The Firstborn The Book of Bereshit is replete with intense struggles between brothers. The conflict of Kayin and Hevel, the first brothers, was over the issue of acceptance by G-d of their sacrifices, and it ended with the first murder. Next came Yitzchak and Yishmael, with the scornful attitude of the latter leading to his banishment from his father's house (triggering the seemingly unending hatred and resentment against which we still struggle today). But HaShem Himself tells Avraham in Bereshit 21:12, "For in Yitzchak will your seed be called." Yaakov and Esav followed, where Esav, the biological first-born, wavered in his desire for the birthright - on one hand, "What do I need this birthright for?" (Bereshit 25:32); on the other, "And he cried a great and bitter cry," (Bereshit 27:34) when he learned that Yaakov had taken his bracha. While Yaakov never wavered in his quest to be considered the first-born, which led to his becoming the "bechir she'b'avot," the most-favored of the forefathers. Yaakov's greatness reaches in fact to the extent that his image is inscribed upon HaShem's throne.It is also possible to say that the conflict between Yoseph and his brothers was over the right of the first-born. Yoseph: "…and behold your bundles gathered around and bowed down to my bundle;" (Bereshit 37:7) the brothers: "Will you indeed rule over us?" (Bereshit 37:8)It would not, indeed, be difficult to say that all of the conflicts mentioned above were over the issue of determining to whom belong the rights of the first-born. Kayin felt that it was his right, as first-born, to be recognized by G-d. Likewise Yishmael, who was in fact the first-born of Avraham, and the first of his sons to undergo circumcision, felt threatened by the arrival of Yitzchak, who was born miraculously to the true wife, Sarah. From the time of their emergence from the womb, Esav felt, with justification, that Yaakov was trying to wrest from him the right to be considered the "bechor." And Yoseph, the youngest of the brothers, pressed his claim on the basis of being the first-born to the beloved wife, Rachel.Let us then ask the question which seems to lie at the root of all this struggling amongst the brothers. What is special, what is the tremendous desirability of being first-born? Perhaps the answer is that, in a sense, the "original Divine plan" was that the "bechor" should receive all the gifts: temporal and spiritual, to be king and to be priest. We encounter "Malkizedek, Melech Shalem," the King of Shalem, in Bereshit (14:18) where he comes forward to greet Avraham after his successful expedition to rescue Lot. Malkizedek is identified in the Midrash as Shem, son of Noach, founder of the Beit Midrash of Shem V'Ever. He was not the biological first-born of Noach, but he was Noach's leading son, in terms of merit, and therefore listed first in the order of sons, Shem, Cham and Yefet. He is also referred to in the verse which describes his encounter with Avraham, bringing out bread and wine, as "v'hu kohen l'Kel Elyon," "And he was the Priest to the Most High G-d." He receives "Maaser," the "tenth" portion reserved from ancient times for the priestly class, from Avraham; he blesses Avraham, and he blesses Hashem, Who protected Avraham in the war. And did not Yaakov himself, who was also not the biological first-born, but who had "bought" the rights to it, also receive both spiritual and temporal blessings from his father? The Yalkut Shimoni cites a Midrash which says that this is what Yaakov meant when he said "Reuven, bechori atah, yeter seat v'yeter oz," "Reuven, you are my first-born, you were to have had elevated status, meaning priesthood, and greater strength, meaning kingship" (Bereshit 49:3). But the burden of both roles was too much for Reuven; "Unstable as water, you shall not lead" (Bereshit 49:4). He was an inadequate king. He advised throwing Yoseph into the pit, although the Torah informs us that he did this only as a delaying tactic to prevent the immediate execution of Yoseph by his brothers. Whereas, as king, he should have asserted his authority and rescued Yoseph then and there. On the other hand, he was also an inadequate priest. His moral compass did not guide him correctly. It allowed him to interfere with his father's relations with his wives, and also allowed Reuven to offer his father the terrible option of killing his own two sons (!) if he didn't bring back Binyamin. Yaakov therefore felt compelled to split the leadership of the Jewish People. He confers spiritual leadership upon Yoseph. He bases this on Yoseph's titanic struggle with, and victory over his "yetzer hara," his great "temptation," in connection with the wife of Potiphar Bereshit (49:23), for which he earned the title Yoseph "HaTzaddik," Yoseph, the "Righteous." And he confers kingship upon Yehudah, who shows his ability to rise from the depths of disgrace in the eyes of his brothers (and the eyes of G-d). He does this twice: when he admits that he is responsible for Tamar's pregnancy, saving her from a terrible punishment, and also when he steps forward to confront and upbraid Yoseph over his apparent hypocrisy, and to offer nevertheless to sell himself as slave to Yoseph. By this he will redeem Binyamin and fulfill his oath to his father, that he would bring back Binyamin, or else be guilty of sinning against his father for "all the days, " which is interpreted as including the World-to-Come. Therefore, Yaakov declares "Lo Yasur shevet mi'Yehudah," "The scepter shall not depart from Yehudah" (Bereshit 49:10). Rabbi Pinchas Frankel |
