Today, we're going to delve into the final testament of Reuben, the eldest son.
According to Legends of the Jews, a couple of years after Joseph's death, Reuben fell ill, sensing his time was near. He gathered his sons, grandsons, and brothers, ready to share his hard-earned wisdom. What follows is a deeply personal and cautionary tale.
"Hear, my brethren," he began, "and do ye, my children, give ear unto Reuben your father." He implored them, adjuring them by the God of heaven, to avoid the follies of youth, particularly the "fornications to which I was addicted, and wherewith I defiled the bed of my father Jacob." It’s a raw and honest admission. He doesn't shy away from his past mistakes.
He reveals the consequences of his actions: "For I tell you now that for seven months the Lord afflicted my loins with a terrible plague, and if my father Jacob had not interceded for me, the Lord had swept me away." Reuben was just twenty years old when he committed what he calls an evil act before the Lord, leading to a seven-month illness. He then spent seven years in deep penance, abstaining from wine, meat, and delicacies, consumed by his remorse.
But what drove him to this point?
Reuben warns against the "seven tempter spirits": fornication, gluttony, strife, love of admiration, arrogance, falsehood, and injustice. He focuses especially on unchastity. "Pay no heed to the glances of a woman, and remain not alone with a married woman, and do not occupy yourselves with the affairs of women." It's a stark warning rooted in his own experience.
He then recounts the specific incident, a moment of weakness that haunted him. "Had I not seen Bilhah bathe in a secluded spot, I had not fallen into the great sin I committed." He explains that his thoughts, once fixated on her nakedness, consumed him until he acted. The story goes that while the family sojourned near Bethlehem, Bilhah, drunken with wine, lay asleep, uncovered, in her chamber. Reuben entered, saw her nakedness, committed the sin, and left.
An angel, according to Legends of the Jews, immediately revealed Reuben's transgression to his father, Jacob. Jacob mourned, never again approaching Bilhah. Reuben, filled with shame, couldn't even look his father in the eye or speak of the incident to his brothers. Even on his deathbed, "my conscience tortures me on account of my sin," he confessed.
Yet, there's a glimmer of hope. Jacob, despite his pain, offered words of comfort and prayed for his son. He prayed "that the wrath of the Lord might depart from me, as He showed me." This act of forgiveness highlights the enduring power of familial love and the possibility of redemption.
Reuben then shifts his focus, urging his children to align themselves with Levi, "because he will know the law of the Lord," he said, "and he will give ordinances for judgment, and bring sacrifices for all Israel, until the consummation of the times, as the anointed high priest of whom the Lord spake." This points to the future priestly role of the Levites and hints at the coming of the Messiah. As we find in texts like Midrash Rabbah, the Levites' dedication to religious law and practice would set them apart. And as The Zohar tells us, their role was crucial for the spiritual well-being of the entire community.
Having delivered his final will, Reuben passed away at the age of one hundred and twenty-five. His body was placed in a coffin, eventually carried from Egypt to Hebron, and buried in the Double Cave, Machpelah (Ginzberg).
So, what can we take away from Reuben's testament? It's more than just a story of sin and regret. It's a reminder of the power of temptation, the importance of accountability, and the enduring hope for forgiveness. It's a human story, filled with flaws and redemption, offering us a glimpse into the complex lives of our ancestors. And it reminds us that even in our darkest moments, there's always the possibility of finding our way back to the light.