ת"ר (דברים כא, יז) לתת לו פי שנים פי שנים כאחד אתה אומר פי שנים כאחד או אינו אלא פי שנים בכל הנכסים ודין הוא
a double portion,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXI, 17.
');"><sup>40</sup></span> [implies] twice as much as [any] one [of the others receive].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The estate is divided according to the number of brothers plus one, and the firstborn takes two such shares.
');"><sup>41</sup></span> You said 'Twice as much as [any] one [of the others]'; is it not possible<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit. 'or'.
');"><sup>42</sup></span> [that our Mishnah] does not [mean this] but 'a double portion in all the estate'?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Two thirds of the estate for the firstborn, and one third for all the others.
');"><sup>43</sup></span> — But this<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the firstborn takes only twice as much as any one of the others. ');"><sup>44</sup></span> may be deduced by logical reasoning:
Shenei Luchot HaBerit
The following paragraph, dealing with the laws of inheritance, also contains allusions to the Ineffable Name of G–d. The Kabbalistic commentator Rekanati expresses it thus: "The verse commencing with: ואל בני ישראל תדבר לאמור, איש כי ימות ובן אין לו “Say to the children of Israel ‘if a man dies and he does not leave behind a son, etc.” (27,8), tells us that even laws covering such mundane matters as the inheritance laws and other laws concerning interpersonal relationships, depend on the מרכבה עליונה Divine entourage in the Celestial Regions. Their evolution and emanation are rooted in those regions. תפארת ישראל and שכינת עזו respectively, are called בן ובת, who inherit חכמה and בינה known as אב ואם. These four concepts are mystically part of the Ineffable four-lettered Name of G–d. Keeping this in mind you can understand why the בן, son, takes precedence over the daughter when inheriting the property of their father or mother, and why the son is obligated to provide for the daughter (his sister). Our sages called this system “the sons inherit, whereas the daughters are provided for” (Baba Batra 122b).
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