The Jewish people are divided, with six tribes representing blessings on one mountain (Gerizim) and the remaining six representing curses on another (Eval) (27:12-13). Why did the people have to be divided such that half of them represented curses? Wouldn’t it have been better if everyone represented the blessings?
Oznaim LaTorah suggests that the tribes representing the curses were those that had more significant struggles in their lives, among them were the children of Yakov’s maidservants, who were born into an unfavorable situation. These tribes did not represent curses; they represented overcoming adverse circumstances. The wording in the passuk (verse) supports this position: For the blessings, the Torah says, “The following shall stand to bless…” and for the curses, the Torah says, “And the following shall stand on the curses…” The tribes that overcame adversity were highlighted to encourage all of us to fight through adversity until we stand proudly on our personal mountaintops.
