The Meaning of Twelve and The Blessings for the Tribes #3

Moshe Blesses The Twelve Tribes

This post is the 3rd in a sub-series for the series of posts on the relationship of the judgements in Exodus to the judgements in Revelation.  If the reader is following the thread of these posts, it is important to read #1 and #2 in this series before coming to this 3rd post.  Here are the links:

The Meaning of Twelve and The Blessings for the Tribes #1

The Meaning of Twelve and The Blessings for the Tribes #2

An Emblem of the Tribe of Dan

Deuteronomy 33

1 And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

3 Yes, he loved the people; all His saints are in Your hand: and they sat down at Your feet; every one shall receive of Your words.

4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

5 And there was a king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.

Reuben

6 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = This is the essential testimony of grace, which, in being here given to the firstborn, is a testimony for all the firstborn in relation to the secret of the priesthood of Levi. This blessing of Moshe for Reuben comes directly from Jacob's blessing of Reuben, where Jacob blesses him for the sake of his position as the firstborn - even though no firstborn will prove worthy of that position in Israel until G-d makes Mashiach his firstborn by raising him from the dead. On that merit the position of the firstborn in Israel will be justified and restored to Reuben.  If Reuben will be saved all the firstborn of Israel will be saved.  If the firstborn of Israel will be saved, all Israel will be saved.  This is the revelation of Passover.  Thus in this blessing is implied a substitution, like unto the Passover Lamb.  On the merit of Moshe and Aaron, this place of the lamb will be held by the lamb, Levi, until the time when the tribe of Levi must itself have a Passover Lamb, a lamb of grace to cover its sins.  This blessing must come as a prayer.  It can come in no other way, for grace is that which is granted by HASHEM alone.

Judah

7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be an help to him from his enemies.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = Judah has the blessing of Shiloh from his father Jacob and yet requires this prayer from Moshe of being attached to his people, the prayer that he will be redeemed out of exile and attached to his people.  Who are his people?  It is Joseph, who is redeemed even in exile.  And Judah must be brought out of his exile from Joseph in order that he too might be redeemed even in exile.  Only then can both these houses be redeemed from exile as one.  Judah will have need of a grace in his own hands, his own efforts to come to this redemption in exile, though his enemies will mock him for this.  For by his own efforts he must bring himself down, not raise himself up.  He must bring himself down in repentance in order to save Benjamin from the fate of exile that befell Joseph.  For Joseph, who is hidden from his eyes in the shame of exile, will not reveal himself to him, cannot reveal himself to him, in any other way.  Judah must labour in this penitence.  For this Moshe blesses him with a prayer.

Levi

8 And of Levi he said, Let your Thummim and thy Urim be with your holy one, whom you did prove at Massah, and with whom you did strive at the waters of Meribah;

9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brothers, nor knew his own children: for they have observed your word, and kept your covenant.

10 They shall teach Jacob your judgments, and Israel your Torah: they shall put incense before you, and whole burnt sacrifice upon your altar.

11 Bless, HASHEM, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = The prayer of blessing for Reuben is the prayer of the one who is representative in the reception of grace on behalf of the collective many.  The prayer of blessing for Judah is the prayer for the head of the body, the one who is the corporate head, because he lays down his life for the body, the corporate many.  The prayer here for Levi is the prayer for the chosen few, the students of the Shekinah, who will judge the many lost sheep of the house of Isreal with salvation in the end, and therefore also in the beginning.  This is the office of the firstborn which ought to have been itself the collective one, the court of elders in the position of giving these blessings, but has become itself in need of a blessing of the prayer for grace, just as much as the houses of each of the full tribes and the full house of Israel, which is here called, Jeshurun, are in need of the blessing of the prayer of grace.  And what is the blessing needed by the office of the firstborn, which now is filled by the tribe of Levi?

It is that the Thummim and Urim of HASHEM would be with Levi.  Why was this the prayer of blessing that was needed?  Because, after the firstborn proved unworthy of the leadership of the testimony of HAHSEM, the Divine Presence, which would lead Israel by the Thummim and Urim, would not go with Israel.  For this reason Moshe makes his prayer of blessing for Levi a direct petition addressed to HASHEM.  Reuben’s transgression and Judah’s alienation from Joseph from the beginning indicated that the need for this prayer of blessing for Levi was the need of all Israel from before the foundation of the world. For this reason, Moshe has faith to make this direct plea to HASHEM in his blessing of Levi.  For ever before Israel went down into Egypt, or came up again by virtue of the value that HASHEM found in her firstborn, a fault was found and covered in the firstborn of Jacob by the grace which HASHEM established between Rachel and Leah.  And why was it Levi who was able to step into this office and receive this blessing?  It is because Levi is he, “whom you did prove at Massah, and with whom you did strive at the waters of Meribah...”

