R. Hiya said: ‘Reuben was entitled to all the rights of a firstborn, but they were all taken from him and the kingship was given to Judah, the birthright to Joseph, and the priesthood to Levi. Hence it is written: “Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel” (tothar, lit. be left over); that is, thou shalt not retain them. In calling him “my might and the beginning of my strength”, Jacob blessed him and entrusted him to God.
He was like a king’s friend who desired that the king should treat his son well, so one day he went out with his son and said to the king: “This is my son, the beloved of my soul”; whereupon the king understood that he was asking him to treat his son well. So Jacob said of Reuben, “thou art my firstborn, etc.”, thus commending him to the King.
UNSTABLE AS WATER, THOU SHALT NOT HAVE THE EXCELLENCY. Here he indicated his subsequent fate, in not being left in the land, but cast outside.1Because the territory of Reuben was across the Jordan. In return, there was an angel appointed over his border from the side of the supernal Tabernacle, which is in charge of Michael (according to others, Gabriel), and Reuben was next to this, although the kingship belonged to Judah.
R. Simeon said: ‘The sons of Reuben are destined to wage two wars. It is written here “my strength”, alluding to the captivity of Egypt, and “the beginning of my strength”, alluding to their entry into ths land of Canaan at the head of their brethren (Num. XXXII). The words “the excellency of dignity” (lit. removing) refer to the captivity of Assyria, which befell the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben first of all; and they have suffered many evils without repenting up to now.
The words “the excellency of power” refer to the time when the Messiah will appear, and they will go forth and make war and conquer all peoples, and mankind will tremble before them; and they will endeavour to seize the kingship, but will not retain it, not in any quarter of the world, the reason being, as the text says, “because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed”, this being a reference to Jerusalem.
The sons of Reuben have been scattered in captivity to all four quarters of the world, having been taken captive four times, one referred to in the words “my might”, the second in the words “the beginning of my strength”, the third in the words “excellency of dignity”, and the fourth in the words “excellency of strength”. Correspondingly, they are destined to make war in the four quarters of the world and to carry all before them, and to conquer many peoples and rule over them.
Here was revealed his blessing, and what happened at that time and what was to happen when Israel entered the land, and what will happen at the time of the Messiah, as far as concerns Reuben.
רְאוּבֵן בּוּכְרָא דְיַעֲקֹב הֲוָה, אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא, לֵיהּ הֲוָה אִתְחֲזֵי כֹּלָּא, וְאִתְעֲבַר מִינָהּ כֹּלָּא, וְאִתְיְהִיב מַלְכוּ לִיהוּדָה, בְּכֵירוּתָא לְיוֹסֵף, כְּהוּנָּתָא לְלֵוִי. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם אַל תּוֹתַר, לָא תִשְׁתָּאַר בְּהוּ. וּמַה דְּאָמַר כֹּחִי וְרֵאשִׁית אוֹנִי, הָכָא בָּרְכֵיהּ וּפַקְדֵּיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא.
R. Hiya said: ‘Reuben was entitled to all the rights of a firstborn, but they were all taken from him and the kingship was given to Judah, the birthright to Joseph, and the priesthood to Levi. Hence it is written: “Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel” (tothar, lit. be left over); that is, thou shalt not retain them. In calling him “my might and the beginning of my strength”, Jacob blessed him and entrusted him to God.
לִרְחִימָא דְמַלְכָּא, (דבעא מן מלכא למעבד ביה טיבו) (נ"א דהוה ליה ברא והוה בעי דמלכא יעביד ליה טיבו) יוֹמָא חַד אַעֲבַר בְּרֵיהּ בְּשׁוּקָא, אָמַר לְמַלְכָּא, דָּא הוּא בְּרִי, וַדַּאי רְחִימָא דְנַפְשָׁאי. שָׁמַע מַלְכָּא, וְיָדַע דְּהָא שָׁאִיל עַל בְּרֵיהּ. כָּךְ יַעֲקֹב אָמַר, רְאוּבֵן בְּכוֹרִי אַתָּה כֹּחִי וְגו', הָכָא פַקְדֵּיהּ לְמַלְכָּא.
