By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
In this study I would
like to examine the relationship of Benyamin (Benjamin), son of Yaakov, to Yoseph and to Mashiach (Messiah).
Benyamin was named by his mother, Rachel:
Ben Oni, “Son of Sorrows”.
But, Yaakov named him:
Ben Yamin, “Son of My Right Hand”, or
“Son of Power”.
Benyamin is from the
right side only. In fact when Moshe (Moses) blesses him, he calls him:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:12 [And] of
Benyamin he said, The beloved of the HaShem
shall dwell in safety by him; [and HaShem] shall
cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
The word “beloved” comes
from the Hebrew word “yadid”, which is spelled yod
dalet yod dalet. Yod dalet (yad) is the way we spell “hand” in Hebrew. So,
“yadid” can mean hand hand. Since everyone has two
hands, this obviously has a different meaning. Chazal say that it means he has
two right hands.
Why was the blessing to Benyamin
given after Levi's but before Yoseph's? Since Levi's blessing was to serve in
the Temple it was fitting subsequently to bless the tribe which would have the Temple in its portion, Benyamin.
The tribe of Yoseph would also have the Shekinah, the Divine Presence, residing
in its portion. However, this was temporary, as Shiloh (a place within the
borders of Yoseph) housed only the Tabernacle and not
the Temple itself (Rashi). Why did the tribe of Benyamin merit
to have the Shekinah and the Holy Temple reside in its portion of the land? Benyamin
had three unique qualifications:
Bereshit (Genesis) 33:1-7 And Yaakov
lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came,
and with him four hundred men. And he divided the
children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two
handmaids. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and
her children after, and Rachel and Yoseph hindermost. And he passed over before
them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times,
until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him,
and fell on his neck, and kissed
him: and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes, and
saw the women and the children; and said, Who [are] those with thee? And he
said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. Then the
handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. And
Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Yoseph
near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
Bereshit (Genesis) 35:16-19 And they
journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little
way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it
came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear
not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in
departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father
called him Benyamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath,
which [is] Beth-lehem.
The names Benoni and Benyamin allude to Mashiach:
Yochanan (John) 16:19-22 Now Yeshua knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said
unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and
ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? Verily,
verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and
lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be
sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in
travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered
of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born
into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and
your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
Matityahu (Matthew) 26:64 Yeshua saith
unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see
the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Benyamin and Yoseph are bound together by blood and love. They were
both the sons of Yaakov and Rachel. They were both
loved in a special way, by there father because of his love for Rachel.
Tribal Order
Benyamin is also linked
to his brothers who make up the twelve tribes of Israel. All the brothers, with the exception of
Benyamin, were born within a span of seven years;
Reuben being the first and Yoseph the last. After the family arrived in the land of Israel, Beyamin was born.
Throughout the
scriptures, the tribes are sorted in different orders to emphasize a particular
attribute. For example, the order of the tribes in their first appearance in
Bereshit (Genesis), is in birth order. Their first appearance in Shemot
(Exodus), is in the order they camped around the Mishkan (Tabernacle). There is also an order according
to how they marched in the wilderness.
To understand these orders you will need to examine the lives (life
stories) of each of Yaakov’s twelve sons. For this
study, we will focus on the life story of Binyamin.
Binyamin was the last son born to Yaakov, and the last son born to Rachel.
So, according to this order, Binyamin would be associated with the last month
of the year, the month of Adar.
According to Chazal (the Sages of the Talmud), Benyamin
was sinless:
Shabbath 55b An objection
is raised: Four died through the serpent's
machinations,[3] viz., Benyamin the son of Yaakov, Amram the
father of Moses, Jesse the father of David, and Caleb the son of David. Now,
all are known by tradition, save Jesse the father of
David, in whose case the Writ gives an explicit intimation. For it is written,
And Absalom set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a
man whose name was Ithra the Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of
Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.[4] Now, was she the daughter of Nahash? Surely she
was the daughter of Jesse, for it is written, and their sisters were Zeruiah
and Abigail?[5] Hence it must mean, the daughter of one who died
through the machinations of the nahash [serpent].[6] Who is [the author of this]? Shall we say, the
Tanna [who taught] about the ministering angels? — Surely there were Moses and
Aaron too! Hence it must surely be R. Simeon b. Eleazar, which proves that
there is death without sin and suffering without
iniquity. Thus the refutation of R. Ammi is [indeed] a refutation.
