Reuben's Mandrakes and the Righteous Who Never Steal

"And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest" (Genesis 30:14). "Train up a child according to his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). "The full have hired themselves out for bread" (1 Samuel 2:5) - this is Leah, who was full of children and was rewarded; "and the hungry have ceased" - this is Rachel, who was hungry for children and ceased. "Until the barren has borne seven" - this is Leah, who was barren and bore seven. "And she that has many children languishes" - this is Rachel, who was fit to have most of the sons descend from her, yet languished. And who did this? "The LORD kills and makes alive" (1 Samuel 2:6). "And he found mandrakes." Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said: jasmine. Rabbi Yitzchak said: barley. Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon said: violets. Whether according to these or those, all agree that he brought only from ownerless property. Know this, for he went at the time of harvest, the season when every kind of produce ripens, yet he brought only from the ownerless - to teach you how careful they were against robbery. "And he brought them to Leah his mother" - to teach you how great his mother's honor was upon him, that he did not taste them until he had brought them to his mother. Our Rabbis taught: "He who blasphemes the LORD" (Numbers 15:30) - this is Manasseh son of Hezekiah, who expounded faulty homilies. He said: Did Moses have nothing to write but "And the sister of Lotan was Timna" (Genesis 36:22) and "And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz son of Esau" (Genesis 36:12), and "And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest"? A heavenly voice came forth and said to him: "You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. I will reprove you and set the matter before your eyes" (Psalms 50:20-21). Concerning him it is explained in the tradition: "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and sin as with a cart rope" (Isaiah 5:18). What is "as with a cart rope"? Rabbi Assi said: at first sin is like a spider's thread, and in the end it becomes like a cart rope. Since we have come to it - what is the meaning of "And the sister of Lotan was Timna"? She was a woman of distinguished family, as it is written, "chief Timna" (Genesis 36:40), and every chief is royalty without a crown. Timna was an important woman, and she desired to attach herself to the seed of Abraham. She came to Jacob and said to him, "Convert me and I will be your concubine," and he did not accept her. She went and became concubine to Eliphaz son of Esau. She said: I would rather be a maidservant to the lowest of this nation than a noblewoman in another nation. From her came Amalek, who came to afflict Israel. Why? Because they should not have pushed her away. From here we learn that the righteous do not stretch out their hands in robbery.