He was like a king’s friend who desired that the king should treat his son well, so one day he went out with his son and said to the king: “This is my son, the beloved of my soul”; whereupon the king understood that he was asking him to treat his son well. So Jacob said of Reuben, “thou art my firstborn, etc.”, thus commending him to the King.
פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם אַל תּוֹתַר, הָכָא אָמַר מַה דְּאִעֲרַע לֵיהּ, דְּלָא אִשְׁתָּאַר (ליה) בְּאַרְעָא, וְשָׁדֵי לֵיהּ לְבַר מֵאַרְעָא. לָקֳבֵל דָּא, חַד מְמַנָּא (תחומא) מִסִּטְרָא דְּמִשְׁכְּנָא לְעֵילָא, דִּי מְמַנָּא תְּחוֹת יָדָא דְמִיכָאֵל, וְאָמְרֵי לָהּ תְּחוֹת יְדָא דְגַבְרִ"יאֵל. וּמִיכָאֵל הוּא רֵישָׁא בְּכָל אֲתַר מִסִּטְרָא דְחֶסֶ"ד, וְגַבְרִיאֵל מִסִּטְרָא דִשְׂמָאלָא דִגְבוּרָ"ה. (הושע י״ב:א׳) וִיהוּדָה עֹד רָד עִם אֵל, סְטַר גְּבוּרָה, בֵּי דִינָא אִקְרֵי, וְסָמִיךְ לֵיהּ רְאוּבֵן, אַף עַל גַּב דְּמַלְכוּ הֲוָה דִיהוּדָה, רְאוּבֵן סָמוּךְ לְקֳבְלֵיהּ הֲוָה.
UNSTABLE AS WATER, THOU SHALT NOT HAVE THE EXCELLENCY. Here he indicated his subsequent fate, in not being left in the land, but cast outside.1Because the territory of Reuben was across the Jordan. In return, there was an angel appointed over his border from the side of the supernal Tabernacle, which is in charge of Michael (according to others, Gabriel), and Reuben was next to this, although the kingship belonged to Judah.
אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, זְמִינִין אִינוּן בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן, לַאֲגָחָא תְּרֵין קְרָבִין בְּגוֹ אַרְעָא. תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב כֹּחִי, בְּגָלוּתָא דְמִצְרַיִם. וְרֵאשִׁית אוֹנִי, דְּאִינוּן הֲווּ קַדְמָאִין לְגַבֵּי אֲחוּהוֹן לִקְרָבָא. יֶתֶר שְׂאֵת, לְגָלוּתָא דְאַשּׁוּר, דְּמִתַּמָּן גָלוּ בְּנֵי גָד וּבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן קַדְמָאי מִכֻּלְּהוּ, וְסָבְלֵי כַּמָּה בִּישִׁין, וְכַמָּה עִנּוּיִין סָבְלוּ, וְלָא תָבוּ עַד כְּעָן.
R. Simeon said: ‘The sons of Reuben are destined to wage two wars. It is written here “my strength”, alluding to the captivity of Egypt, and “the beginning of my strength”, alluding to their entry into ths land of Canaan at the head of their brethren (Num. XXXII). The words “the excellency of dignity” (lit. removing) refer to the captivity of Assyria, which befell the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben first of all; and they have suffered many evils without repenting up to now.
וְיֶתֶר עָז, לְזִמְנָא דְמַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא יִתְעַר בְּעַלְמָא, אִינוּן יִפְקוּן וְיִגְחוּן קְרָבִין בְּעַלְמָא, וִינַצְחוּן, וְיִתַּקְפוּן עַל עַמְמַיָא. וּבְנֵי עַלְמָא יִדְחֲלוּן מִנַּיְיהוּ וְיִרְתְּתוּן קַמַּיְיהוּ, וְיַחְשִׁיבוּ לְאִתְגַּבְּרָא בְּמַלְכוּתָא, וְלָא יִשְׁתָּאֲרוּן בֵּיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם אַל תּוֹתַר, מַאי טַעְמָא לָא יִשְׁתָּאֲרוּן בֵּיהּ, וְאֲפִילּוּ בְּסִטְרָא חַד דְּעַלְמָא, בְּגִין כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ. דִּזְמִינִין לְאֲעָלָא וּלְאַגָּחָא קְרָבִין בְּגוֹ אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא, מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ דַּיְיקָא, זוֹ יְרוּשָׁלֵם.
