Reuben
Artist: Maria Stolz

“And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother, Leah.” Gen.30:14

In Reuben, meaning to see a son, we see a tribe of shepherds whose standard is the mandrake. The mandrake has a short stem and a thick root with purple or white flowers.  They are also called  “love apples” and are called man-drake because the root often resembles a human form.  According to some commentaries, red (which is the stone or gem red carnelian on Aaron’s breastplate) represents the blushing of Reuben’s face with shame from his transgression regarding Joseph.  The mandrake however, symbolizes his rectification, which when given to his mother, Issachar was conceived.

I depicted a pastoral scene of a nomadic tribe by the Jordan river including fish, sheep, a palm tree, the hand of a shepherd and the short toed eagle, most common in Israel.

Reuben, from the time of his conception, was involved with reversals and deceptions as his father Jacob was, when he was deceived in marrying Leah instead of Rachel.

It is viewed that his strength comes in his ability to withhold a personal claim to that of the firstborn son, which was inherently his, although intrinsically assigned to Joseph, the first born of Rachel, Jacob’s beloved.  In other words, unlike Esau, Jacob’s maligned brother, he did not try to win back his birthright from Joseph, nor did he wish to murder him

But wait a minute…what about his involvement with Joseph’s disappearance?  Well, actually it was his idea to save Joseph’s life by suggesting to his brothers that instead of murdering him, they should throw him into a pit –it is reasoned that his silent intention was to return alone and rescue his brother.  Regardless of his motivations, the painful realization of the lack of priority that his mother held in his father’s life may have caused him to react passionately rather than wisely.  Who can know?

When we dissect the name Reuben to spell Reu Ben, it actually means “to see the difference,” that is to say, can you see the difference or ironic twist to the story of Reuben and Esau?

In the terminology of the Kabbalah, the “son” represents the emotional characteristics of the heart, and it says the “father” represents wisdom.  However in this case, I think only half of this terminology is true.

©Maria Stolz

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

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