Tribal Characteristics. Are you from Judah? (17 October 2017, 27 Tishrei, 5778)
Judah Characteristics
Contents:
1. What Israelite Tribes are there among the Jews?
2. The Name Judah: Gratitude, Acknowledgement, Spiritual Inclinations
3. What may we learn from the Joseph Incident?
4. What may we learn from the Case of Tamar?
==============================
1. What Israelite Tribes are there among the Jews?
Judah is identified with the Jews. Judah is indeed the dominant tribe within the Jews but other Tribes of Israel are also present.
Elements from Judah are also to be found as minorities within the Ten Tribes.
Different Tribes among the Jews
Main Tribes:
Judah, Benjamin, Levi, Simeon
Secondary Main Tribes in Judah: Issachar and Joseph
When the Israelites entered the Land of Canaan they were commanded to stand on Mounts Gerizim and Ebal (near Schechem) to receive blessings and cursing.
It has been pointed out by Commentators that these tribes associated with the Blessings were destined to contribute more numerically to Judah.
Despite this the Tribes of Issachar and Joseph remained minorities. Their main expression was to be among the Ten Tribes, as explained by Nachmanides (Book of Redemption).
Deuteronomy (NASB) 27:
12 "When you cross the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Other Tribes in Judah:
Deuteronomy (NASB) 27:
13 'For the curse, these shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
==============================
Biblical Sources:
==============================
2. The Name Judah: Gratitude, Acknowledgement, Spiritual Inclinations
The name "Judah" in Hebrew is Yehudah. Is is based on the word root "Hodaah" connoting "Give Thanks, Praise".
Genesis 29:
35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Now I will praise the Lord.' Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
The name therefore indicates the qualities of Gratitude, of Praise to God. The name also indicates Acknowledgement of the truth and Confession after sin.
The name Yehudah in its letters encompasses, with the addition of a letter the name of God in Hebrew.
We therefore have indications of someone who is spiritually inclined, who is mystical, who acknowledges the truth, and who owns up to his faults.
We find these qualities among many Jews. We also find among other Jews just the opposite.
There are Jews who are atheists and materialistic. They are not however indifferent.
==============================
3. What may we learn from the Joseph Incident?
It is worth noting that Judah was the fourth born son after Rueben, Simeon, and Levi. His mother was Leah.
The sister of Leah was Rachel. Both Leah and Rachel were married to Jacob. They both had handmaidens who also became mothers of tribal forebears. The hand maiden of Lead was Zilpah. Bilhah was the handmaiden of Rachel, see Genesis ch.29.
The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
Genesis chapter 37 tells us how Joseph became the favorite son of Jacob. The other sons were jealous of him.
The brothers seized Joseph. They intended to kill him and cast his body in a pit pretending that a wild beast had slain him.
Reuben persuaded the brothers not to kill Joseph but rather leave him in the pit to die a natural death. Reuben intended to return secretly and rescue Joseph.
While Joseph was in the pit the brothers sat down to eat. A caravan of Ishmaelites, ancestors of the Arabs, passed by.
Judah suggested that rather than leaving Joseph to die they should sell him.
Genesis (NKJV) 37:
26 So Judah said to his brothers, 'What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.' And his brothers listened.
The Sages (Talmud, Sanhedrin 6;b) said that Judah should be condemned for his action.
In the same way as the brothers had listened to him and sold Joseph so would they have done so if he had have proposed releasing him.
The action of Judah does however indicate a degree of fraternal consideration. It also shows leadership. So too, a love of money is involved here.
Do you have leadership qualities?
Do you value money perhaps to an exaggerated degree?
Could you be bribed?
This Brings us to an important point: Vulnerabilty and Senstivity.
Jews have been persecuted and discriminated throughout history. All kinds of faslehoods have been spread about them. Even now, the nation of Israel has all kinds of lies told about it and misconceptions spread. Jews are vulnerable and naturally hyper-sensitive. Whereas for other Tribes we can quite freely list negative points even when we are not sure concerning their veracity) when it comes to the Jews we need to tread with extra care. This is natural and we should accept this as an outcome of reality. Jews as a people are often sensitive. They do not like being made fun of and talked about. On the other hand this is what often happens. Are you like this? To a degree everyone is but some are more sensitive towards it than others. Are you like this?
Judah is often a leader. Judah Values Human LIfe as well as Money.
Judah May lack fraternity or may have it, in different contexts.
Leadership Potential. Vulnerability and sensitivity.