The Talmud
relates that only 'Four died through the serpent's machinations
(and not on account of their own sins):
Benyamin son of Yaakov,
Amram father of Moses,
Jesse father of David and
Caleb son of David'.
Benyamin was the most
perfect and sinless of Yaakov's sons. The sinlessness of Benyamin links him to Mashiach who also was sinless:
2 Corinthians 5:20-21 Now then
we are ambassadors for Mashiach, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray
[you] in Mashiach's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him [to
be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God
in him.
The one who comes at the end (birth order) has to have absolute perfection.
The Camping Order
The complete
camp was set up as a square:
Judah, Issachar and
Zebulun camped to the east under Judah's banner.
Reuben, Simeon and Gad
stayed in the south under Reuben's banner.
Ephraim, Menashe and Benyamin
were positioned to the west under Ephraim's banner.
Dan, Asher and Naphtali
were left in the north under Dan's banner.
The Levites were in the
middle, along with the Tabernacle, Moses and Aaron.
The Tribes of
Israel while marching
The Camp
Why was the camp arranged in this manner?
Judah is the tribe of the kingship[7],
Issachar is the tribe of
the Torah[8], and
Zebulun is the tribe of
wealth[9]. Since this triumverate includes the Torah and
the kingship, it camps and marches first. To the right is Reuben's camp.
Reuben represents
repentance[10],
Gad represents valor[11] and
Simeon stays between them
for forgiveness-by-association. This team is second to camp and move, because
even though repentance is extremely important, it is still secondary to the
Torah.
Behind them in the west
comes Ephraim's banner. This is the grouping of Rachel's descendants (Ephraim,
Manasheh, and Benyamin). The Divine Presence stays in Benyamin's portion.
Later, the Temple would be built in Benyamin's
portion (in the western part of Israel). Benyamin also represents strength and
security[12]. This representation of strength follows those of
Torah and repentance, symbolizing that a person must use his strength to grow
in Torah and overcome his evil inclination.
Marching last and camping
in the north are the forces of Dan. Just as the north would later bring evil to
Israel[13], so too Dan's portion (in the northern part of
Israel) would be a center for idolatry[14]. Dan marched last because he had the power to
retrieve those who had fallen outside the cloud.
Asher, however, is Dan's
neighbor, to counter this darkness with his light[15]. To help Asher is…
Naphtali, who represents
blessing[16]. This contingent must move last, because
idolators must remain in the back (Bamidbar Rabbah).
Purim
Purim is celebrated in Adar
and points plainly at Binyamin. Mordecai, a major participant in the story, was
a Benjamite:
Esther 2:5 [Now] in Shushan the palace there
was a certain Jew, whose name [was] Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of
Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
Haman, the enemy of the Jews in the book of Esther, was the descendant of an Amalekite
who was supposed to be slain by a Benjamite. His name was King Saul:
1 Shmuel (Samuel) 9:21 And Saul
answered and said, [Am] not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my
family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benyamin? wherefore then
speakest thou so to me?
1 Shmuel (Samuel) 15:7-8 And Saul
smote the Amalekites from Havilah [until] thou comest to Shur, that [is] over
against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly
destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Mordechai, in megilat Esther, refused to bow down
(he was from the tribe of Benyamin). In fact, he always stood.
Yoseph and Benyamin
Throughout the scriptures, Yoseph and Benyamin
are intimately linked. They were the only children of Yaakov
and Rachel:
Bereshit (Genesis) 35:24 The sons
of Rachel; Yoseph, and Benyamin:
Rachel
died on 11th Cheshvan, at the age of 36, while giving birth to Benyamin.