What is the meaning of this?  Here is the explanation of why it is a tribe, even Levi, who is chosen to fill the place of the firstborn in the position of the priesthood of God after the sin of the golden calf.  How is it Levi “whom you did prove at Masah, and with whom you did strive at the waters of Meribah..”? It is in the persons of Moshe and Aaron as the tzaddikim of Levi that this occurred.  It is as being attached to the Righteous individual “limb” of Moshe and Aaron – who are themselves attached to the Branch of Yehoshua HaMashiach – that Levi was made suitable to take the position of the firstborn, when, due to the sin of the golden calf, the firstborn were no longer suitable to take the postion of the priesthood in representing the true Firstborn Priesthood of Mashiach to come.  And it was for this reason that Moshe and Aaron were not able to enter into the Promised Land but instead died for the sake of Corporate Israel in the wilderness.  And for this reason Aaron’s death represented the actual and true death of Yehoshua HaMashiach for Corporate Israel, and Moshe’s death represented the mystery of the death of Yehoshua HaMashiach, in that as Hashem kept the body of Moshe concealed to Himself, so also Hashem raised Yehoshua from the grave and regenerated all Creation through his resurrection, concealing Mashiach in His presence, to be revealed in due time, when also there shall be revealed a new Heaven and a new Earth through Mashiach and his sacrifice for Israel.

How then are we now to enter the Land of Preparation for this and the Land of Testimony to this great news of Israel and Her Messiah?  This is the question that Hashem gave to His prophet Elijah.  This is the question asked by Yochanan the Immerser, John the Baptist, (who was the incarnation of the soul of Elijah, just as was Elisha the prophet), who, when he saw his works of regeneration, asked Yehoshua, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect another?”  That is to say, Since you have been given he power of regeneration but are to be concealed, as Moshe was concealed, how shall we prepare for the revelation of the New Jerusalem?  

Here in the blessing of the tribes Moshe is precisely in this same position of Yochanan in Herod’s prison.  He is himself, as the forerunner of Mashiach, about to be concealed for the sake of Corporate Israel’s salvation.  For this reason Moshe has listed the tribes in the order of unfolding the plan of redemption, as already given and as now proceeding to Benjamin.

Benjamin

12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = In order for the purpose of Levi holding the position of the priesthood of the firstborn to be completely fulfilled the rectification of the sin of the golden calf has to be completely fulfilled.  In other words, Israel has to be returned to the place where it can give the perfect testimony of redemption through the Passover Lamb that it would have given had it not sinned in the creation of the golden calf.  To return to the place where it was before that sin, Israel must be prepared to fulfill its calling to the nations.  This is the calling of the firstborn of G-d and is led by the firstborn.  Just as Cain lost this priesthood, the testimony of the seed of the woman, Israel lost this priesthood, but whereas the house of Cain was not redeemed to this position, the house of Israel was redeemed to this position – and on the merit of that redemption that was to come, Moshe prayed for Israel and Hashem granted that the tribe of Levi should hold the place of the firstborn.

In Israel this testimony of the priesthood of the firstborn was compromised from the start by the adversary of Jacob, the father of Rachel and Leah, Laban.  There are three ways that the Bible frames the confusion to the testimony of the firstborn in Israel that Laban introduced by bringing in Leah in the place of Rachel.  One way is as the adversary Laban saw it.  But another way is how G-d saw it, which was as no confusion at all but as an opportunity to reveal his grace and life.  The third way is how Jacob saw it.  From Jacob’s point of view thare was a sense in which Joseph was his firstborn.  There was some vindication of this in the way in which G-d used Joseph in Egypt, but the grace that G-d established for Israel and the testimony of Israel to the truth of G-d, which G-d established through Joseph constituted an office that was transferred to Judah when Benjamin was defended by Judah with his life.  It is Benjamin’s rescue by Judah, which is at the same time Judah’s repentance toward the spirit of Mashiach as embodied in the person of Joseph, and at the same time the reuniting of Benjamin with Joseph, that represents the coming of the Kingdom of G-d upon Earth.

