The Torah portion describes the offerings brought by the leaders of the tribes of Israel at the dedication of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Each day, a different leader brought the same offering: a silver dish, a silver basin, and fine flour mixed with oil. But here's the thing: on the second day, when Netanel son of Tzuar, the prince of Issachar, presented his offering, the text uses a slightly different word: "hikriv" (Numbers 7:18-19). It says, "He presented his offering [hikriv]". Why this specific phrasing?

The Midrash, in Bamidbar Rabbah, dives into this. It tells us that Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob, wasn't too happy about going second. He argued, "Hey, wait a minute! Judah got to go first on the journeys, just like in the travels through the wilderness. Shouldn't I get to go next, according to birth order?"

Can you imagine the scene? Reuben, feeling overlooked, stepping up to challenge the order. But Moses, our wise leader, sets him straight. According to Bamidbar Rabbah, Moses says, "From the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, it was stated to me: ‘Present the offerings [hakrev] in accordance with the journeys.’" Since the camp of Judah led the way during their travels, their tribes got to offer their sacrifices first. Within that camp, the Torah itself dictated the order: Judah, Issachar, then Zebulun (Numbers 2:1-9).

But the Midrash doesn't stop there. It offers another interpretation of "hikriv." Maybe, it suggests, Moses actually "brought him near" – hikrivo – against Reuben’s will. In other words, perhaps Moses had to actively make sure Netanel got his turn.

And then there's a third possibility, a really intriguing one. "Presented his offering," it says, "it is as though he presented his offering first." Why? Because, according to Abba Ḥanan in the name of Rabbi Eliezer, Netanel was privileged to counsel the princes. He was a trusted advisor! Because of this wisdom, the verse ascribes to him as though he presented his offering first.

Think about that for a moment. Sometimes, it's not about birth order or who shouts the loudest. It's about wisdom, counsel, and the ability to guide others. Because he was privileged to offer good counsel, he merited understanding for his whole tribe. As it says, "From the children of Issachar, possessors of understanding of the times" (I Chronicles 12:33), and "Princes of Issachar were with Deborah" (Judges 5:15).

The Midrash goes even further, linking Issachar to the concept of justice and learning. It mentions that the tribe of Issachar had tribunals in Egypt and connects them to the study halls of Shem and Ever. "And Issachar in your tents" (Deuteronomy 33:18), teaches that the tribe of Issachar studied a lot of Torah.

Finally, Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair offers a truly unique perspective. He notices that the word "hikriv" is written slightly differently here, missing a yod, a Hebrew letter. He connects this to the ritual of the parah adumah, the red heifer. The red heifer had to be "red, complete, unblemished, without having borne a yoke" (Numbers 19:2). Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair sees in the four letters of the shortened "hikriv" a connection to these four requirements of the red heifer.

So, what does it all mean? Why this deep dive into one little word? It seems to me that the Rabbis are teaching us that leadership, influence, and even divine favor aren't always about who was born first or who demands attention. Sometimes, it's about wisdom, counsel, justice, and a deep connection to Torah. And sometimes, it’s about something even more mysterious, a connection to rituals and ideas that are far beyond our full comprehension.

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What qualities truly make a person worthy of leading, of being heard, of going first? Maybe the answer lies not in clamoring for position, but in cultivating wisdom and offering guidance to those around us. Maybe, just maybe, that's how we truly "present our offering" to the world.