‎רְאוּבֵן בְּכֹרִי אַתָּה. אַתָּה בְּכוֹרִי, טִפָּה רִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁלִּי. שֶׁעָשִׂיתִי שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וַאֲפִלּוּ קֶרִי לֹא רָאִיתִי. בְּכֹרִי אַתָּה, דּוֹמֶה לִי. יֶתֶר שְׂאֵת וְיֶתֶר עָז, שְׁלֹשָׁה כְתָרִים הָיוּ בְּיָדְךָ, כְּהֻנָּה מַלְכוּת וּבְכוֹרָה. שְׂאֵת, זוֹ כְּהֻנָּה, שֶׁנֱּאֱמַר: וַיִּשָּׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת יָדָיו (ויקרא ט, כב). עָז, זוֹ מַלְכוּת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְיִתֶּן עֹז לְמַלְכּוֹ (ש״‎א ב, י). יֶתֶר, בְּכוֹרָה שֶׁהִיא שְׁנֵי חֲלָקִים. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לָתֶת לוֹ פִּי שְׁנַיִם (דברים כא, יז). וְאִבַּדְתָּ אוֹתָם. מִי גָרַם לְךָ, פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם. לְפִיכָךְ אַל תּוֹתַר.

Reuben, thou art My firstborn, My might and the first fruits of My strength; the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. unstable as water, have not thou the excellency (Gen. 49:3–4). Thou art my firstborn. You are my firstborn, the product of the first drop of semen I produced in eighty years.¹⁴Cf. Genesis Rabbah 98:4, “in eighty-four years.” In fact, I did not even experience nocturnal pollution before then. My firstborn. Are you like me? The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. Three crowns were available to you: priesthood, kingship, and the right of the firstborn. The excellency of dignity alludes to the priesthood, as is said: And Aaron lifted up his hands (Lev. 9:22); the excellency of power refers to kingship, as it is said: And he will give power unto his king (I Sam. 2:10); the birthright is indicated by the double portion he received, as is said: By giving him a double portion (Deut. 21:17). But you have lost them all. Why? Because you are as unstable as water, and therefore have not thou the excellency.

מַהוּ פַּחַז, נוֹטָרִיקוֹן. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, פָּחַזְתָּ, חָטָאתָ, זָנִיתָ. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, פָּחַזְתָּ, חָסַכְתָּ עֹל מִצַּוָּארְךָ, זַעְתָּ מִן הַחֵטְא.

What is the meaning of pahaz (“unstable”)? It is an abbreviation. R. Eliezer said: It is an abbreviation for pahazata (“you were overweening”), hatatha (“you sinned”), zanitha (“you committed adultery”). R. Joshua contended: It stands for pahazta (“you were overweening”), hasahta (“you cast the yoke from thy neck”), za’ta (“you did recoil from sin”).

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה מְסָרֵס אֶת הַתֵּבָה, זַעְתָּ, חָרַדְתָּ, פָּרַח חֶטְאָךְ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, פַּחַז, פָּסַעְתָּ עַל דָּת, חִלַּלְתָּ בְּכוֹרָתְךָ, זָר נַעֲשֵׂיתָ. כַּמַּיִם, מַהוּ כַּמַּיִם. אָדָם אִם יֵשׁ בְּיָדוֹ קִיתוֹן שֶׁל מַיִם וְנִשְׁפַּךְ, אֵין מְשַׁיֵּר בּוֹ כְּלוּם. אֲבָל יֶשׁ בּוֹ שֶׁמֶן אוֹ דְבַשׁ, מְשַׁיֵּר בּוֹ. לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: כַּמַּיִם אַל תּוֹתַר.

R. Levi reversed the letters of the word pahaz: The zayin stands for za’ata (“you did recoil), the heh for haradata (“you did tremble”), and parah het (“your sin has flown from you”). Another comment on pahaz. Pasata (“you trampled on the law”), hillalta (“you have degraded your birthright”), zar (“you have made yourself a stranger like water). What is the meaning of like water? If a man pours water from a flask nothing remains, but if there is oil in the flask, and it is poured out, there is a residue in the bottle. Therefore, it says: Unstable like water, have thou not the excellency (Gen. 49:4).

כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ, עִלִּיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ. אֵימָתַי, בִּשְׁעַל דּוּדָאִים, הַמְעַט קַחְתֵּךְ אֶת אִישִׁי וְגוֹ' לָכֵן יִשְׁכַּב עִמָּךְ (בראשית ל, טו),

Because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed (ibid.). When did this occur? At the incident of the mandrakes. Leah said: Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my husband? And wouldst thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? (Gen. 30:15).

אָז חִלַּלְתָּ יְצוּעִי. עָלָה, תִּהְיֶה מְרֻחָק עַד שֶׁיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה שֶׁכָּתוּב בּוֹ וּמֹשֶׁה עָלָה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים (שמות יט, ג), וִיקָרֶבְךָ וְיֹאמַר לְךָ יְחִי רְאוּבֵן וְאַל יָמֹת (דברים לג, ו). יָצָא רְאוּבֵן וְאָזְנָיו מְקֻטָּפוֹת. הִתְחִיל קוֹרֵא לְשִׁמְעוֹן וּלְלֵוִי אַחִים. אֲחֵי דִינָה וְלֹא אֲחֵי יוֹסֵף, שֶׁהֵם מְכָרוּהוּ.

Then defilest thou it—he went up to my couch (ibid. 49:4).¹⁵He slept with Bilah, his father’s concubine. He went up implies that you will be rejected until Moses appears, concerning whom it is written: And Moses went up unto God (Exod. 19:3), and he shall come, and intercede for you, saying: Let Reuben live, and not die (Deut. 33:6). And Reuben went out downcast. And he (Jacob) began to call out: Simeon and Levi are brothers (Gen. 49:5). They had acted as brothers toward Dinah but not toward Joseph, whom they had sold.

כְּלֵי חָמָס. אָמַר לָהֶן, כֵּלִים שֶׁבְּיֶדְכֶם, חֲמוּסִין, גְּזוּלִין הֵן מֵעֵשָׂו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לוֹ: וְעַל חַרְבְּךָ תִּחְיֶה (בראשית כז, מ), כֵּלִים שֶׁל חָמָס. וְאֵין חָמָס אֶלָּא עֵשָׂו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: מֵחֲמַס אָחִיךָ יַעֲקֹב תְּכַסְּךָ בּוּשָׁה (עובדיה א, י).

Weapons of violence. He said to them: The weapons in your possession are weapons of violence stolen from Esau, of whom it is said: By the sword shalt thou live (ibid. 27:40). These are weapons of violence, and violence is associated with Esau, as it is said: For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever (Obad. 10).

מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם, לְשׁוֹן יְוָנִי הוּא שֶׁקּוֹרְאִין לַחֲרָבוֹת, מְכֵרִין. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים: מְכֵרֹתֵיהֶם, מְגוּרוֹתֵיהֶם, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אֲמַר: מְכֹרֹתַיִךָ וּמֹלְדֹתַיִךְ (יחזקאל טז, ג).

Mekherotehem (their kinship). This is a Greek word. The Greeks called their swords mahirim. Others are of the opinion that the word mekherotehem should have been written as megurothehem (“their origin”), as in the verse Thy origin and thy nativity (Ezek. 16:3).