In being attached to Judah, when the other tribes of Rachel and the remainder of the tribes of Leah separated themselves unto Jeroboam, Benjamin remained attached to the house of David and to the promise of the house of David which was Mashiach.  Although Joseph was separated from Judah and Judah from Joseph, although Rachel and Leah were not reconciled on earth in heaven above they were reconciled, and in Benjamin’s attachment to Judah and to the house of David there was a continual testimony to the unity above.  Benjamin was always the bridge between Joseph and Judah in the heart of Jacob.  This is the aspect wherein Benjamin is the beloved of Hashem.  And this is the testimony of the Temple being built between the territories of Judah and Benjamin.  It is in this way that it is between Leah and Rachel, between the revelation of the world to come and the redemption of this world.  For in G-d the end and the means are one.  There is no replacement theology.

In the encampment of Israel in the wilderness Benjamin is encamped with Joseph, for this is the exile that Jacob experienced in his heart, for which cause Judah went into exile and Mashiach suffered all things.  But when Ezekiel saw the journeying of Israel finally coming to a rest in the land of the final Temple Benjamin was encamped between Judah and Joseph.  This cannot be seen immediately, as in the land at rest in the vision of Ezekiel Benjamin is no more directly between Judah and Joseph as in former times.  This is because in former times the struggle between Rachel and Leah remained.  Joseph was concealed from Judah, as in Egypt at the first.  But in the end the Shekinah will rest in the Holy Land, as indicated by Jacob’s prophetic naming of Rachel’s final child, “Son of My Right Hand,” that is to say, “Son of the South,” for here Benjamin comes as the arm, as it were, of Joseph from the west and the north and circles around, embracing the Holy Place from the South and Judah comes from the east and the south, embracing the Holy Place from the North.  And in this way Benjamin is the bridge between Joseph and Judah in rest, even as he was in the journey.  It is in this way that Benjamin will be reunited with Joseph and the heart of Jacob will be revived.

Joseph

13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that couches beneath,

14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,

15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,

16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brothers.

17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  Here is the promise of Mashiach ben Yoseph.  This is the secret of Mashiach, that though he is the seed of David, by his ruach through the covenant of regeneration given as assurance by HASHEM to Abraham, he gathers the exiles of Israel from the ends of the earth through the agency of Ephraim and the blessing of Manasseh.  While David was in the wilderness of the Philistines he laid the foundation of the kingdom, having been anointed of HASHEM by the prophet Samuel.  Just so, the Son of David builds his kingdom now.  While King Saul rules in Judah and Benjamin, Yehoshua HaMashiach rules in the wilderness of the gentiles, where he pushes the people together.

Zebulun and Issachar

18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out; and, Issachar, in your tents.

19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  Leah is not without her children among the concealed tribes in the great exile.  By the help of Issachar and Zebulun the 10 tribes shall return with great wealth to the Holy Land. For in accordance with apostolic instruction in the Holy Spirit they shall present their bodies as living sacrifices unto Hashem.

Gad

20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlarges Gad: he dwells as a lion, and tears the arm with the crown of the head.

21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  Gad will take the witness stand and give the testimony that will justify the innocent and convict the guilty... the sheep will be separated from the goats, the wheat from the tares.

Dan

22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  Just when it looks that all is at a loss and all hope is gone, Dan shall leap from Bashan and Israel shall be seen by all nations as the one who was saved by Yehoshua HaMashiach.

Naphtali

23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess the west (the sea) and the south!

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  By the song of Naphtali Joseph shall free Simeon and the land shall be allotted for the resurrection of the dead.  Here is the concealed blessing of Simeon.

Asher

24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

25 Your shoes shall be iron and brass; and as your days, so shall your strength be.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt.  In the tent of Asher all Israel shall sit down to the marriage feast of the Lamb.

26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rides upon the heaven in your help, and in his excellency on the sky.

27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before you; and shall say, Destroy them!

28 Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

29 Happy are you, O Israel: who is like unto you, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, and who is the sword of your excellency! and your enemies shall be found liars unto you; and you shall tread upon their high places.