She was buried in Ephrat / Bethlehem because
Yaakov foresaw that the Babylonian exiles were destined to pass that spot and pray; at that time Rachel would beg mercy for them:
Yeremyahu (Jeremiah) 31:14-16 "A
loud voice is heard, Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted...they will return from their enemy's
land...within their own borders.".
Yoseph and Benyamin were the only children of the only woman who was ever
called Yaakov’s wife:
Bereshit (Genesis) 46:19 The sons
of Rachel Yaakov's wife; Yoseph, and Benyamin.
Midrash Rabbah - Bereshit (Genesis) LXXIII:2 He hath remembered His mercy and His faithfulness
toward the house of Israel; all the ends of the
earth have seen the salvation of our God (ib.
XCVIII, 3). ’ He hath remembered His mercy’ alludes to Abraham, as it says,
Mercy to Abraham (Micah VII, 20); ’ And His faithfulness,’ to Yaakov, as it
says, Thou wilt show faithfulness to Yaakov (ib.); ’ Toward the house of Israel’ means Israel the patriarch’. Who was
the ’house’ of our ancestor Yaakov? Surely Rachel! For in connection with all the others it is written, And
the children of Leah: the firstborn of Yaakov was Reuben... and the children of
Zilpah Leah's maid were Gad and Asher... and the children of Bilhah Rachel's
maid were Dan and Naphtali (Gen. XXXV, 23-6). But in the case of Rachel it is
written, The sons of Rachel, Yaakov's wife[17]: Yoseph and Benyamin (ib. XLVI, 19). Another
interpretation: ’He hath remembered His mercy and His faithfulness toward the
house of Israel’ alludes to, AND GOD REMEMBERED RACHEL, AND GOD HEARKENED TO
HER.
When Yoseph was born, Rachel, his mother, prophesied that another son would be added to this one:
Bereshit (Genesis) 30:24 And she
called his name Yoseph; and said, HaShem shall add to
me another son.
Chazal says that this son which is added to Yoseph, will be Benyamin:
Midrash Rabbah - Bereshit (Genesis) LXI:4 Bar Kappara said: The addition granted by the
Holy One, blessed be He, exceeds the principal. Cain was the principal, yet
since Abel is recorded as an addition,[18] he was born together with two
twin sisters.[19] Yoseph was the principal, yet since Benyamin is
recorded as an addition,[20] he begot ten sons, as it
is written, And the sons of Benyamin: Bela, and Becher and Ashbel, Gera, etc.
(ib. XLVI, 21).
Midrash Rabbah - Bereshit (Genesis) LXXIII:6 AND SHE CALLED HIS NAME YOSEPH, SAYING: THE LORD
ADD TO ME ANOTHER SON (XXX, 24). ANOTHER [i.e. different] in respect of exile. R. Judah b. R. Simon said: The tribes
of Judah and Benyamin were not exiled to the same place as were the other ten
tribes. The ten-tribes were exiled beyond the River Sambatyon,[21] whereas
the tribes of Judah and Benyamin are dispersed in all countries.[22] ANOTHER
SON-in respect of dissension.[23] R.
Phinehas said: Through Rachel's prayer the tribes of
Judah and Benyamin did not revolt [against the Davidic dynasty] together with
the remaining ten tribes.[24] ANOTHER
denotes the behaviour of others.[25]
They stood together on Mount Gerazim, the mount of
blessing:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 27:12 These
shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over
Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Yoseph, and Benyamin:
Their inheritance in the land of Israel were
together:
Yehoshua (Joshua) 18:11 And the
lot of the tribe of the children of Benyamin came up according to their
families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah
and the children of Yoseph.
Ezekiel puts their gates to the city of Jerusalem
together:
Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 48:32 And at
the east side four thousand and
five hundred: and three gates;
and one gate of Yoseph, one gate of Benyamin, one
gate of Dan.
And so it goes; nearly everytime that Benyamin is
mentioned, Yoseph is closely connected.
