIBE OF MENASHEH)
(a)The Navi describes how the tribe of Menasheh was unable to dispossess the Kena'anim from a number of towns that fell in their portion. That is what seems to have sparked their complaint.
(b)The Gemara here explains that their main complaint was that Eretz Yisrael was distributed according to the size of the tribe when they left Egypt, and while the majority of tribes had not substantially increased since then (if anything, some of the tribes, among them Efrayim, had substantially decreased), Menasheh had increased by some seventy per cent, from 32,000 to 52,000. Indeed, they used the expression "Ad Koh" (in keeping with HaSh-m's promise to Avraham Avinu, when He gave him the blessing of "Koh Yiheyeh Zar'echa"). They claimed they did not have sufficient territory for their current needs, even arguing that they, together, with Efrayim were given only a dual portion the size of one.
(c)There was nothing Yehoshua could do about this, however, so he advised them what they could do to alleviate their situation.
7)[line 9]משום טפלים דהוו נפישי להוMISHUM TEFALIM D'HAVU NEFISHEI LEHU- because of the children that they had in abundance (who were under 20 years old at the time they entered Eretz Yisrael, and therefore did not receive any portion in Eretz Yisrael)
8)[line 16]דאיבעי ליה לאיניש לאיזדהורי מעינא בישאD'IBA'I LEI L'INISH L'IZDAHUREI ME'EINA BISHA- that a person should be careful to avoid an evil eye (Ayin ha'Ra) (since the family of Yosef was so populous, it was in danger of being effected by an Ayin ha'Ra)
118b----------------------------------------118b
9)[line 1]אנן מזרעא דיוסףANAN MI'ZAR'A D'YOSEF- we are from the offspring of Yosef
10)[line 2]"בֵּן פּוֹרָת יוֹסֵף, בֵּן פּוֹרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן...""BEN PORAS YOSEF, BEN PORAS ALEI AYIN..."- "Yosef is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough next to a well...." (Bereishis 49:22)
11)[line 4]עולי עיןOLEI AYIN- raised above the eye, i.e. beyond the power of the evil eye (the word "Ayin" can mean both "a well" and "an eye")
12)[line 5]"וְיִדְגּוּ לָרוֹב בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ""V'YIDGU LA'ROV B'KEREV HA'ARETZ"- "... and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the land." (Bereishis 48:16) - The Gemara derives from the word "v'Yidgu" that "they should be like fish"; just as fish multiply in great numbers, so, too, the children of Yosef should multiply quickly. Similarly, just as fish live in the water and are thus protected from an evil eye, so, too, the children of Yosef should be protected from an evil eye.
13)[line 16]מקיש מתלוננים למרגליםMAKISH MISLONENIM LI'MERAGLIM- the complainers are compared to the spies (as they are mentioned together in the same verse)
14)[line 18]"אָבִינוּ מֵת בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְהוּא לֹא הָיָה בְּתוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַנּוֹעָדִים עַל ה' בַּעֲדַת קֹרַח; [כִּי בְחֶטְאוֹ מֵת וּבָנִים לֹא הָיוּ לוֹ]""AVINU MES BA'MIDBAR, V'HU LO HAYAH B'SOCH HA'EDAH HA'NO'ADIM AL HA'SH-M BA'ADAS KORACH; [KI V'CHET'O MES U'VANIM LO HAYU LO]"- "Our father died in the desert, and he was not among the group that gathered against HaSh-m in the group of Korach, [for he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons]." (Bamidbar 27:3; see Background to Bava Basra 116:20 and 117:10)
15)[line 24]איכפולICHPUL- doubled (meaning that they received a much larger portion of the land than is reasonable)
16)[line 24]וירתו לכולה א''י?!V'YARSU L'CHULAH ERETZ YISRAEL?!- and inherited the whole of (or most of - RASHBAM) Eretz Yisrael?!
17)[line 27]"וַיִּפְּלוּ חַבְלֵי מְנַשֶּׁה עֲשָׂרָה""VA'YIPLU CHAVLEI MENASHEH ASARAH..."- "Ten portions fell to Menasheh..." (Yehoshua 17:5)
18)[line 28]שיתא דשיתא בתי אבות, וארבעה דידהוSHISA D'SHISA BATEI AVOS, V'ARBA'AH DIDHU- six portions for the six families (of the tribe of Menasheh), and four portions for the them (the daughters of Tzelofchad)
19)[line 32]תרי אחי דאבא הוה להוTREI ACHEI D'ABA HAVAH LEHU- they had two uncles (i.e. their father's brothers, who died in the Midbar leaving no children, and therefore the daughters of Tzelofchad received a share of their two uncles' portions in Eretz Yisrael)
20)[line 32]"[כֵּן בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד דֹּבְרֹת,] נָתֹן תִּתֵּן לָהֶם [אֲחֻזַּת נַחֲלָה בְּתוֹךְ אַחֵי אֲבִיהֶם; וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ אֶת נַחֲלַת אֲבִיהֶן לָהֶן]""[KEN BANOS TZALAFCHAD DOVROS,[ NASON TITEN LAHEM [ACHUZAS NACHALAH] B'SOCH ACHEI AVIHEM; V'HA'AVARTA ES NACHALAS AVIHEN LAHEN["- "… You shall surely give to them [a possession of inheritance] among the brothers of their father, and you shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them." (Bamidbar 27:7)
21)[last line]טובא הווTUVA HAVU- they were many (i.e. much more than ten)