<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = In these comments I have sought to reflect the nature of the 12 dimensions of the everlasting arms (verse 27 ). These are first given in the arrangement of the camps of the tribes in the wilderness. There are four directions, each with the nature of dialogue with those adjacent, for the purpose of moving forward on the journey to the Holy Land. Thus, the aspect of each tribe, which is also the aspect of the foundations of the City and the gates of the City (See Ezekiel and Revelation), which is reflected in the blessings of each tribe, is an aspect of service of All Israel in her internal dialogue for moving forward from This World to the World To Come, while keeping the nations "at the gate", so that they might enter at their time and not before. We will see from this why the judgements of revelation come as they do and why the tribes are sealed as they are in preparation for those judgements.


Next:
The Sealing of The Tribe of Dan and The Mystery of The Chariot
The Meaning of Twelve and The Blessings for the Tribes No. 5 - which is the critical conclusion to this sub-series and essential for going on toward learning the mystery of G-d revealed to those who are hearing the seven thunders, the message given to Yochanan in the little book, which he ate, bringing the message internally into the body of Mashiach.

The Meaning of Twelve and The Blessings for the Tribes #2

This post is the 2nd in a sub-series for the series of posts on the relationship of the judgements in Exodus to the judgements in Revelation.  If the reader is following the thread of these posts, it is important to read #1 in this series before coming to this 2nd post.  Here is the link:

The Meaning of Twelve and The Blessings for the Tribes #1

Jacob Blesses His Sons

1 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: Gather round so that I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. 2 Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.

Reuben

An Emblem of the Tribe of Dan

3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honour, excelling in power. 4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = Reuben = In the end Reuben will be able to testify to the messianic nature of the position of the firstborn.  The rectification of this testimony will come first before every other rectified testimony.  As given in Hebrews chapter 6, it is not possible to go on unto perfection without the rectification of the witness of the firstborn priesthood.  The key to Reuben being able to do this is for him to testify as to why the nature of his error muted the testimony of the firstborn. This means that he must show how his sin was the root of the sin of allowing the making of the golden calf, which led to the firstborn of the tribes losing the office of the priesthood.  He will need to show how that it was at the root of Israel's failure with respect to the erev rav, the "mixed multitude" at that time.  Indeed, we will see that in Reuben's sin there is a reflection of the struggle between Rachel and Leah, but instead of  helping to resolve this struggle in the manner that would bring the Fear of Hashem into the world, Reuben aggravated the struggle.  How this relates to the erev rav will be seen in due time.  The key to this is in Reuben being among the lost ten tribes, being in the form of the gentiles, being "Not-My-People" for the purpose of chastisement and correction.  It is as gentiles that the tribe of Reuben and the other tribes of the house of Israel must make the first levels of rectification in the fulfillment of these blessings and those given by Moshe.  There are different levels for the fulfillment of these blessings.  The final level will be that of the manifest restoration of all the tribes in their places in the open revelation of Yehoshua the Mashiach to the world at the wedding feast of the Lamb.  It is in that revelation that Reuben will testify to the glorious grace of the office of the firstborn in Israel.

Simeon and Levi
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers- their swords are weapons of violence. 6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. 7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = Simeon and Levi = In the end Simeon and Levi will have the privilege of testifying to the true eternal relationship between the tribes of Israel and the purpose of the twelve tribes in relation to the nations.  The key to Simeon and Levi being able to do this is for them to testify as to why Jacob was severed into two houses resulting in alienation in captivity under the rule of ungodliness of all Jacob's children due to misdirected righteous anger.

Judah
8 Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. 9 You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness- who dares to rouse him? 10 The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = Judah = In the end the anointing of Joseph will freely pass to Judah. Just as the whole house of Jacob freely bowed down to Joseph in chastisement, so it will freely bow down to Judah in victory over the world.  The Redeemer from Judah will not rest in his land until he has established eye to eye justice in all the earth.  How can Judah prepare to fulfill this destiny?  What is the key?  He can only faithfully protect Benjamin and guarantee his life and prepare to yield him up to Joseph when it is time.

Zebulun
13 Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend towards Sidon.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = Zebulun = In the end Zebulun will have the privilege of testifying to the definition of the border of the Land of Israel and to the distinction of the Land of Israel among all the lands of the earth, for blessing and prosperity, world without end, amen.  The key to Zebulun's being able to this is for him to testify always, with humility and fearlessness, of the love in his heart for the living Land of Israel while he is yet in the dust of captivity.

