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Your portion of the weekly portion - and this week we will discuss "Mishpatim". our Biblical Hebrew newsletter is happy to present you the Jewish weekly portion of the week, which is read during prayer services on the Sabbath.
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Dear friends,
Today we will discuss Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob. Benjamin was Rachel's second son and played and important role in the household of Jacob after Joseph's disappearance. While we do not know all that much about Benjamin, the forefather of the tribe, the tribe itself is very important in Israelite history.
Birth
Benjamin is the only one of Jacob's sons to be born in Canaan, when Jacob and his family returned. His difficult birth is described in Genesis 35:16-20. Rachel died during labor, knowing that she had a son and after naming him. She was buried where she gave birth, on the road to Bethlehem.
The Tomb of Rachel, Bethlehem
Naming
Originally, it is Rachel who names Benjamin before her death. The name she gives him is בֶּן אוֹנִי, Ben Oni - the son of my "on". The meaning of the name is very important, because the word אוֹן has two very different meanings in Biblical Hebrew: the first being sorrow, and the second being strength. It is not clear which meaning the dying Rachel meant to give her son. We are immediately told that it is his father who names him Benjamin, literally "the son of my right (hand)". In thus naming Benjamin, Jacob wanted to interpret Rachel's name as "son of my strength", the right hand being a symbol of strength, and not put the burden of being the son of her sorrow on Benjamin.
Personal History
Throughout the tale of Joseph in the Book of Genesis, Benjamin is an important figure, however, we never hear of anything he himself does or says. When Jacob's sons first go down to break bread in Egypt, they do not take young Benjamin with them, because their father, who has already lost his beloved Rachel and her firstborn Joseph, or so he thinks, will not allow it. When Joseph demands that the brothers return with Benjamin, they try to explain that taking him away from their father will cause their father great sorrow. It is only very reluctantly and when there is no other choice that Jacob agrees to send Benjamin down to Egypt with the brothers.
In Egypt, we hear virtually nothing of Benjamin himself: Joseph plants a silver goblet in his cup, and when it is discovered the brothers are extremely distressed but we hear of no interaction with Benjamin. The only actual report of Benjamin himself is when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, and he and Benjamin cry on each other's necks.
Joseph Reveals Himself to his Brothers, Gustave Doré
Future as described in the blessings of Jacob and Moses
In the blessing of Jacob, we hear of Benjamin as one who devours prey and divides up spoil. This is in reference to the great abilities the members of the tribe had as warriors, as we will discuss immediately. In the blessing of Moses, we hear of the piety of the tribe, described as the beloved of God.
The Tribe in Biblical History
The tribe if Benjamin is very important in early Israelite history. Many of the central figures in Israel during the early stages of their settlement in the Land of Canaan were from this tribe, including Saul, the first king of Israel, a central figure to whom we will dedicate a separate newsletter. Later in biblical history we hear little of the tribe specifically, and apparently they were assimilated into the neighboring tribe of Judah. However, in some cases their tribal identity is remembered, as for example in the case of Mordeachai and Esther, the heroes of the Book of Esther.
One of the first judges of Israel, Ehud son of Gera, was from the tribe of Benjamin. The Moabites enslaved the Israelites in his time, and he went to bring Eglon, the king of Moab, tribute from the people. Ehud was left-handed, a known trait of the warriors of the tribe, and therefore hid a special, short, double-sided sword he made on his right thigh, so that it was not detected. After bringing the tribute to Eglon, who was a fat man, Ehud told him that he had a secret message for him. Remaining alone with the king, Ehud then stabbed him, and his sword was hidden in Eglon's fat stomach. Ehud then ran off, while Eglon's men assumed he was relieving himself. They waited very long before they discovered that the king was dead, and Ehud had time to run away, get back to the Israelites in Ephraim and recruit them. Ehud then raged war against the Moabites and was triumphant, giving the Israelites eighty years of peace (Judges 3).
Eglon Struck by Ehud
When we next hear of the tribe of Benjamin, it is not in a favorable context. At the end of the Book of Judges, they are involved in a scandal when a visitor and his concubine stop in a Benjaminite town for the night. The residents of the town behave in a way very reminiscent of the Sodomites in Genesis, and demand that the guest be given to them. He then forces his concubine out the door, and she is tortured all night and dies after returning back to him in the morning. The man then cuts her up into twelve pieces and sends her off to all the tribes of Israel, telling them of what the Benjaminites did to him. This causes a great civil war between the tribe of Benjamin, who are left-handed warriors, and the rest of the Israelites.
Have a great week!
The Biblical Hebrew Online Team.
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| Weekly Biblical Hebrew Words and Phrases |
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אִיש אִטֵּר יַד יְמִינוֹ
| Transcription: |
Ish iter yad yemino |
| Literal meaning: |
A man whose use of his right hand is restricted, meaning - someone who is left handed |
We hear twice of the phenomenon of people who were left-handed in the Bible, both in the Book of Judges. In Ehud Ben-Gera's case, it was his left handedness which enabled him to smuggle in the weapon which brought about the death of the king of Moab and the saving of Israel. When the Israelites fight the Benjaminites at the end of the Book of Judges, the left handedness of their warriors is described as part of their special skill. It is clear that this phenomenon was rare at the time.
מִסְדְּרוֹן
| Transcription: |
Misderon |
| Literal meaning: |
After Ehud kills Eglon, he leaves the room they were in and closes the doors, going out to the Misderon. This is the only time the word appears in the Bible, and it is obviously a place outside Eglon's cooling room, but it is not clear what exactly the meaning of the word is. |
In Modern Hebrew, the word was given the meaning of "corridor" or "hallway". While this is one of the possible interpretations of the biblical word, it is important to distinguish between the modern meaning and the biblical meaning and remember that the biblical word may in fact mean something different.
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