After the “death” of Yoseph, Yaakov treated Benyamin like his only son:
Bereshit (Genesis) 42:4 But Benyamin,
Yoseph's brother, Yaakov
sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.
Bereshit (Genesis) 42:36 And Yaakov
their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved [of my children]: Yoseph [is]
not, and Simeon [is] not, and ye will take Benyamin [away]: all these things
are against me.
The Midrash tells us that Benyamin is the only
one of Yaakov’s son’s who is not associated with the selling of Yoseph:
Midrash Rabbah - Bereshit (Genesis) XCIX:1 BENYAMIN IS A WOLF THAT
RAVENETH, etc. (XLIX, 27). It is written, Why look ye askance (terazdun), ye
mountains of peaks (Ps. LXVIII, 17)? R. Jose the Galilean and R. Akiba
discussed this. R. Jose the Galilean applied the verse to the mountains. When
the Holy One, blessed be He, came to reveal the Torah on
Sinai, the mountains ran about and contended with each other, each claiming:
‘The Torah shall be revealed on me.’ Tabor came from Beth Elim and Carmel from
Apamea. Thus it is written, As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord
of hosts, surely like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea so
shall he come (Jer. XLVI, 18). The one says, ‘I have been called,’ and the
other says, ‘I have been called.’ Said God to them: ‘"Why look ye askance
(terazdun), ye mountains of peaks" (gabnunim)? Ye are all indeed high
mountains, and yet ye are rather "gabnunim", which has the same
meaning as in the verse, Or crook-backed (gibben) or a dwarf (Lev. XXI, 20);
idolatrous worship has been performed on the tops of all of you. But Sinai,
upon which no idolatrous worship has taken place, is The mountain which God
hath desired for His abode’ (Ps. loc. cit.); therefore, And the Lord came down
upon Mount Sinai (Ex. XIX, 20). Nevertheless, Yea, the Lord will dwell therein forever (Ps. loc. cit.)-in the Eternal House. R. Akiba related the verse to the tribes. When Solomon came to build the Temple, the tribes ran and
contended with one another, one saying, ‘Let it be built in my territory,’
while the other said, ‘Let it be built in my territory.’Said the Holy One,
blessed be He, to them: ‘Ye tribes, why look ye askance (terazdun)? Ye are all
tribes, ye are all righteous. Yet ye are gabnunim.’ What does gabnunim mean?
Ganabim (thieves); ye were all associated in the selling of Yoseph. But
since Benyamin was not associated in the selling of Yoseph, [his is] ‘The
mountain which God hath destred for his abode’. And thus you find that four
hundred and eighty years previously the sons of Korah
prophesied that it would be within Benyamin's portion, as it says, My soul
yearneth, yea, even pineth for thc courts of the Lord (Ps LXXXIV, 3). And thus
it says, Lo, we heard of it as being in Ephrath; we found it in the field of
the wood (Ps CXXXII, 6). R. Judah said: The Temple was built in Judah's
territory, for it is written, The Ephrathite of Beth-lehem
in Judah (I Sam. XVII, 12). R. Simeon said: It is in the territory of the son
of the woman who died in Ephrath. And who died in Ephrath? Rachel. You might
then think that it is in the portion of Yoseph, seeing that he too was her son:
therefore it states, ‘We found it in the field of the forest,’ which implies:
In the portion of him who was likened to the beast of the forest. And who was
so likened? Benyamin, as it is written, BENYAMIN IS A WOLF THAT RAVENETH.
We can see from the above Midrash that the Temple
was built in the land that was allocated to Binyamin. The Temple was the point
where heaven and earth kiss. The Temple is like the neck of the body; it connects the higher world (head) to the lower world (the body).
It is the place where HaShem meets with man. This
alludes to the fact that Benyamin is where heaven and
earth kiss.
