“Gather, and I will tell you” – he appointed them as elders, just as it is stated: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel” (Numbers 11:16). “Gather” is stated, and “assemble and hear” is stated – he informed them that they would be exiled twice. “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, and the first of my potency; greater honor and greater power. Impetuous as water, you shall not excel [totar]; because you mounted your father’s bed; then you desecrated, he who ascended my couch” (Genesis 49:3–4).
“Reuben, you are my firstborn” – you are my firstborn, you are similar to me. I lived eighty years and did not see even one drop of semen. “My strength and the first of my potency” – you were my first drop. “Greater honor and greater power” – three crowns were in your possession: priesthood, kingship, and the birthright.
Priesthood, as it is written: “Greater honor [se’et],” and se’et is nothing other than priesthood, as it is written: “Aaron lifted [vayisa] his hands” (Leviticus 9:22). Kingship, as it is written: “And greater power,” and power is nothing other than kingship, as it is written: “He will give strength to His king” (I Samuel 2:10). The birthright, as it is written: “Reuben, you are my firstborn.” And you lost them.
What caused you [to lose them]? “Impetuous [paḥaz] as water, you shall not excel.” For what is it an acronym? Rabbi Eliezer says: You were impetuous [paḥazta], you cast [hishlakhta]24Although hishlakhta begins with a heh whereas paḥazta has a ḥet, since these sounds are produced in a similar way and sound similar, they are considered interchangeable for homiletical purposes (Etz Yosef; see Rabbi David Luria). the yoke from upon your neck, your evil inclination moved [za] against you.
Rabbi Yehoshua says: You were impetuous [paḥazta], you sinned [ḥatata], you engaged in licentiousness [zanita]. Rabbi Levi said: Transpose paḥaz – you trembled [zata], you became anxious [ḥaradta], and the sin departed [paraḥ] from you.25He did not actually engage in relations with Bilha, and he repented even for the thought of doing so. Alternatively, paḥaz – you trampled [pasata] the law, you profaned [ḥilalta] your birthright, you became a stranger [zar].26The term stranger is used as a contrast to priesthood; a non-priest is known as a stranger [zar].
“As water” – what is “as water”? If a person pours a flask of water and it spills, nothing at all remains [mishtayer] in it, but if it was of oil or of honey, something would remain in it. That is why it says: “As water you shall not totar. “Because you mounted [alita] your father’s bed” – when you brought mandrakes and your mother was saying to her sister: “Was the taking of my husband insignificant” (Genesis 30:15), you caused my bed to be elevated [alita] and my couch to be desecrated.27This view interprets the term “mounted [alita]” to mean elevated, in a positive sense.
When Reuben brought mandrakes to his mother (Genesis 30:14), Rachel asked for some of them. Leah responded: “Was the taking of my husband insignificant that you would take also of my son’s mandrakes?” and Rachel responded: “Therefore he will lie with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes” (Genesis 30:15). In this exchange, Leah was considered to have respected and elevated Jacob’s bed and Rachel was considered to have denigrated it (Etz Yosef; see Bereshit Rabba 98:4).
Because you caused it to be desecrated, you will be a pariah until Moses, in whose regard it is written: “Moses ascended” (Exodus 19:3), will come and release you and draw you near. That is what is written: “May Reuben live” (Deuteronomy 33:6).28This was stated by Moses.