The words “the excellency of power” refer to the time when the Messiah will appear, and they will go forth and make war and conquer all peoples, and mankind will tremble before them; and they will endeavour to seize the kingship, but will not retain it, not in any quarter of the world, the reason being, as the text says, “because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed”, this being a reference to Jerusalem.
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּאַרְבַּע סִטְרֵי עַלְמָא, אִתְבַּדְּרוּ בְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן בְּגָלוּתָא, לְקִבְלֵיהוֹן דְּכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּאִתְגָּלוּ בְּגָלוּתָא אַרְבַּע זִמְנִין בְּאַרְבַּע סִטְרֵי עַלְמָא. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, כֹּחִי חַד, וְרֵאשִׁית אוֹנִי תְּרֵי, יֶתֶר שְׂאֵת תְּלַת, וְיֶתֶר עָז אַרְבָּעָה. כְּגַוְונָא דָא זְמִינִין אִינוּן לַאֲגָחָא קְרָבָא בְּאַרְבַּע סִטְרֵי עַלְמָא, וּלְמִשְׁלַט בְּקִרְבַּיְיהוּ עַל כֹּלָּא, וִינַצְחוּן עֲמָמִין סַגִּיאִין, וְיִשְׁלְטוּן עֲלַיְיהוּ:
The sons of Reuben have been scattered in captivity to all four quarters of the world, having been taken captive four times, one referred to in the words “my might”, the second in the words “the beginning of my strength”, the third in the words “excellency of dignity”, and the fourth in the words “excellency of strength”. Correspondingly, they are destined to make war in the four quarters of the world and to carry all before them, and to conquer many peoples and rule over them.
פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם אַל תּוֹתַר כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ, הָכָא אִתְרְמִיז עַל הִרְהוּרָא קַדְמָאָה דְּהֲוָה לֵיהּ לְיַעֲקֹב. בְּהַאי טִפָּה קַדְמָאָה בְּרָחֵל, דְּאִלְמָלֵא הִרְהוּרָא דְהַהִיא טִפָּה הֲוָה בְּאַתְרָהּ, אִשְׁתָּאַר רְאוּבֵן בְּכֹלָּא. אֲבָל פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם אַל תּוֹתַר כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ, עָלִיתָ, בְּהִרְהוּרָא אָחֳרָא, אָז חִלַּלְתָּ וְגו'.
דָּבָר אַחֵר, פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם אַל תּוֹתַר, דְּהָא כַּד יִגְחוּן קְרָבָא בְּנִי רְאוּבֵן בְּעַלְמָא, וִינַצְחוּן עֲמָמִין סַגִּיאִין, לָא יִשְׁתָּאֲרוּן בְּמַלְכוּתָא, מַאי טַעְמָא, כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי, דִּזְמִינִין לַאֲגָחָא קְרָבָא בְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא דַיְיקָא, דִּכְתִיב כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ (ס"א דא ירושלים. משכבי), מִשְׁכַּב מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא, אָבִיךָ דָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל סָבָא, מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ וְלָא מִשְׁכַּב, בְּגִין דְּהָא בִּתְרֵי זִמְנֵי אִתְבְּנֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ ם, וּתְלִיתָאָה לְזִמְנָא דְמַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא. וְעַל דָּא מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ. וְהָכָא אִתְגַּלְּיָיא בְּרָכָה, וּמַאי דְּהֲוָה בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא, וּמַאי דְּהֲוָה כַּד עָאלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאַרְעָא, וּמַה דִּיְהֵא בְּזִמְנָא דְמַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא בְּעוֹבָדָא דִרְאוּבֵן:
Here was revealed his blessing, and what happened at that time and what was to happen when Israel entered the land, and what will happen at the time of the Messiah, as far as concerns Reuben.