When the land of Israel was divided among the tribes, the
territories of Judah and Binyamin ended up converging by the location of the
altar in the future altar. As a result, the south-eastern portion of the altar
was in the territory of Yehudah, and the north-western part of the Temple was in the land of Binyamin. However, it was only
around these two sides that a base of about two feet
wide wrapped around the altar, called the Yesod
(foundation – the place of the brit mila), a merit that Binyamin earned because of his intense desire
to be a host to the Divine Presence.
As an aside, it is
insightful to remember the reunion between Yoseph and
Binyamin in Mitzraim (Egypt), and that it, too, was related to the Temple:
After forgiving his
brothers, Yoseph was overcome with emotion and "he fell upon his brother
Benyamin's neck and wept, and Benyamin wept upon his neck"[26]. This scene doesn't make sense given the
background provided by Chazal. The Midrash says that
Yoseph identified himself to Benyamin. After the brothers brought Benyamin to
Egypt, Yoseph took him aside, showed him an astrological map of Egypt, and
asked him to use his divine inspiration to locate his long-lost brother Yoseph.
Benyamin successively identified the district, the city, and the building in
which they were sitting. When shown a map of the palace, he indicated the room
they were in, and said "my brother is beside me." This puts
everything in a new light! If Yoseph had already revealed himself to Benyamin,
why did this emotional scene take place when Yoseph identified himself to the
rest of his brothers? Rashi explains that Yoseph was weeping
"for the two Temples that were to be in
Benyamin's portion [of the land of Israel] and were
destined ultimately to be destroyed," while Benyamin was weeping over "the
Mishkan [Tabernacle (predecessor of the Temple in
Jerusalem)] of Shiloh destined to be in Yoseph's portion, which also ended in
destruction." This seems like a non-sequitur. Why did the brothers'
reunion elicit this response from Yoseph and Benyamin?
Chazal tell us that the
destruction of the Beit HaMikdash was divine
punishment for the baseless hatred that existed among the Jews
at that time.
The Midrash also says that Yoseph and Binyamin
were equal:
Midrash Rabbah - Bamidbar (Numbers) XIV:8 ON THE NINTH DAY ABIDAN THE SON OF GIDEONI,
PRINCE OF THE CHILDREN OF BENYAMIN (VII, 60). Why did Benyamin present his
offering after the sons of Yoseph? Because, just as the Shechinah resided in
the territory of the former at Shiloh, so it dwelled
in the territory of Benyamin in the Temple at Jerusalem.
Another exposition: It was in reference to what Scripture says, Before Ephraim
and Benyamin and Manasseh, stir up thy might, and come to save us (Ps. LXXX,
3).[27] HIS OFFERING WAS ONE SILVER DISH (KA’ ARATH)
(VII, 61). Read not KA'ARATH but ’ikkereth (chief). It symbolised Rachel who
was the main pillar of the house; she being Yaakov's
chief wife; for it says, The sons of Rachel, Yaakov's wife[28]: Yoseph and Benyamin (Gen. XLVI, 19) and it says,
Rachel died unto me (ib. XLVIII, 7).[29] ONE SILVER. It was a result of her prayer that Benyamin was born, for it says, And she
called his name Yoseph, saying: The Lord add to me another son (ib. XXX, 24),
and it is to her that the text applies,’ The tongue of the righteous is as
choice silver’ (Prov. X, 20)--righteous man or righteous woman. THE WEIGHT
THEREOF WAS A HUNDRED AND THIRTY SHEKELS (VII, 61). Benyamin was born when Yaakov
was a hundred years old,-it was for this reason that he was called by the name
of Benyamin (ben yamin),[30] namely, because was born when his father was a
hundred years old-and he himself was thirty years of age when he went down to
Egypt. This gives you a total of a hundred and thirty. ONE SILVER BASIN
(MIZRAK) (VII, 6}). A mizrak is the same thing as a gabia’ (goblet) and the
MIZRAK here alludes to Yoseph who tested the righteousness of his brothers in
regard to Benyamin by means of the goblet. When Yoseph saw that Judah risked
his life for Benyamin he realised the righteousness of his brothers and made
himself known to them. Moreover, because Yoseph drank wine (yayin) in a goblet
and the numerical value of yayin is seventy,[31] the weight of the basin was for that reason
SEVENTY SHEKELS, AFTER THE SHEKEL OF THE SANCTUARY (ib.). BOTH OF THEM FULL.
