The Twelve Tribes Engraved on the High Priest's Shoulder Stones

"Six of their names on the one stone" (Exodus 28:10). The High Priest had two precious stones upon his shoulders, one on this side and one on that, and the names of the twelve tribes were written upon them, six on this stone and six on that stone, as it is said, "Six of their names" and so forth. "And the names of the six that remain on the second stone, according to their birth" (Exodus 28:10): the second stone follows their birth order. "According to their birth" but not the first stone according to their birth, because Judah is placed first. There were fifty letters, twenty-five on one stone and twenty-five on one stone. Rabbi Hanina ben Gamliel says: they were not divided on the stones of the ephod the way they are divided in the Book of Numbers, but rather the way they are divided in the second book: the sons of Leah in their order, the sons of Rachel one here and one there, and the sons of the handmaids in the middle. If so, what does Scripture teach by saying "according to their birth"? In the manner their father called them and not in the manner Moses called them: Reuben and not Reubeni, Simeon and not Simeoni. These fifty letters are fifty less one [forty-nine]. Rabbi Yitzchak said: they added one letter to Joseph, as it is said, "He appointed it as a testimony for Yehosef" (Psalms 81:6) [spelling Joseph with an extra letter]. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: "according to their birth" teaches that throughout the whole Torah Benjamin is written defectively, but here Benjamin is written in full, as in "and his father called him Binyamin" (Genesis 35:18, cf. 45:14).