Sometimes, a single verse can unlock a whole world of meaning, revealing connections between different figures and events throughout Jewish history. Let's dive into one such verse from Genesis 49:27, where Jacob blesses his son Benjamin: "Benjamin is a wolf that mauls; in the morning he devours prey, and in the evening he divides spoils."
What does this powerful, almost jarring, imagery of a wolf actually mean? The Rabbis of the Midrash, specifically Bereshit Rabbah 99, see this verse as a prophecy, a glimpse into the future of Benjamin's descendants. And they find echoes of this "wolf" characteristic in several key figures.
First, they connect it to the judge Ehud. Remember Ehud? He was the left-handed judge who cleverly assassinated the Moabite king Eglon. The Midrash points out that "just as the wolf snatches, so Ehud snatched Eglon’s heart." It refers to Judges 3:20, where it says "Ehud came to him, and he was sitting alone in his cool upper chamber." Ehud tells Eglon he has a "secret matter" for him (Judges 3:19), a message from God: "'Take a sword and plunge it into your innards.'" Then, the rather graphic detail: "The parshedona emerged" (Judges 3:22) – meaning, his excrement. Ehud then escapes into the hamisderona, which Rabbi Yudan describes as "a portico that obscures the light." Rabbi Berekhya adds another layer, suggesting the ministering angels were arranged there. The swift, decisive, almost predatory action of Ehud certainly embodies the "wolf" characteristic.
But the Rabbis don't stop there. They also see the wolf in King Saul, who descended from Benjamin. "Just as the wolf snatches, so Saul snatched the kingdom," the Midrash says, referencing I Samuel 14:47: "Saul secured [lakhad] the kingdom over Israel." The word lakhad implies capturing something that belonged to another, hinting at the tensions between the tribe of Judah, who traditionally held the right to kingship, and Saul's tribe of Benjamin. "In the morning he devours prey" is linked to Saul's early military victories, as described in I Samuel 14:47: "He waged war against all his enemies all around." But "in the evening he divides spoils" is interpreted as Saul's tragic end, as told in I Chronicles 10:13: "Saul died for his trespass that he trespassed [against the Lord]." In the end, Saul himself became spoils for his enemies.
And what about Esther? Yes, even Queen Esther, the heroine of Purim, is connected to the "wolf" imagery. "Just as the wolf snatches, so Esther snatched the kingdom," the Midrash proclaims. It references Esther 2:8: "Esther was taken [to the king’s palace]." "In the morning it devours its prey" is associated with Esther 8:1: "On that day, King Aḥashverosh gave the house of Haman to Queen Esther." And "in the evening he divides spoils" is linked to Esther 8:2: "Esther appointed Mordekhai over the house of Haman." Esther's cunning and courage in saving her people are seen as another manifestation of Benjamin's "wolf" characteristic.
The Midrash even extends this imagery to the land of Benjamin itself. "Just as the wolf snatches, so Benjamin’s land snatches its produce," meaning the produce grows very quickly there. "In the morning it devours its prey" is connected to Jericho, whose produce ripened first, while "in the evening he divides spoils" refers to Beit El, whose produce ripened last.
Finally, Rabbi Pinḥas offers a completely different interpretation, connecting the verse to the altar in the Temple. "Just as the wolf snatches, so the altar snatches the offerings." "In the morning it devours its prey" corresponds to the morning offering: "the one lamb you shall offer in the morning" (Numbers 28:4). And "in the evening he divides spoils" refers to the afternoon offering: "and the second lamb you shall offer in the afternoon" (Numbers 28:4).
So, what do we take away from all this? The Rabbis, through their interpretations, show us how a single verse can hold multiple layers of meaning, connecting seemingly disparate figures and events. It is a testament to the power of Torah, that a single blessing can echo through generations, revealing itself in the actions of judges, kings, queens, and even the land itself. And ultimately it reminds us to look deeper, to seek the hidden connections that bind our history and our tradition together.