Issachar
14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. 15 When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labour.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = Issachar = In the end Issachar will have the privilege of testifying to the perfect halachic rulings that set the boundaries between each of the tribes of Israel.  Out of the principles of these rulings will arise the testimony of the joy of the perfection of Halakah, world without end, amen.  The key to Issachar's being able to do this is for him to testify always, with humility and fearlessness, of the love in his heart for the living Torah of Israel's God while he is yet in the dust of captivity.

Dan
16 Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backwards. 18 I look for your deliverance, O LORD.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = Dan = In the end Dan will have the privilege of testifying to the amazing grace of Israel's Redeemer.  As one who was lost from being a tribe of Israel, he shall be found like Joseph, and in being found he shall testify to the restorative justice of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, the Holy One Blessed is He.  The key for Dan to be able to do this is to learn to proclaim the commandment, with humility and fear, whereby Israel's God, in the end days, commands all people everywhere to repent.

Gad
19 Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. = Gad = In the end Gad will have the privilege of testifying to Israel's victory over Amalek coming from behind.  Gad will stand up with Simeon and Levi and will testify to the rectification of all converts in the heart of Israel and the end of the erev rav, the mixed multitude.

Asher
20 Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  Asher = In the end Asher will have the privilege of giving the testimony to the full nature of the riches of the blessing of the Creator to his world, which is the blessing of Torah-Israel, both a land and people of milk and honey.  The key for Asher to be able to do this is for him to be satisfied with no fruit that is not fit for King Mashiach.

Naphtali
21 Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  Naphtali = How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7  In the end Naphtali's feet are these feet and her fawns are singing good news with her.  The key for Naphtali to be able to do this is to wait upon Hashem until the hour when the barren one is given children, and not to turn to the bonds-maid...

Joseph
22 Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. 23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. 24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed supple, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. 26 Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  Joseph = In the end Joseph will have the privilege of revealing all that is concealed.  He will reveal the cornerstone of the Temple of the Eternal Jerusalem, the stone rejected by the builders.  The key to Joseph's being able to do this is to remain himself a rejected stone that offers itself as a key stone until it finally is the only stone that remains for its place, and rejoices to be carried in the arms of those who cherish it and put in its place.

Benjamin
27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  Benjamin = In the end Benjamin will have already captured the captivity, for he is the net of Mashiach.  And as a net is hungry for fish, like a wolf for its prey, yet in the evening rests in its place, so Benjamin will rest in his own camp in the evening and share with his brothers the abundance of his harvest.


28 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.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  The Twelve Tribes = In the end the twelve will be four camps of three, and each camp will be a gate to the Creator's new creation, that the old may enter into the new from every direction, each according to its proper gate.


29 Then he gave them these instructions: I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  The burial = In the end the burial place of Israel will yield its fruit an hundred fold.

31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  Rachel and Leah = In the end will be as one.  From the side of G-d we exist and we do not exist.  G-d sees both our existence and our non-existence.  From our side we must receive our existence and behold our existence as being entirely in the Hand of G-d, not as being taken from the Hand of G-d.  The desire to possess our own existence in our own power is the desire for the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  It is the spirit of the erev rav, the mixed multitude that came with Israel out of Egypt, the old nature, the fallen nature; it is Israel's evil inclination, the inheritance of Israel in Adam and not in the Son of Adam; but it is the fallen nature of Adam that is the object of G-d's pity, and while we error in taking as our own the forbidden fruit, as if to take our existence out of G-d's Hand, and destroy our existence, G-d, who calls what is not as though it was, is able to turn the destruction of our existence into our eternal life, for He is able to do it from His side.  For He sees all and keeps all things within His Hand, both existence and non-existence.  The G-d of Jacob will utterly destroy the old Adam and yet redeem him and make him a new Adam.  Jacob loved Rachel as Adam loved Eve, and how else could he redeem the world through his offspring?  He had to have this love, but by this love alone he could not bring forth the children of eternal life.  Laban thought to take advantage of the weakness of Jacob's natural love for Rachel by putting his daughter Leah in her sister's place and causing Jacob to stumble.  He thought to mock Jacob's spiritual calling by requiring of him a purely spiritual love for Leah.  Jacob laboured then for Leah, but his heart laboured for Rachel and he could not rectify his own heart by his own effort.  But the Protector of Jacob redeemed Jacob's heart so that it was transformed through great suffering until Leah and Rachel were one soul in his heart.  So it is that G-d created joy in the world of sorrow and revealed the Protector of Jacob in Jacob's heart, to be found there by all souls that would be saved.