==============================
4. What may we learn from the Case of Tamar?
Genesis chapter 38 tells us how Judah married the daughter of Canaanite named Shua.
He begat three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah.
The wife of Er was Tamar. Er died and Onan his brother married Tamar as was the practice. Onan also died.
Shelah should then ave married Tamar but Judah thought that Tamar was jinxed. Judah told her to wait until Shelah had grown up and then she would be given to him.
When the time came Tamar saw that Judah was not keeping his word.
Tamar disguised herself as a woman of fortune and sat by the waysie as Judah was passing.
Judah negotiated intercourse with the woman and left his signet ring and staff with here as surety.
He was not aware who the lady was.
Three months later Judah was informed that Tamar was pregnant. It was ordered that Tamar should be burnt.
Tamar snet the sureties to Judah saying that their owner was the father.
Judah acknowledged his paternity and said that Tamar was more in the right than he was since he had not kept faith with her.
Genesis 38:
26 So Judah acknowledged them and said, 'She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.' And he never knew her again.
It should be noted that after the giving of the Torah the giving of the widow when there was no issue was restricted to brothers of the deceased.
Before the giving of the Torah however it could be any member of the family and not necessarily one the brothers.
Judah was therefore a legitimate substitute in this case for his son.
Tamar gave birth to twin sons named Zerah and Perets (Genesis 38:29).
From this incident we see:
Judah Acknowledges the truth.
Judah is prepared to face public opprobrium.
Judah is often prepared to stand alone against the crowd.
Judah is prepared to take responsibility.
Despite being a respected person Judah is liable to depart drastically from the straight and narrow, as seen with Tamar.
Disguised as a lady for hire Tamar sat by the way side evidently quite confident as to how Judah would react.
So too, we find a similar case with David (who is also a prototype for Judah) who let himself be misled in the case of Bath-Sheva,
In other words Judah is prepared to face the music in the pubic eye.
He is also liable to slip up. He takes responsibility but there are may be things he has to take responsibility for!
Continued at All 12. Judah-2
==============================
Some Additional Sources:
Why The Jews Are Judah! Proof that the Present-Day Jews are the Judah of Scripture.
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/jew/judah.html
Extract:
The Twelve Points Identifying Judah
We see that Judah means the Jews due to Twelve Points:
1. Possession of Coastal Palestine (Zephaniah ch.2).
2. Judah in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:14).
3. An Old-New Nation (Atlneuland cf. Genesis 49: 8-12)
4. The Jews will have been persecuted (Zechariah 1:15, Zechariah 8:13, Isaiah ch.53, Isaiah 42:10, Psalm 44:22).
5. The Jews will have kept the Law (Psalms 60:9, 108:90; Genesis 49:10; Zechariah 8:23).
6. The Jews will have kept the Fasts (Zechariah 8:19).
7. The Jews will be known as Israel (Isaiah 48:1).
8. The Jews of Judah will Return before the Ten Tribes (Micah 4:8 cf. Hosea 6:10).
9. Judah will always be recognized as Judah [Genesis 49:10] T
10. The Ten Tribes would get Lost, not Judah (Genesis 34:10 cf, Isaiah 24:3, 49:13-14, 21 Hosea 1:8, Jeremiah 3:6-7).
11. In their Places of Exile Judah will have been defenceless, Hosea 1:7, Psalm 44:22.
12. In the End Times Judah will assert himself (Isaiah 63).
25 Jewish Identifiers
Proofs that the Jews of Today are Judah of the Bible
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/jew/judahjews.html
23 Identifiers. Expanded Version. Proofs that the Jews of Today are Judah of the Bible
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/jew/25expanded.html
==============================
See Also:
Tribes Identified 1
(Cheat Sheet) 1. Ephraim; 2. Manasseh; 3. Reuben; 4. Simeon; 5. Levi; 6. Yehudah
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/tribescheat1.html
Tribes Identified 2
(Cheat Sheet) 7. Issachar; 8. Zebulon; 9. Gad; 10. Asher; 11. Dan; Parallel Settlement whereby Relative Geographical Alignments Confirm Tribal Identifications. 12. Benjamin; 13. Naphtali
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/tribescheat2.html
All 12. The First Six. Tribal Characteristics
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/6tribe1.html
Yehudah, Issachar, Zebulon, Reuben, Simeon, Levi
All 12. Eight Tribes. Tribal Characteristics
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/more8.html
Levi, Joseph, Ephraim, Manasseh, Binyamin, Dan, Asher, Naphtali