BOTH OF THEM, Yoseph and Benyamin, were equal,
for the Tabernacle was erected in the territory of Yoseph
at Shiloh and the Temple in the territory of Benyamin
at Jerusalem. This also explains the expression: FINE
FLOUR MINGLED WITH OIL FOR A MEAL-OFFERING (ib.).[32] ONE GOLDEN PAN OF TEN
SHEKELS (ib. 62) was in allusion to the ten sons that Benyamin had when he went down to Egypt; as it says, And the sons of Benyamin:
Bela, and Becher, etc. (Gen. XLVI, 21), all of whom were righteous. This
explains the phrase, FULL OF INCENSE. ONE YOUNG
BULLOCK, ONE RAM, ONE HE-LAMB, etc. (VII, 63). Here you have three kinds of burnt-offerings.
They allude to the three times that the Temple was to be built in his
territory; once in the days of Solomon, once in the days of the returned
exiles, and the third in the days of the Messiah.
ONE MALE OF THE GOATS FOR A SIN-OFFERING (ib. 64). This was in allusion to the
edifice which Herod constructed, for it was built by a sinful king and the
building was intended by him as an atonement for
having slain Israel's Sages. AND FOR THE SACRIFICE OF PEACE-OFFERINGS, TWO OXEN (ib. 65). This was in allusion to the two kings
who came out of Benyamin, viz. Saul and Ishbosheth. An alternative explanation:
In allusion to the two redeemers who came from that tribe,
namely Mordecai and Esther. FIVE RAMS, FIVE HE-GOATS,
FIVE HE-LAMBS (ib.). You have here three varieties of five each, corresponding
to the three advantages that Benyamin received in each of which ‘five’ is
mentioned. They are as follows: (1) Benyamin's portion was five times so much
as any of theirs (Gen. XLIII, 34); (2) To Benyamin he gave three hundred
shekels of silver, and five changes of raiment (ib. XLV, 22); and the third was
when Mordecai, who hailed from Benyamin, attained to
the privilege of wearing five royal vestments; as it says, And Mordecai went
forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and
with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple. (Est.
VIII, 15).1 THIS WAS THE OFFERING OF ABIDAN, etc. (VII, 65). When he had
presented his offering in accordance with the above scheme, the Holy One,
blessed be He, began to praise his offering, saying: THIS WAS THE OFFERING OF
ABIDAN, etc.
Benyamin had to go down to Egypt
because he was the only son of his
father. Does this sound familiar?
Matityahu (Matthew) 2:13-15 And when
they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Yoseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his
mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for
Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the
young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was
there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of
the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have
I called my son.
Yochanan (John) 3:16 For God
so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
So, Mashiach ben Yoseph, the Messiah from the House of Yoseph,
is closely linked with Benyamin.
Torah verses that
speak about Benyamin
Bereshit (Genesis) 35:15-27 Yaakov
called the place where God had talked with him Bethel. Then they moved on from
Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give
birth and had great difficulty. And as she was having great difficulty in
childbirth, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for you have
another son." As she breathed her last--for she was dying--she named her
son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benyamin. So Rachel died
and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
Over her tomb Yaakov set up a pillar, and to this
day that pillar marks Rachel's tomb. Israel moved
on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. While Israel
was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine
Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Yaakov had twelve
sons: The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Yaakov, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar
and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Yoseph and Benyamin.
The sons of Rachel's maidservant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Leah's
maidservant Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Yaakov, who were born
to him in Paddan Aram. Yaakov came home to his father Isaac
in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where
Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
Bereshit (Genesis) 42:1-5 When Yaakov
learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you
just keep looking at each other?" He continued, "I have heard that
there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live
and not die." Then ten of Yoseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Yaakov did not
send Benyamin, Yoseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid
that harm might come to him. So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy
grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.