32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. 33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

<>} MellowWolfPblsh nt. =  The breath of Jacob = In the end the breath of Jacob will return to the dry bones of all Israel.  Jacob breathed his last in exile and was gathered to his people in the world of redemption.

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The Meaning of Twelve and The Blessings for the Tribes #3

The Meaning of Twelve and The Blessings for the Tribes #1

VIntroduction to Notes on The Twelve Tribes

An Emblem of the Tribe of Dan

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We are seeking to learn the revelation intended for us from the fact that the tribe of Dan is not listed in Revelation 7.   I will put here a series of three posts to do with the meaning of Twelve in the Bible and why there are twelve tribes of Israel.  Later, G-d willing, I will elaborate on this subject in depth.  Here, in the series of these three posts, I only want to highlight the question of the sealing of the tribe of Dan with the name of HASHEM by looking at the blessing of the tribes by Jacob and by Moshe.

In the blessing of the Twelve Tribes by Moshe the tribe of Simeon is not mentioned, just as in The Book of The Revelation of Yehoshua the Mashiach the tribe of Dan is not mentioned.  Here, in the first in this series of three posts, I will quote for you in full what Ramban says about the tribe of Simeon not being mentioned by Moshe in his blessing of the tribes.  After that I will post Jacob's blessings of the tribes in Genesis 49 and my (initial) comments on each of those blessings.  Then, finally, I will post Moshe's blessings for the twelve tribes in Deuteronomy 33 and my (initial) comments on each of those blessings.  After this, it will be possible to see the relationship of the sealing of the tribe of Dan to that of all the tribes, and, in that light, the relationship of the sealing of the tribes to the correspondence between the judgements in Exodus and the judgements in Revelation. [The material quoted here from Ramban is from Rabbi Dr. Charles B. Chavel's translation, published by Shilo Publishing House 1976.]

The whole purpose of G-d in this world is that the whole world be filled with the knowledge of the Good News of Israel and Her Messiah, and through this the true knowledge of G-d's love, as the waters fill the great ocean upon the earth (–> Hab. 2:14). The purpose of these studies is to help increase that knowledge toward that measure.

From Ramban's Commentary on Deuteronomy 33
On Moshe's Blessing of The Tribe of Simeon
Ramban begins by first quoting Ibn Ezra:  "Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that 'he [Moshe] began with Reuben because he was the firstborn.  He did not mention Simeon because of the sin of [Baal] Peor, because the worshippers were Simeonites, the proof being their numbers, and their prince, too, being killed [in the affair].'

Ramban responds to Ibn Ezra's comment:  "In my opinion, the numbers are no proof because over thirteen thousand are still unaccounted for, aside from those who died in the plague [following the sin of Baal Peor].  In addition, other tribes as well diminished in population, for the sons of Gad lost five thousand, and the sons of Ephraim, eight thousand!  Moreover, from the verse which states, And Israel attached himself to Baal-peor, and it is said again, Take all the chiefs of the people it would appear that there are some among them from all the tribes, and that all their judges passed sentence on them.  And similarly He said, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in My jealousy (Num. 25:11).

<> } MellowWolfPblsh Note:  So, Ramban does not agree with Ibn Ezra that the reason the tribe of Simeon is not named by Moshe in his blessings is because of the extraordinary sin of the tribe of Simeon.  Further on, Ramban will indicate what he himself thinks about Moshe not mentioning the tribe of Simeon.  In the same way most commentators give the opinion that Dan is not mentioned in Rev. 7 because of the extraordinary sins of the tribe of Dan in leading the house of Israel into idolatry.  We will see that Ramban's comments here about Simeon and the twelve tribes speaks directly to this question about Dan and the twelve tribes.

Ramban continues to respond to Ibn Ezra's comment, but now addressing his readers:  "Now do  not rejoin against me from the affair of Achan where He said, Israel has sinned, [that there, though it was only one individual who sinned, He speaks of all Israel, and so here one might say, it was only one tribe that sinned and likewise He speaks of all Israel]. [The difference is that] there the sin had not yet been revealed, so He mentioned Israel generally [but in the case of Peor the facts of the sin were clearly given and still He spoke of all Israel, which shows that people from all the tribes were among the worshippers of Peor].

