[Avodah] Vayichad Yisro - Disparaging Non-Jews

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Wed, Feb 10, 2016 at 05:00:17PM -0500, Zev Sero wrote:
:> As the Mehilta says, based on DhY I 2:55, Chamas was a Qeini, and
:> thyerefore Yonadav was a descendent of Yisro. If her father and son
:> were, she must have been.

: What on earth does Yonadav have to do with Rachav?

As I said, he is identified as Rachav's son.

See also the LR' Sichah of Simchas Toran 1986, who cites the same
conclusion from the Sifri. Quoting the loose translation at
<http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2512270>:

    ...
    The Sifri continues:

	When Yehoshua divided the land for the tribes, he omitted the
	most fertile part of Yericho which was an area of 500 cubits
	by 500 cubits and he gave it to Yonadav, the son of Rachav (the
	family of Yisro) ... and when the Shechinah rested in the domain
	of Binyamin they vacated that section (in Yericho and gave it to
	Binyamin) as it says: And the children of Keni, the father-in-law
	of Moshe, went up from the city of the date palms....

    This needs clarification. Why was this most fertile section of
    Yericho not parceled out together with all the other areas of Eretz
    Yisrael? Why was it first given to the family of Yisro and only
    later transferred to Binyamin?
    ...

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha