שאו את ראש כל עדת…למשפחתם לבית אבתם…(במדבר א:ב)

Why does the Torah trace the yichus — ancestry — of Klal Yisroel “לבית אבותם” — through their fathers’ lineage — and not through their mothers, in whose merit the Yidden left Mitzrayim? The Torah itself testifies to the purity of the women in Mitzrayim through the names “הראובני & השמעוני,” where the added “ה” and “י” show that their lineage remained kosher. So why is the yichus counted through the fathers?

The Gemara (קידושין עא) says: “יחסותא דבבל שתיקותא” — refined lineage is recognized through peaceful behavior. Someone who is an “איש שלום” — a man of peace who avoids conflict — demonstrates that he is מיוחס, of noble lineage. Since this trait is more visible in men, who interact publicly with others, while women are described as “כל כבודה בת מלך פנימה,” the Torah traces the revealed yichus through the fathers, whose conduct reflects their lineage.