Ramban responds to Ibn Ezra's point about Zimri, the prince of Simeon being killed:  "Similarly, the identity of the victim is no proof, for he [Zimri, the son of Salu] was only a prince of a father's house of that tribe, not the prince of the tribe.  Those who assembled against G-d in the congregation of Korach were greater and more honorable people than he [Zimri], for they were princes of the congregation, yet all their tribes did not follow them!  Additionally, the psalm [that relates the sins of the wilderness] mentions Dathan and Abiram and their affair by name, saying, The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram; and it mentions They attached themselves also unto Baal-peor together with Moreover, they scorned the desirable Land which applies to the general population!

In concluding his response, Ramban introduces his own views:  "Forbid it also that Moshe should refrain from blessing the tribe of Simeon, [when it is said] that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel (Judges 21:17)!  For all those who had joined Baal-peor had already died, as it is said, for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Eternal your G-d has destroyed from the midst of you, and it is written of those who survived, But you that did cleave unto the Eternal your G-d are alive every one of you this day.  And why should he [Moshe] not bless them?  They all made the [golden] calf and sinned in the affair of the spies, yet they were forgiven, and he blessed them!

"Now, I have seen in Midrash Rabbah the following text: 'Six families were eliminated because of the immorality caused by Balaam's advice, and so Scripture listed one family less of Simeon and five less of Benjamin.'  Thus, according to the opinion of the Rabbis Benjamin had a greater part in the sin than did the tribe of Simeon – yet Benjamin is included in the blessing!"

<> } MellowWolfPblsh Note:  Ramban has now finished with his response to the idea that the tribe of Simeon was not included in the blessing by Moshe of the tribes because of extraordinary sin.  He has entirely dismissed that idea.  If we are willing to study and to hear what Ramban is saying we will not go on to take the easy answer that the tribe of Dan is not named in the sealing of the Twelve Tribes in Revelation 7 due to the extraordinary sin of the tribe of Dan in idolatry.  Instead, we will begin to see that there is a great mystery to be unfolded here for us about the meaning of there being twelve tribes of Israel, and specifically in Revelation chapter 7, where we find the listing of the tribe of Levi together with Menasseh and Joseph in the counting of the measure of the twelve tribes.


Ramban goes on to give his own opinion about the blessing of the tribe of Simeon:  "In my opinion, the correct interpretation is that Scripture considers the tribes of Israel as only twelve.  So it stated in Jacob's blessing, All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. Now Jacob mentioned his twelve sons and considered Joseph to be one tribe.  Moshe saw fit to consider Joseph as two tribes, as he said, And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Menasheh.  This was for two reasons: one, since the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded and made them two tribes regarding the dedication of the altar, the flags, and the inheritance of the Land, he [Moshe] had to count them as two for their blessing.  Secondly, he referred to Joshua, who would make them possess the Land, and he was from Ephraim, the younger son, therefore Moshe had to mention his brother who was older than him.  Now he also wanted to bless Levi, for, through his blessing, all Israel would be blessed, in that his offerings shall be acceptable before G-d on their behalf.  Hence it was necessary to omit one of the tribes, for nowhere are they enumerated except as twelve, corresponding to the twelve constellations in the firmament, the twelve months of the year, and the twelve 'border diagonals' concerning which the Rabbis have said in the Midrash that they are the everlasting arms (here at Deut. 33:27).

Ramban continues:  "As the Sages mentioned in Tractate Berachoth (Babylonian Talmud):  'The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the prophet [Isaiah], Go and tell the congregation of Israel:  My daughter, I have created twelve constellations in the firmament to correspond to the twelve tribes.'  Similarly, at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal where Scripture counts Levi, Joseph is not mentioned as two tribes [and there Simeon is also mentioned].  Likewise you will see in the distributions of Ezekiel that he counts Joseph as two tribes with reference to the apportioning of the Land and does not mention Levi (see Ezekiel 48:4-5).  On the other hand, in enumerating the city exits [of Jerusalem] he mentioned, the gate of Levi, one and did not list the tribe of Joseph as two tribes.  Instead, he said, the gate of Joseph one, since the tribes are always counted as only twelve.  Accordingly, Simeon was left out [of Moshe's blessings] since his tribe was not large and it was not the intention of the blessing of Jacob, their father, that they become numerous.  Instead he divided them in Jacob and scattered them in Israel, and to that extent they, too, were blessed through the blessing of the rest of the tribes among whom they were.

