"Tribal Blueprints. Twelve Brothers and the Destiny of Israel," Book Review.
Book Review.
Nechama Price, "Tribal Blueprints. Twelve Brothers and the Destiny of Israel," ca. 289 pages, Jerusalem, 2020. hardcover.
The authoress analyses each of the individual Tribes and Tribal heroes giving her own opinion in the light of Classical Rabbinical Commentaries. This review will be given piece-meal as we go. The authoress is a senior academician and instructress at Stern College and Yeshivah University. The work appears to be well-written giving succint informative discussions on each of the Tribes.Reuben.
Reuben was the firstborn but he was replaced by Joseph. Perhaps this was related to his untoward behavior with Bilhah concubine of his father, and mother of Dan and Naphtali?
Reuben keeps on trying to play a leadership role but is never fully accepted as such by the others.
Descendants of Reuben, Datan and Aviram, attempted to take over from Moshe (Numbers 16:1-3). They joined the rebellion of Korach against Moshe. Korach was from the Tribe of Levi but most participants came from Reuben.
The Prophet Hosea was a descendant of Reuben. The Rabbis saw Hosea as attempting to rectify the transgressions and failings of Reuben.
Reuben and Gad were suspected mistakenly of wishing to leave the main body of Israel (Joshua 22).
The Tribe of Reuben east of the Jordan suffered depredations by Moab and the Midianites. The other Tribes did not help.
Reuben and Gad were the first Tribes to be exiled by Assyria (1-Chronicles 5:26).