Gad
Artist: Maria Stolz

In When Jacob blessed Gad, he proclaimed them to be a powerful, warlike tribe.  In the 1st book of Chronicles there is a vivid description of them:  “Mighty men of valor, whose faces were like the faces of lions”

Here again, is the heraldic image of the lion coupled with the shield and the sword.  Their standard is the war tent and it is said that they lead all the tribes in establishing and mastering geographical boundaries for the House of Israel.  One commentary says that during ten years of battle, they did not lose one warrior, a rather astonishing feat when you think about it.

Depicted is the sabra or prickly pear cactus which is an apt description of the Israeli people, “prickly on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside.”

-chariot is a kabbalist symbol of divine mystery, what Maimonides suggested as the image of human “ensolement,” that is the investment of spirit within the body.  And speaking of chariots, did you know that Elijah the prophet was from the tribe of Gad?  How’s that for a connection.

Finally, Gad’s inheritance was on the other side of the Jordan, peripheral to the main land of Israel.  They were able to leave their own borders and guide the rest of the tribes in defining and claiming their own.  According to commentaries, Gad chose to live near the burial site of Moses rather than enter the land of Israel cementing their role in protecting and guarding the land and people of Israel while everyone else claimed their true sovereignty.

©Maria Stolz

Reuben | Simeon | Levi | Judah | Dan | Naphtali | Gad | Asher | Issachar | Zebulun | Joseph | Benjamin

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