<> } MellowWolfPblsh Note:  Ramban goes on from his comments about the blessing of the tribe of Simeon being and aspect of the blessing of all the twelve tribes together to giving his comments about the order of the list of the tribes that Moshe uses here.  This is important for understanding the reason for the order of the list of the tribes in Revelation chapter 7 and I will not quote Ramban further on this but will come back to this at a later point.  In conclusion in this post I will only quote Ramban on the relation of Moshe's blessing of the tribes to Jacob's blessing of the tribes.  Ramban's statement on this will help clarify the nature of my comments on both Jacob and Moshe's blessings of the tribes, which I will offer in the two posts to follow in this series.


Ramban On The Relation of Moshe's Blessing of the Twelve Tribes 
to Jacob's Blessing of the Twelve Tribes
Ramban opens his comments on V'zoth Habrachah, 'And this is the blessing...  "AND THIS IS THE BLESSING WHEREWITH MOSES THE MAN OF G-D BLESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BEFORE HIS DEATH.  "It states the man of G-d in order to indicate that his blessing will be fulfilled because he was the man of G-d, and the prayer of the upright is His delight (Prov. 15:8).  Now Scripture calls Moshe our teacher the man of G-d, and so also the rest of the prophets, Elijah and the others, but it does not state 'the man of the Eternal [Hashem].  The reason is known to every student learned in [the 'Received' or 'Kabbalistic' understanding of] the Torah.  So also by way of the Truth [of the (deeper) 'Received' or 'Kabbalistic' understanding there is a special meaning contained in places in the word of G-d in the word, 'v'zoth,' 'this'], v'zoth is the blessing, [the word, "this", can be understood not only to refer to the blessing which is about to be heard but can be understood to itself be the blessing, once the deeper Kabbalistic understanding of use of the word, v'zoth, "this", in Scripture is known], as in, From the Eternal [Hashem] has 'zoth' (this) come (Psalms 118:22-23).

Ramban continues speaking of the Kabbalistic meaning of v'zoth...  "Similarly it is said in the case of Jacob, 'v'zoth (and 'this' is) what their father [Jacob] spoke unto them [in blessing the twelve tribes].  It was this blessing that David meant when he said, 'Zoth (This) came to pass unto me, because I have kept Your precepts (Psalms 119:56), alluding  to Zion the city of David, for there the Eternal commanded the blessing even life forever (Psalms 133:3).

And so Ramban concludes:  "Our Rabbis meant this secret in their interpretation in Bereshith Rabbah:  'v'zoth (and this is) what their father spoke unto them.  A man like me is destined to bless  you, and, from the very place where I [Jacob] concluded – from there he will begin.  At the moment Moshe our teacher rose to bless them, he began with 'vizoth habrachah (and this is the blessing) – from the very place where their father concluded.

"'This then is the meaning of the expression 'v'zoth' what their father spoke unto them.  He said unto them:  When will these blessings reach you?  From the time you accept the Torah, in which is written, V'zoth' (And this is) the Law etc.'  For this word zoth alludes to the blessing which is the Torah, and this is the covenant, as it is written, 'Zoth' (This is) My covenant (Genesis 17:10).

<> } MellowWolfPblsh Note: From these comments of Ramban's on the blessing of the twelve tribes by Jacob and by Moshe we can see the deep nature of their unity.  The Rabbis teach that they are not to be understood side by side so much as they are to be understood with the blessings of Moshe following on directly from the blessings of Jacob.  When we seek to understand the revelation of the the sealing of the twelve tribes - and especially the sealing of the tribe of Dan - in Revelation chapter 7, with the name of the Eternal (Hashem), we are seeking to understand something of the revelation of the end of days that Jacob did not reveal to his sons.  We are seeking to understand this as a fulfillment of all these blessings specifically in the end time.  Therefore, we see the great significance that there is in this teaching that the blessings of Moshe follow on from the blessings of Jacob.  Having come to this place, we can go on to reading the blessings of the tribes by Jacob and by Moshe.  These will be given in the two posts that follow.


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The Meaning of Twelve and The Blessings for the Tribes #2