במדבר, פרק כ״ו, פסוק מ׳

The census of the Israelite tribes carefully records the heads of each family, a title normally reserved for the original seventy individuals who first went down to Egypt with Jacob. Yet, in the lineage of Benjamin, a historical and familial mystery emerges when this prestigious status is granted to his grandsons, Ard and Naaman, the children of Bela.

Commentators offer several ways to understand this exception, each shedding light on the tribe's history. One approach suggests that the mother of Ard and Naaman was already pregnant with them when she arrived in Egypt, making them part of the original founding generation [הטור הארוך בשם ר' משה הדרשן]. Alternatively, the individuals named Ard and Naaman recorded earlier in Genesis as Benjamin's sons might be the exact same people listed here, as it is common for grandchildren to be counted as direct sons [הטור הארוך בשם הראב"ע והרמב"ן]. Taking a broader view, others propose that the role of a family head was never strictly limited to the original arrivals in Egypt. As the Israelites multiplied in exile, new leaders were appointed from among those born there. These were highly respected men chosen to preserve the tribe's lineage and prevent assimilation into foreign nations [הטור הארוך בשם הרמב"ן].

However, the primary approach among commentators connects the appearance of Ard and Naaman to a tragic event within Benjamin's family. According to this tradition, Benjamin originally had sons by these names, but they died without children, either during the time in Egypt or in battles along the way. To preserve their memory and legacy, the eldest brother, Bela, married their widows or simply named his own children after his deceased brothers [הטור הארוך, העמק דבר, חזקוני, הכתב והקבלה].

This act of memorializing the fallen brothers resolves a subtle detail in how the families are listed. When the family of Naaman is recorded, he is introduced directly by name. However, when introducing Ard's line, his direct name is bypassed, moving straight to the family title. This shift reveals that the child himself was never actually named Ard; instead, the entire family adopted the title to honor the deceased uncle and keep his legacy alive. These careful distinctions were strictly preserved in ancient translations of the text [העמק דבר, ברכת אשר על התורה].