1.
He Was the Firstborn of Leah and Jacob
Reuben was the first of six sons
born to Jacob by his first (but not favorite) wife, Leah.1 Although he was the
eldest of Jacob’s 12 sons (progenitors of the 12 Tribes), throughout his life he
seemed to fail to actualize his potential to lead his brothers.
Read: 13 Leah Facts
2.
His Name Means “See, Son”
Leah was hopeful that her
fertility would lead to Jacob favoring her, and this hope is reflected
in the names she gave her sons. When she gave birth to her first boy,
she declared, “G‑d has seen my suffering, for now my husband will love
me,” and named him reu-ben, which translates as “see, son.”2
Read: What Does the Name Reuben Mean?
3.
He Gave His Mother Flowers
After Leah and Jacob had four
sons, and the concubines Bilhah and Zilpah
contributed another four, Reuben picked some duda’im (translated
as “mandrakes” or “jasmine”3
), which he gave to his mother. Leah traded them with her sister-wife
Rachel, who was still barren, for the rights to have conjugal relations
with Jacob that night, and their union produced her fifth son,
Yissachar.4
Read: Why Is There a Silent “S” in Yissachar?
4.
He “Messed With His Father’s Bedding”
Scripture tells us that after
Rachel’s death, Reuben “lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine.”5 According to
rabbinic tradition, this means that he moved his father’s bedding,
which had been in the tent of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, into the tent of
his mother, Leah, who was now the only full wife of Jacob.
Read: What Does It Mean to Be a True Leader?
5.
He Marred the Firstborn Status
Jacob was displeased with Reuben’s
rash actions, fearing that his eldest son would become a sinner like
Ishmael (Abraham’s first-born) and Esau (Isaac’s oldest). He was
assured from heaven that Reuben was, in fact, righteous.6
Nevertheless, Reuben’s actions
left their mark and he was stripped of his firstborn status, a
designation that was transferred to Rachel’s firstborn, Joseph, whose
tribe was doubled.7
Read: The Story of Joseph
6.
He Repented
The Midrash tells us that Reuben
regretted his misdeeds and would fast, don sackcloth, and engage in
repentance. His actions were so revolutionary that he is considered to
be the first to open the portal of repentance (teshuvah).8
Read: What Is a Baal Teshuvah?
7.
He Saved Joseph
Of his 12 sons, Jacob favored
Joseph, and the remaining brothers were so jealous that they wished to
kill him. Reuben convinced them to put him in a pit instead, hoping to
secretly rescue his brother. But while Reuben was gone (either serving
his father or repenting9
), the brothers sold Joseph to a passing caravan. Reuben was beside
himself with remorse and worry about how his poor father would react.10
Read: Did Jacob Ever Discover What the Brothers Had
Done?
8.
He Chastised His Brothers
Years later, Jacob sent his sons
to Egypt to purchase food, not knowing that the high-ranking Egyptian
official they were dealing with was Joseph. He did not send Benjamin,
Rachel’s second son, fearing that he would be harmed. Joseph, whom they
did not recognize, insisted that they not return the next time without
Benjamin.
Reuben told his brothers that this
was G‑d’s way of repaying them for their callous treatment of Joseph.11
Read: Reuben’s Message of Repentance
9.
He Tried to Guarantee Benjamin
They eventually ran out of food
and needed to return to Egypt, and Reuben attempted to convince his
father to send Benjamin, offering his own sons’ lives as collateral.12 Jacob was not
convinced by his argument, but was ultimately reassured by Judah who
promised to take responsibility for the boy.13
Read: 12 Facts About Judah
10.
His Father Reprimanded Him
Before blessing his sons at the
end of his life, Jacob had choice words for each of them, starting with
Reuben. “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the first of my
power,” said Jacob, before pointing out Reuben’s impetuous nature that
led to his tragic misstep.
Read: Spirituality vs. Leadership
11.
His Stone Was the Red Ruby
The High Priest wore a breastplate
with 12 precious stones, one for each of the tribes. The first stone,
etched with Reuben’s name, was the red ruby,14 which the sages say
is linguistically linked to his name.15
It is interesting to note that the
ruby is considered helpful for conceiving and maintaining a healthy
pregnancy, and Reuben gave his mother duda’im, which assist in
fertility, and was further twice involved in matters related to his
father’s procreation. The redness also symbolized how Reuben blushed
with shame when he recalled his misdeeds, and truly attempted to make
amends.16
12.
He Had 4 Sons
In the list of 70 souls who
descended to Egypt, we meet Reuben’s four sons: Chanoch Pallu, Chetzron
and Carmi.17 His family
continued to flourish, and when counted in the desert they numbered
46,500,18 and later
43,73019 adult males of
military age.
Read: Who Cares How Many Reubenites There Were?
13.
He Lived A Long Life
According to one tradition, he was
born on 14 Kislev and passed away on that same day 155 years later.
Others, however, say that he lived “only” 124 or 125 years.20
Read: Is It Special to Pass Away on Your Birthday?
14.
He Was an Incarnation of Cain
It is said that Reuben possessed
the soul of Cain, another firstborn who tragically clashed with his
younger sibling. After Reuben sinned, Cain’s soul, still not perfected,
left Reuben and eventually settled into Jethro, righteous father-in-law
of Moses.21
Read: The Story of Jethro
 By Menachem Posner More by this author
Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as staff editor at
Chabad.org, the world’s largest Jewish informational website. He has
been writing, researching, and editing for Chabad.org since 2006, when
he received his rabbinic degree from Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim
Lubavitch. He lives in Chicago, Ill., with his family.
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