Bereshit (Genesis) 42:29 – 46:22 When they came to their father Yaakov in the land of Canaan, they told him
all that had happened to them. They said, "The man who is lord over the
land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land.
But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. We were twelve
brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our
father in Canaan.' "Then the man who is lord over the land said to us,
'This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers
here with me, and take food for your starving
households and go. But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know
that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to
you, and you can trade in the land.'" As they were emptying their sacks,
there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father
saw the money pouches, they were frightened. Their father Yaakov said to them,
"You have deprived me of my children. Yoseph is no more and Simeon is no
more, and now you want to take Benyamin. Everything is against me!"
Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I
do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him
back." But Yaakov said, "My son will not go down there with you; his
brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down
to the grave in sorrow." Now the famine was still severe in the land. So
when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go
back and buy us a little more food." But Judah
said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face again
unless your brother is with you.' If you will send our brother along with us,
we will go down and buy food for you. But if you will not send him, we will not
go down, because the man said to us, 'You will not see my face again unless
your brother is with you.'" Israel asked,
"Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another
brother?" They replied, "The man questioned us closely about
ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked us. 'Do you
have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he
would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?" Then Judah said to Israel his
father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and
you and our children may live and not die. Then Judah said to Israel his father,
"Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and
our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can
hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and
set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. As it
is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice." Then
their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some
of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as
a gift--a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio
nuts and almonds. Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must
return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it
was a mistake. Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.
And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your
other brother and Benyamin come back with you. As for me, if I am
bereaved, I am bereaved." So the men took the gifts and double the amount
of silver, and Benyamin also. They hurried down
to Egypt and presented themselves to Yoseph. When
Yoseph saw Benyamin with them, he said to the steward of his house,
"Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they
are to eat with me at noon." The man did as Yoseph
told him and took the men to Yoseph's house. Now the men were frightened when
they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because
of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to
attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys." So they went up to Yoseph's steward and spoke
to him at the entrance to the house. "Please, sir," they said,
"we came down here the first time to buy food. But
at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us
found his silver--the exact weight--in the mouth of his sack. So we have
brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to buy
food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks." "It's all
right," he said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father,
has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he
brought Simeon out to them. The steward took the men into Yoseph's house, gave
them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. They
prepared their gifts for Yoseph's arrival at noon, because they had heard that
they were to eat there. When Yoseph came home, they
presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down
before him to the ground. He asked them how they were, and then he said,
"How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?" They
replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they
bowed low to pay him honor. As he looked about and saw his brother Benyamin,
his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one
you told me about?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my
son." Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Yoseph hurried out and
looked for a place to weep. He went into his private
room and wept there. After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling
himself, said, "Serve the food." They served him by himself, the
brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves,
because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for
that is detestable to Egyptians. The men had been seated before him in the
order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at
each other in astonishment. When portions were served to them from Yoseph's
table, Benyamin's portion was five times as much
as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him. Now Yoseph gave these instructions to the steward of his
house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as
they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my
cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with
the silver for his grain." And he did as Yoseph said. As morning dawned,
the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.
They had not gone far from the city when Yoseph said to his steward, "Go
after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why
have you repaid good with evil? Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and
also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.'" When he
caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him,
"Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do
anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the
silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or
gold from your master's house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he
will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves." "Very
well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have
it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame." Each of
them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward
proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.
And the cup was found in Benyamin's sack. At this, they tore their
clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and
returned to the city. Yoseph was still in the house
when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground
before him. Yoseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Don't you
know that a man like me can find things out by divination?" "What can
we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove
our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's
slaves--we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup." But Yoseph
said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to
have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in
peace." Then Judah went up to him and said: "Please, my lord, let
your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though
you are equal to Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a
father or a brother?' And we answered, 'We have an aged father, and there is a
young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only
one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.' "Then you said
to your servants, 'Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.' And we
said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his
father will die.' But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother
comes down with you, you will not see my face again.' When we went back to your
servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. "Then our father said,
'Go back and buy a little more food.' But we said, 'We
cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We
cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'
"Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of them went away from me, and I said,
"He has surely been torn to pieces." And I have not seen him since.
