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After Moses died, he was succeeded by יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן (Joshua, son of none). If Joshua had no parents, where did he come from?

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  • OK, Daniel. Who pronounces a shuruk as an "o" sound? Unless you're discarding the dagesh in the vav, here and allowing flexibility in pronunciation...
    – DanF
    Mar 10, 2016 at 18:52
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    @DanF When I pronounce it, it sounds approximately like "none." I think flexibility is allowed within reason in Purim Torah.
    – Daniel
    Mar 10, 2016 at 18:57
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    @Daniel Yehoshua... I am your father.
    – user9907
    May 13, 2016 at 0:41

3 Answers 3

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Everyone who was at the revelation at Sinai and was considered a convert, and a convert is considered a tinok shenolad, without relatives (see the discussion abou ger who can marry his sister who is a giyoress). After Sinai Hashem explicitly set up the family and tribal relationships with "return to your tents".

Yehoshua was thus able to get back his connection to the tribe of Ephraim, but he lived in the "tent of Moshe". He was not yet married and he no longer lived with his parents. Thus he had no "father".

Another explanation is Yehoshua Bin No-one.

Since he was training to become the leader he could not fall into the same "bin" as the rest of Bnai Yisrael. He had to remain objective.

Another possibility is Yehoshua Bin Noon

Just as Moshe Rabbeinu took care of Bnei Yisrael from early morning, Yehoshua could only handle matters for himself at midday. This may have been because Moshe Rabbeinu was getting ready for Mincha and it was too late for Shacharis. Thus, Yehoshua had a break at that time.

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This is caused by a misunderstanding of the word נוּן.

It actually means "fish" in Arabic and ancient Aramaic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nun_%28letter%29#Origins

So, his real name is actually Joshua Fishson.

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  • His parents were fish?!
    – Daniel
    Mar 10, 2016 at 14:40
  • @Daniel I guess so. :)
    – theblitz
    Mar 10, 2016 at 14:56
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    @Daniel This must mean Yehoshua was a merman! Now it makes sense why he never left the tent - that was where his water tank was!
    – Isaac Kotlicky
    Mar 10, 2016 at 16:34
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    @IsaacKotlicky But if he was a merman, why did Hashem have to split the Jordan for him?
    – Daniel
    Mar 10, 2016 at 16:35
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    @Daniel the water was split for the rest of the nation, not Yehoshua. In fact, Chazal state in Gittin that the waters of the Jordan piled up hundreds of amos high as Bnei Yisroel crossed. This was to illustrate that Hashem provided each person with their own "path," and Yehoshua's path was through the water while the rest of the nation took the land...
    – Isaac Kotlicky
    Mar 10, 2016 at 16:38
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He is the son of Peter Noone, front man of Herman's Hermits.

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  • this is true. There is a misreading -- his middle initial was B. "Joshua B. Noone"
    – rosends
    Mar 10, 2016 at 14:56

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