If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.' "So now, if the
boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father,
whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life, Sees that the boy
isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father
down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to
my father. I said, 'If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame
before you, my father, all my life!' "Now then, please let your servant
remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy
return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is
not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my
father." Then Yoseph could no longer control himself before all his
attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So
there was no one with Yoseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he
wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and
Pharaoh's household heard about it. Yoseph said to his brothers, "I am Yoseph! Is my father still living?" But his
brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his
presence. Then Yoseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When
they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Yoseph, the one you sold
into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves
for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of
you. For two years now there has been famine in the
land, and for the next five years there will not be
plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant
on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. "So then, it was
not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his
entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry
back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Yoseph
says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to
me; don't delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near
me--you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you
have. I will provide for you there, because five years
of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your
household and all who belong to you will become destitute.' "You can see
for yourselves, and so can my brother Benyamin, that it is really I who
am speaking to you. Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and
about everything you have seen. And bring my father
down here quickly." Then he threw his arms around his brother Benyamin
and wept, and Benyamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his
brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. When the
news reached Pharaoh's palace that Yoseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all
his officials were pleased. Pharaoh said to Yoseph, "Tell your brothers,
'Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, And bring your
father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of
Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.' "You are also directed to
tell them, 'Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your
wives, and get your father and come. Never mind about your belongings, because
the best of all Egypt will be yours.'" So the sons of Israel did this. Yoseph
gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for
their journey. To each of them he gave new clothing,
but to Benyamin he gave three hundred shekels
of silver and five sets of clothes. And this is what he
sent to his father: ten donkeys
loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain
and bread and other provisions for his journey. Then he sent his brothers away,
and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!"
So they went up out of Egypt and came to their
father Yaakov in the land of Canaan. They told him, "Yoseph is still
alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt." Yaakov
was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Yoseph
had said to them, and when he saw the carts Yoseph had sent to carry him back,
the spirit of their father Yaakov revived. And
Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Yoseph is still alive. I will go and
see him before I die." So Israel set out with
all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the
God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in a
vision at night and said, "Yaakov! Yaakov!" "Here I am," he
replied. "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be
afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I
will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Yoseph's
own hand will close your eyes." Then Yaakov left Beersheba, and Israel's
sons took their father Yaakov and their children and their wives in the carts
that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. They also took with them their
livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Yaakov and all
his offspring went to Egypt. He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons
and his daughters and granddaughters--all his offspring. These are the names of
the sons of Israel (Yaakov and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben the
firstborn of Yaakov. The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. The
sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a
Canaanite woman. The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. The sons of
Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and
Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. The
sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron. The sons of Zebulun: Sered,
Elon and Jahleel. These were the sons Leah bore to Yaakov in Paddan Aram,
besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three
in all. The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli. The
sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. The
sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel. These were the children born to Yaakov by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter
Leah--sixteen in all. The sons of Yaakov's wife Rachel: Yoseph
and Benyamin. In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Yoseph by
Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. The
sons of Benyamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim,
Huppim and Ard. These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Yaakov--fourteen
in all. The son of Dan: Hushim. The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and
Shillem. These were the sons born to Yaakov by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to
his daughter Rachel--seven in all. All those who went
to Egypt with Yaakov--those who were his direct descendants, not counting
his sons' wives--numbered sixty-six persons. With the two
sons who had been born to Yoseph in Egypt, the members of Yaakov's family,
which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.
Benyamin was used to
ransom his brothers. Hmmm, does this sound familiar? Notice what we find in the
Nazarean Codicil:
Marqos (Mark) 10:45 For even
the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many.
Now, lets see how Yaakov
ben Yitzchak (Jacob son of Isaac) blessed Benyamin:
Bereshit (Genesis) 49:27-28 "Benyamin
is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he
divides the plunder." All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this
is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the
blessing appropriate to him.
Now
lets see how the Midrash describes this “wolf”: